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(03/05/2026) The Telephone Lifestyle Coaching (TLC) program provides individualized coaching and self-management support to Veterans working on healthy living goals, focusing on reducing cardiovascular disease risk in vulnerable Veteran groups. VA researchers in Los Angeles and Durham, North Carolina, surveyed more than two million Veterans across 44 VA sites to find the program successfully engages with a diverse Veteran population. Neither rurality nor mental health conditions hindered referrals to the program, and the highest enrollment rates were among Women Veterans, Veterans who previously participated in lifestyle programs, and those with diagnoses such as depression and obesity. The researchers concluded that a virtual TLC option not only promotes equal access but could help improve persistent disparities in Veterans’ cardiovascular health outcomes. (Journal of General Internal Medicine, Feb. 26, 2026)