Background and Aim: The provision of services and referrals within the health system is an approach designed to enhance community access to health services. Veterans require specialized health and medical care due to their exposure to combat conditions and military environments. Therefore, this research aimed to study providing health services to veterans in the referral system and designing a model for the referral system of veterans’ health services in Iran.
Methods: This research was conducted qualitatively using the Delphi technique in three stages. The participants consisted of fifteen experts in the features of referral systems for veterans’ health services, selected through a targeted approach based on the snowball method.
Results: The results indicate that several factors influence the referral system for veterans’ health services. These include information technology and electronic infrastructure, legal and policy considerations, geographic and demographic factors, effective management and resource allocation, performance monitoring of the referral system, as well as cultural development and education.
Conclusion: Effective planning and cultural development should be implemented in the veterans’ health referral system. Policymakers involved in urban family programs should focus on health system policymaking and the structure of the insurance system. Additionally, there must be proper coordination between primary care and specialized care within the veterans’ health referral system.