RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute

Soldiers, civilians and Family members from Division West, First Army, cheer Healing Heroes and other cyclists during the annual Texas Challenge event of the Ride to Recovery at Fort Hood, TX Apr 11. Photo by Sgt 1st Class Gail Braymen, Division West, Public Affairs / U.S. Army
Soldiers, civilians and Family members from Division West, First Army, cheer Healing Heroes and other cyclists during the annual Texas Challenge event of the Ride to Recovery at Fort Hood, TX Apr 11. Photo by Sgt 1st Class Gail Braymen, Division West, Public Affairs / U.S. Army

RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute

Our Mission

The RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute, housed at RAND, is dedicated to conducting innovative, interdisciplinary, evidence-based research to improve the lives of those who have served in the U.S. military. Through a range of partnerships, the institute prioritizes creative and policy-relevant analysis and evaluation to meet the needs of all veterans while engaging and empowering those who support them.

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Featured Research and Policy Insights

Explore Issues in Focus

RAND experts summarize pressing policy challenges affecting veterans, their families, and their communities, along with potential solutions and future research directions.

Explore Issues in Focus

RAND experts summarize pressing policy challenges affecting veterans, their families, and their communities, along with potential solutions and future research directions.

  • Suicide Among Veterans
  • Food Insecurity

Know the Facts

There are 14.3 million military and veteran caregivers. 1

2.5 percent of veterans identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. 2

In 2020, 37,252 veterans were experiencing homelessness in the United States. 3

About the Institute

Leadership

Funding

The RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute was established with a generous gift from Daniel J. Epstein through the Epstein Family Foundation.

Learn more about us

Hero photo by Sgt 1st Class Gail Braymen, Division West, Public Affairs / U.S. Army. Soldiers, civilians, and family members from Division West, First Army, cheer Healing Heroes and other cyclists during the annual Texas Challenge event of the Ride to Recovery at Fort Hood, TX.

1 Ramchand, Rajeev, Sarah Dalton, Tamara Dubowitz, Kelly Hyde, Nipher Malika, Andrew R. Morral, Elie Ohana, Vanessa Parks, Terry L. Schell, Gretchen Swabe, Thomas E. Trail, and Kayla M. Williams, America's Military and Veteran Caregivers: Hidden Heroes Emerging from the Shadows, RAND Corporation, RR-A3212-1, 2024. As of June 20, 2025: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA3212-1.html

2 Kaston D.Anderson-Carpenter, Jaleah D. Rutledge, and Koi Mitchell, “Prescription opioid misuse among heterosexual versus lesbian, gay, and bisexual military veterans: Evidence from the 2015-2017 national survey of drug use and health,” Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Vol. 207, February 1, 2020: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037687161930571X

3 Meghan Henry, Tanya de Sousa, Caroline Roddey, Swati Gayen, and Thomas Joe Bednar, and Abt Associates, The 2020 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2021. As of January 2021: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2020-AHAR-Part-1.pdf