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After serving in their nation's military, they're now serving in America's economy.
There are nearly 8 million veterans in the U.S. workforce, and they have a lower unemployment rate than the population as a whole. Veteran-owned businesses generate $1.3 trillion in annual sales and employ approximately 4 million workers.
But as Veterans Day approaches, leaders of veterans service organizations say some of the men and women behind that economic success are still struggling to find stable housing, get mental health care or translate military experience into a civilian career.
For Vinnie Morales, co-founder of Veterans Community Project in Kansas City, Mo., the difficulty of returning to civilian life is personal.
"I had 13 years total in service, a couple trips to Iraq, and a trip to Afghanistan. And when I came out, I kind of had that all-too-standard, standard transition. Kind of, I went through some rough challenges back on my dad's couch within three months," Morales told an InsideSources roundtable on veterans' issues.
The broader economic picture shows veterans playing a substantial role as employers and employees.
Veterans generally fare better than nonveterans on unemployment. Their unemployment rate averaged 3.5% in 2025, compared with 4.2% for nonveterans, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But overall employment figures can obscure hardship within the veteran community.
A 2025 survey by Blue Star Families and Syracuse University's D'Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families found that 27% of veteran-family respondents were struggling financially. Among veteran respondents, 58% described their transition to civilian life as difficult or very difficult.
Among veteran-family respondents who reported a difficult transition, 39% were struggling financially and 33% reported low or very low food security.
Housing remains another challenge. An estimated 32,495 veterans experienced homelessness on a single night in January 2025, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. That represented a 56.1% decline since 2010.
Morales said veterans can encounter barriers to getting services, including eligibility requirements and whether their needs are connected to their military service.
Meg Harrell, chief program officer at the Bob Woodruff Foundation, told the roundtable that identifying those gaps is essential to directing help effectively.
More than 80% of participating partner organizations reported significant physical and mental health needs among the people they served, Harrell said. Sixty-seven percent said their communities lacked sufficient mental health services for military and veteran populations.
The survey also found that the share of partners reporting that almost all their clients needed housing assistance rose from 4% in 2023 to 25% in 2025. The corresponding figure for emergency financial assistance increased from 18% to 27%.
The key to getting veterans the help they need is doing the work, Harrell said, and the Bob Woodruff Foundation uses data to determine which local veterans service projects to fund.
"They need to be able to articulate the evidence-based need, the evidence-based intervention, what they're actually doing," Harrell said.
Measuring success requires more than counting how many people come through the door.
"Outcomes can be difficult to measure. A lot of people measure, like, foot traffic or heads. Those are outputs. Outcomes are how you're changing lives. And it's very difficult to do that," Harrell said.
Kyleanne Hunter, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said her organization uses surveys to understand veterans' priorities and where they need help. About 13% of U.S. military veterans served in Iraq or Afghanistan during the post-9/11 wars, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates.
For Hunter, helping veterans succeed carries benefits that extend beyond employment and business ownership.
"But what really we find when we dig into education is that that divide really isn't there, and helping veterans is helping America, because veterans are a subset of this, and we find out more and more that veterans' issues are American issues, and often veterans are able to be water carriers to bridge some of those divides in real and meaningful ways."
Lisa Rechsteiner with PMI U.S., which sponsored the roundtable, praised the impact veterans make in the workplace.
"Veterans bring a powerful combination of leadership, resilience, and integrity to the workplace. They know how to unite people around a shared mission, adapt when circumstances change, and make sound decisions under pressure. When companies recognize those strengths and create opportunities for veterans to continue contributing, everyone benefits."
Gregory Bresiger writes about financial and economic issues for InsideSources.com.