Case Study: Combat Tested Gaming & the VFW

T H E C H A L L E N G E

Reaching a skeptical veteran takes more than good intentions.

Asking a veteran to put on a pair of VR goggles can feel like asking them to give up control of the room. For VFW Post leaders who want to help their members self-manage stress, the hardest part was never the technology. It was getting someone to try something new in the first place.

“Aside from TBI and spinal cord injuries, you're going to find that veterans have trust issues. And when you put that headset on, you are putting on a blindfold.”

— Rob Caudill

T H E P L A N

The VFW brought a new tool into familiar traditions.

Instead of adding a new program, the VFW folded Healium into the moments posts already share. At state conventions, they set up hands-on tables where a skeptical veteran can sit down and try it — because something you can touch beats an email every time. At the post level, members bring their own goggles to “coffee with a veteran” mornings and set them on the table until someone asks what they are. And the Honor Everywhere™ experiences built into the app, like the USS Nimitz and the Korean War Memorial, give even bedridden veterans a way to take part.

Explore Honor Everywhere Here

Healium gave this VFW Post...

1

A five-minute sit-down that lets skeptics feel it for themselves.

At a convention table, a veteran can try Healium in the time it takes to pour a coffee — no commitment, no learning curve.

2

A way to reach veterans who can't leave home — or bed.

The guided experience works even for someone lying down, so no member is left out.

3

A drugless tool that helps members unwind together.

Veterans get a non-pharmacological way to self-manage stress, and they share it with the people sitting next to them.

T H E O U T C O M E

Now Healium is within reach of nearly 6,000 VFW Posts through a national partnership.

The VFW is now encouraging its posts to add Healium to their wellness programs as part of an expanded partnership with its Combat Tested Gaming league. It started at state conventions. From there, it moved to districts, then to posts, where members meet most often. One veteran funded a headset on the spot. Now posts are fundraising toward a “VR cafe.” The goal: a moment of calm for the veteran who needs it.

"We want to get multiple headsets so they can come in, sit down, and know that they're going to be relaxed... in an environment where they feel safe.”

— Rob Caudill