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.
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.

RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute

Our Mission

The RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute, housed at the RAND Corporation, 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, equitable, and inclusive analysis and evaluation to meet the needs of diverse veteran populations while engaging and empowering those who support them.

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Featured Research and Policy Insights

Explore Our Work by Topic

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.

Know the Facts

There are 5.5 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.

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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 Rajeev Ramchand, Terri Tanielian, Michael P. Fisher, Christine Anne Vaughan, Thomas E. Trail, Caroline Batka, Phoenix Voorhies, Michael W. Robbins, Eric Robinson, and Bonnie Ghosh-Dastidar, Hidden Heroes: America’s Military Caregivers, Santa Monica, Calif.: RAND Corporation, RR-499-TEDF, 2014. As of March 31, 2014: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR499.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