Below you will find information on projects that are currently seeking Veterans or Caregivers to engage (or partner) with. These roles can be very different, as each project has unique goals. Some studies will compensate Veteran and Caregiver partners, while others are strictly for volunteers. Some may include specific duties, and some may require regular or periodic group meetings. If you have any questions about the roles provided, please reach out to the listed point of contact.
Veterans and Caregivers: Click on each “Project Title” to find more info on each engagement opportunity listed on the table below.
Researchers: CLICK HERE TO ACCESS OUR WEB-BASED REQUEST FORM. Here you can tell us about your project and what kind of partnership or collaboration you are looking for.
| Posting Date | Project Title | Short Description | Who | What | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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11/17/2025 |
Group of Veterans affiliated with the Greater Los Angeles (GLA) Healthcare System, who partner with local GLA research and operations community
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V $ |
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11/17/2025 |
Veteran who lives and/or works in rural Appalachia region of the United States - with experience partnering in research, to consult VA project leaders on Veteran and Caregiver Engagement methods and activities.
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V $ |
 |
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11/17/2025 |
Veteran who lives and/or works in rural Alaska region of the United States - with experience partnering in research, to consult VA project leaders on Veteran and Caregiver Engagement methods and activities.
|
V $ |
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9/2/2025 |
Virtual Research engagement group, based in Midwestern US, looking for Veterans and Caregivers for rural facing research.
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V,C $ |
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9/2/2025 |
Denver based research engagement group looking for Veterans and Caregivers to meet with Denver based project leaders |
V,C $ |
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9/2/2025 |
Virtual Consultation service seeking experienced rural- located Veteran partners to consult and educate researchers interested in engaging Veterans and communities. |
V $ |
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9/2/2025 |
Veteran Engagement Panel dedicated to connecting researchers, Veterans, and Caregivers interested in improving access to VA and VA-purchased care. |
C $ |
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9/2/2025 |
Engagement Group with experience with the Veteran population that uses the Zablocki VA provide input on veteran focused research or quality improvement work. |
V,C $ |
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 |
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9/2/2025 |
VA Eastern Colorado GRECC - Older Veteran Engagement Team (OVET) |
Engagement Group of 10 Veterans/caregivers who have met monthly since 2017 to provide input/feedback on VA aging-related research. |
V $ |
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9/2/2025 |
Engagement Group of Iowa Veterans who meet quarterly to provide feedback to researchers focused on rural health, infectious and chronic diseases, mental health and access. |
V $ |
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The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs centers Veterans’ health and well-being. Research drives new ideas and quality improvement projects turn proven ideas into interventions, policies and services. We at the GROVE Center say “nothing about us, without us,” and believe that the voices of Veterans and Caregivers enhance research and quality improvement efforts across the health services landscape. You don’t need to be a scientist to make a difference – your expertise comes from your personal experience as a Veteran or a Caregiver to a Veteran. There are several different ways to engage. You might give personal feedback to projects as a member of a group, meet regularly with a project team to help guide their work, co-author articles for scientific journals, or even help the research team conduct interviews and analyze the data. Our research teams want your input and collaboration to ensure their projects put Veterans first.
As the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' lead advocate for rural health, the Office of Rural Health (ORH) is working to improve the health and well-being of rural Veterans by increasing their access to care and services. To accomplish its’ vision for Veterans to thrive in rural communities, ORH supports national programs that reduce barriers to care and address rural Veterans' health care challenges. The GROVE Center and GROVEHub are funded by the Office of Rural Health to educate and support researchers who want the perspectives of Veterans and Caregivers to help guide their projects. Visit the Office of Rural Health Website to learn more!
Participation in a research study is a great way to volunteer and help other Veterans. It can be as simple as completing a survey, taking a new medicine or even completing a mental health program or intervention. The opportunities you’ll find here on GROVEHub are quite different. Instead of being the person researched, you become a partner of the VA team – using your experiences as a Veteran and patient to help researchers design, execute or report back on their research projects.
If you would rather explore studies looking for participants, visit the VA Office of Research & Development webpage to learn more.
Want to know more about the GROVE Center?
Visit our webpage and browse our support services, resources and more!
Below, you’ll find answers to frequently asked questions about this webpage. If you do not find the answer you are looking for, please email vhagrovecenter@va.gov and we’ll get back to you as soon as we are able.
Q. Who can I talk to if I have not received a response from the project I tried to contact?
A. If you do not receive a response after two weeks of reaching out to a project lead, please email vhagrovecenter@va.gov and specify the project title and lead you are inquiring about.
Q. What is the difference between engaging in a research or quality improvement (QI) project versus participating in a project?
A. When you volunteer to participate in a research study, you give informed consent to provide data to a research team. Those data could be survey answers, interview quotes, access to your medical records, or bodily samples like DNA. Researchers methodically analyze those data to find answers to looming questions or test effectiveness of new drugs, equipment, or health services. When you engage in a research or QI project, you use your expertise and life experience to inform study design, data collection tools, analysis, and outcomes rather than participating in the study itself. In this situation, you serve as a partner or team member, using your voice to inform how studies are carried out and what researchers should do with study results to best impact the system and Veteran health.
Q. What does it mean when a project says “compensated?”
A. Compensation means payment for your time and can be monetary or in-kind. This usually occurs through a VA direct deposit voucher. You may ask Project leaders to specify how much and when compensation will occur.
Q. What is a Veteran Engagement Group, Panel, or Board?
A. Groups/panels/ and boards are usually standing groups of Veterans and/or Caregivers who partner with either a specific research study or larger research center who regularly meet and provide feedback to researchers on their studies.
Q. What does “Veteran Partner/consultant” mean?
A. A Veteran or Caregiver consultant usually serves as the sole Veteran or caregiver voice on a research team, meeting regularly with the team to provide feedback, or even assist in various parts of the project.
GROVEHub is supported by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Rural Health (NOMAD PROJ-010837). The views expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Health Administration Office of Rural Health, or the U.S. Government. Webspace and development is in collaboration with the VHA Center for Information Dissemination and Education Resources (CIDER).
Contact us: vhagrovecenter@va.gov
GROVEHub is funded by the VHA Office of Rural Health’s Growing Rural Outreach through Veteran Engagement (GROVE) Center NOMAD PROJ-03571.
Webspace and development is in collaboration with the VHA Center for Information Dissemination and Education Resources (CIDER).
