Abstract:After serving their country, US veterans often continue public service by volunteering to participate in Veterans Affairs (VA) research studies. Their contributions have been instrumental to numerous scientific advancements, including medical treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder, development of the implantable cardiac pacemaker, and the world’s largest genomic biorepository, the Million Veteran Program. Research studies sometimes offer financial incentives to boost participation rates, but the impact can be modest. Given that many veterans are motivated to participate in research that helps fellow veterans, we evaluated VA research participant preferences for receiving a monetary incentive or donating an equal amount to a veteran-focused service organization.