After serving in their nation’s military, they’re now serving in America’s economy.
There are 8 million veterans in the U.S. workforce, and they have a lower unemployment rate than the general population. Veteran-owned businesses generate $1.3 trillion in annual sales and employ 4 million workers.
But as we observe Veterans Day, 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, Missouri, 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,” Morales said in an InsideSources roundtable on veterans’ issues. “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.”
The broader economic picture shows veterans playing a substantial role as employers and employees. But a 2025 survey by Blue Star Families and Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families found that 27 percent of veteran-family respondents were struggling financially. Among veterans, 58 percent described their transition to civilian life as difficult or very difficult.
Along with general financial struggles, housing remains a challenge. Some 32,495 veterans experienced homelessness on a single night in January 2025, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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 percent 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.