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PrefaceVeterans represent a special population of men and women who have served their country, many facing extraordinary health risks during deployment. Because many veterans have served on overseas missions, including in combat, veterans with service-connected health issues are a clinically complex and potentially vulnerable population. The mission of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system is to meet the health care needs of this population. Over the past decade, the demand for health care services among veterans has increased. In response, VA has increased both the number of health professionals working within its facilities and its purchases of care from private-sector providers to accommodate veterans whose needs cannot be met in-house. Thus, providers working in the civilian sector are an increasingly important part of the overall health workforce addressing veterans' needs. However, we know very little about whether private-sector health care providers are equipped to offer timely access to high-quality care that addresses the unique needs of veterans. As a result, many of the current training programs to sensitize private health care providers to these unique circumstances might not be targeting the areas or topics of greatest need.This study was designed to assess the capacity and readiness of health care professionals to address the service-connected health-related needs among veterans in New York State. This report describes the findings with respect to the training, experience, practices, and attitudes toward veterans and the VA health care system among licensed health care professionals across the state. The report should be of interest to policymakers and others interested in addressing concerns about veterans' access to high-quality care.