We went into our survey expecting one answer and came out with another. Much of the marketing around ketamine and esketamine care leans hard on military imagery: flags, uniforms, "built for those who served." We assumed that when people chose a depression provider, a clinic that specialized in veterans and first responders would rank somewhere near the top.
It ranked last among the options we offered. For clinicians who refer veterans, first responders, and their families, the reason why is more useful than the ranking itself.
What we asked
Our commissioned survey ran with Pollfish, whose consumer panel kept it open until June 23, 2026. Its respondents, 443 adults between 18 and 64, lived in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Illinois. One question had them name the pair of things they would weigh most when choosing where to get ketamine or esketamine therapy. Every number here is a top-line figure from the validated final data.
The ranking
- My insurance pays for it: 85 percent
- I can get there easily: 43 percent
- The FDA has approved it: 27 percent
- It works fast: 24 percent
- Nobody has to know: 11 percent
- It focuses on vets and first responders: 10 percent
Only about one respondent in ten put veteran and first responder specialization among their two priorities. Coverage was chosen more than nine times as often.
The payer data points the same way
We also asked what coverage people had, allowing more than one answer. TRICARE, the military health program, came in at 5 percent. Commercial plans led at 39 percent; Medicaid came a close second at 37 percent, and Medicare reached 23 percent.
And 56 percent would take a first question about this treatment to their primary care doctor. Whatever coverage people carry, the front door is usually a familiar clinician.
Who was in the sample
This matters for interpretation. We asked respondents to describe their connection to military or first responder service. Two percent identified as veterans or active military and 4 percent as first responders; as a head count, 29 people out of 443, or about 7 percent. A far bigger slice, 29 percent, had a parent-child or other family tie to someone in those roles, while a spouse or partner accounted for 6 percent. The remaining 58 percent chose none of these.
So the survey reached plenty of military-connected families. It reached relatively few people who had served themselves.
What the finding does not say
It does not say veterans do not value veteran-specific care. We do not report how veterans, first responders, or their families answered the priority question. Top-line figures are all that exist, and inventing a subgroup number would be fabrication. It is entirely possible that people who served weigh specialization much more heavily than the sample as a whole. We cannot tell.
What the finding does say is narrower. Across a broad Midwest adult sample, military-focused positioning is not what moves most people toward a provider. Coverage, distance, and legitimacy do.
Why this matters for referrers
If you refer patients with depression or PTSD, some of them will be veterans, service members, first responders, or family members of one. Three practical points follow.
Do not pick a destination for its branding. A clinic that advertises heavily to veterans is not automatically the right fit for a veteran patient. The questions that matter most to patients in general, whether the care is covered and whether they can realistically get there, apply just as much here. For a TRICARE beneficiary, that means confirming the destination accepts TRICARE and knowing the referral rules for the patient's specific plan. For a veteran on an employer plan or Medicaid, it means checking network status and prior authorization exactly as you would for anyone else.
You are likely the most influential voice. Across the full sample, 74 percent put their own doctor's recommendation first as the push toward a new treatment, while a vet or first responder they follow online got just 4 percent. That does not mean peer voices are unimportant in veteran communities. It does mean that a referrer's word carries weight that a testimonial rarely matches.
Ask about service. Because veterans and first responders are a modest share of any general panel, their history is easy to miss. A single intake question, "Has anyone in your household worn a uniform, in the military or as a first responder?", can surface coverage options, relevant trauma history, and support resources that would otherwise go unused.
The family angle
The largest military-connected group in our sample was family members, not service members. That aligns with what many clinicians see: a parent, spouse, or adult child is often the one who pushes for care, drives to appointments, and navigates benefits. Families of service members may also have their own TRICARE coverage and their own mental health needs.
For referrers, that means family members in your panel are both potential patients and potential allies in getting a veteran or first responder to care.
Where esketamine fits
Esketamine, the active drug in Spravato, is FDA-approved only for adults whose depression earlier treatment failed to relieve, and is given under supervision in certified settings. It is not approved for PTSD. An overview of what Spravato is approved for can help you explain it. Many veterans and first responders live with both conditions, so accuracy matters. Off-label ketamine, including at-home programs marketed to veterans, is a separate category with different oversight. A referrer who can explain that difference plainly does a patient more good than any specialization badge.
The takeaway
Veteran and first responder care deserves attention. It is high-stakes work. But the survey suggests the way to serve these patients well is less about finding a clinic with the right logo and more about the same fundamentals every patient wants: covered care, close enough to reach, legitimate, and recommended by a clinician they trust.
For any patient in crisis, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is one call or text away at 988, at any time, and veterans can press 1 once it answers.
Methodology
Data are from the Pollfish survey described above: 443 respondents, ten states, fieldwork closed June 23, 2026. We cite only top-line figures; veterans or first responders themselves (29 people) were too few to break out. Because the payer question allowed several answers, its percentages add up to more than the whole. Every figure is final and validated. The publisher commissioned the research and covered its full cost. Read it as market research, not as guidance on clinical care or military benefits.