AN OPEN LETTER

America's national security depends on the strength, resilience, and recovery of those who serve. Service members and veterans operate under extreme conditions, including intense physical exertion, sleep deprivation, toxic exposures, traumatic injuries, and sustained psychological stress. Yet despite these demands, significant gaps remain in the research, awareness, and access to care that determine whether those who serve can recover and remain ready.

The data are clear. Research estimates that nearly 1-in-4 U.S. veterans (24%) screen positive for probable traumatic brain injury¹, and more than 450,000 service members have been diagnosed with TBI since 2000.² Active service members and veterans face PTSD rates roughly 15 times higher than civilians, and depression rates approximately 5 times higher.³ These conditions are not isolated medical concerns. They are determinants of force readiness, recruitment eligibility, and the long-term cost of veteran care.

Significant gaps remain in:

• Research on hormonal health, metabolic disease, traumatic brain injury, and emerging mental health therapies in operational populations
• Awareness of the cumulative physiological and psychological toll service places on the body
• Access to responsible, evidence-based, clinician-directed treatment options that address service-connected conditions

Policymakers have begun to respond. The Honoring our PACT Act expanded VA care for veterans exposed to burn pits and other hazards. Yet these efforts have largely focused on recognition and compensation rather than access to evidence-based recovery. Ensuring that those who serve have access to the best available science, research, and care is no longer a healthcare matter alone. It is a strategic imperative for national security.

The Servicemember Health Alliance is a 501(c)(4) organization established to close these gaps. The Alliance brings together clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and affected individuals to advance health, resilience, and recovery across service populations. It advocates for the restoration and optimization of normal physiological function in individuals whose health has been impacted by the demands of service.

 

Through this effort, the Alliance aims to:

• Advance research and evidence generation in underrepresented service populations, particularly in areas such as hormonal health, metabolic disease, brain injury recovery, and emerging mental health therapies
• Elevate the lived experiences of service members and veterans to inform clinical practice and policy
• Inform national strategy and policy by convening expert roundtables and engaging congressional champions on service member health
• Improve navigation and access to responsible, evidence-based care, including personalized treatment options for those whose needs are not met by standard therapies

 

1 Karr JE, et al. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2025;106(4):537-547. PMID: 39613218.
2 Kim SY, et al. Transl Psychiatry. 2023:13:289. PMID: 37652994.
3 Kessler RC, et al. JAMA Psychiatry. 2014;71(5):504-513. PMID: 24590120.

AN OPEN LETTER

Emerging areas of science, including personalized and integrative approaches to care, may offer new pathways to support recovery in populations whose needs are not adequately met by standard treatment. As this landscape evolves, it is essential that access remains grounded in medical oversight, scientific integrity, and clinician- directed care. This effort is not centered on any single therapy or approach. It is focused on expanding safe, evidence-based options within a framework of clinical accountability, so those who serve and have served retain access to the full continuum of care necessary to protect their long-term health and operational readiness.

The Servicemember Health Alliance is calling on leaders across defense, veteran affairs, the medical community, and policy to:

• Support the development and advancement of research initiatives focused on service member and veteran health
• Advocate for funding and policy that addresses traumatic brain injury, hormonal health, metabolic disease, and emerging mental health therapies in operational populations
• Expand education and awareness of service-connected occupational health risks and recovery needs
• Improve navigation and access to responsible, evidence-based care, including personalized medicine pathways where standard treatment is insufficient
• Participate in ongoing, cross-sector dialogue to inform policy and scalable, evidence-based national strategy

By signing this letter, you are joining a coordinated national effort to advance research, policy, and access to care for those who serve and have served. Your name strengthens the case made to legislators, agencies, and institutional leaders that the health of service populations is a strategic priority worthy of sustained investment. America asks extraordinary things of its service members and veterans. Ensuring they have access to the best available science, research, and care is not only a moral obligation. It is essential to maintaining national security, operational readiness, and the long-term well-being of those who serve. Together, we can ensure that those who defend our nation are not only protected while in service, but fully supported in their recovery, resilience, and long-term well-being. We invite organizations and individuals, civilian and uniformed alike, to stand with us by signing this letter and joining the Servicemember Health Alliance.

 

Sincerely,

Servicemember Health Alliance

All information collected is for military and veteran advocacy only. By signing, you consent to your name, signature, and city & state being included as part of this public letter. Your contact information, including your email address and phone number, will not be shared publicly.