Over three weeks, the VACI team conducted in-depth ethnographic research with veterans across a range of ages, geographies, and socioeconomic backgrounds — including contextual interviews, service trials, customer journey mapping, and persona development. Throughout this process, PPL provided guidance and best practices for human-centered design to the VACI team. Three key insights emerged:

• Veterans often feel overwhelmed and unable to navigate VA services. Accessing benefits can feel like navigating a complex, unpredictable system — with unanswered calls, long waits, and inconsistent information.
• Outreach needs to be smarter about timing and frequency. Many veterans, especially those newly separated, aren’t ready to engage right away and rely more on peer networks than the VA itself for benefits information.
• There is a lot of good happening. Veterans consistently noted improvements at the VA and meaningful interactions with staff — often exceeding their expectations once they engaged.