VA IPV Assistance Program: Help for Veterans Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence

The VA's Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program (IPVAP) is dedicated infrastructure for veterans experiencing or causing harm in intimate partner relationships. It's free, confidential, and available at every VA Medical Center.

The program serves both:

1. Veterans who are experiencing IPV (the harmed partner)
2. Veterans who use violence against intimate partners (with the goal of reducing harm)

This dual-focus model is unusual and reflects the program's grounding in evidence-based approaches to IPV.

What Counts as IPV

Under the program's working definition, IPV includes:

• Physical violence (hitting, restraining, weapon threats)
• Sexual violence (assault, coercion, non-consensual acts within a partnership)
• Emotional / psychological abuse (intimidation, isolation, gaslighting, threats)
• Economic abuse (controlling finances, preventing employment)
• Stalking (in-person or technological)
• Reproductive coercion (interfering with contraception, controlling pregnancy decisions)

The relationship can be current or former, married or unmarried, same-sex or opposite-sex. Both members do not have to be veterans for the veteran member to access services.

Who's Eligible

VA IPV assistance is available to:

• All veterans enrolled in VA health care
• Veterans not yet enrolled who are pursuing enrollment
• Spouses or partners of enrolled veterans (in some cases, particularly under caregiver programs)

OTH discharge does not categorically bar access — IPV care is part of mental health services that have specific OTH protections under the COMPACT Act and broader VA mental health pathways.

Services Available

Safety Planning

The most immediate intervention. An IPV Coordinator helps you build a personalized plan including:

• Where to go in an emergency
• Who to call
• What to take (documents, medications, IDs, money)
• How to leave safely if/when ready
• Communication safety (phone, email, social media)
• Children's safety planning if applicable

Safety planning is confidential within VA records limits.

Mental Health Care

Trauma-informed therapy for the impacts of IPV:

• PTSD treatment (PE, CPT, EMDR)
• Depression and anxiety treatment
• Substance use disorder treatment when relevant
• Couples therapy when safe and appropriate (specific protocols apply)

For veterans who use violence, evidence-based programs include:

• Strength at Home (a 12-week group for veterans with anger and partner-violence issues)
• Individual therapy with IPV-trained clinicians
• Substance use treatment (often coexisting)

Connection to Community Resources

VA IPV Coordinators connect veterans with:

• Domestic violence shelters (national network including DV Hotline 1-800-799-7233)
• Legal aid (protective orders, custody, divorce assistance)
• Financial assistance (rapid rehousing, emergency funds)
• Child protective services coordination if needed

Coordination With Other VA Programs

IPV care often intersects with:

• MST care if the IPV is also intimate-partner sexual violence
• Homeless veteran services (HUD-VASH, SSVF) for veterans needing housing
• Caregiver support when IPV intersects with caregiving relationships
• Substance use disorder treatment for veterans where SUD complicates the IPV

The IPV Coordinator manages these handoffs.

How to Access

Step 1: Call 988 then Press 1 if in immediate danger or crisis.

Step 2: During business hours, call the Women Veterans Call Center at 1-855-829-6636. They can connect you to your local VAMC's IPV Assistance Coordinator. (The line is named "Women Veterans" but serves all veterans for IPV-related help.)

Step 3: Or call your local VAMC and ask for the IPV Assistance Coordinator directly.

Step 4: Or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (24/7) for immediate safety planning while you arrange VA appointments.

Confidentiality

The VA IPV Assistance Program operates within VA records limits. Specifically:

• In your medical record: IPV-related visits and treatment ARE in your VA medical record. They are not shared with command, employer, or family without your permission.
• Vet Center alternative: If you want services that don't appear in your VA medical record, Vet Center counseling provides a parallel confidential pathway. Vet Center records are separate.
• Mandatory reporting: Like all clinical settings, VA providers are mandatory reporters for child abuse and certain elder/dependent abuse. They cannot keep those secrets if disclosed.

Discuss confidentiality concerns with your IPV Coordinator at intake — they will be transparent about the limits.

What If My Partner Is Also a Veteran?

If both partners are veterans:

• Each can access VA IPV services individually.
• Couples therapy is offered when both partners agree and safety screening is favorable.
• VA can coordinate so that both veterans aren't seen by the same clinician (privacy).

If safety screening is unfavorable (severe abuse history, ongoing risk), the program prioritizes individual safety over couples work.

What If I Use Violence Against My Partner?

This is harder to ask for help with, but the program is built for both sides:

• Strength at Home is an evidence-based 12-week program specifically for veterans with anger and partner-violence issues. National rollout, available at most VAMCs.
• Individual therapy with IPV-trained clinicians.
• Substance use treatment if applicable.

Calling the IPV Coordinator and saying "I use violence against my partner and I want to stop" is a valid entry point. The program is designed to reduce harm.

Connection to Disability Claims

If your IPV use or experience is connected to a service-connected mental health condition (PTSD, TBI, anger as a feature of psychiatric disability), this can support a disability claim or rating increase. Discuss with your IPV Coordinator and a VSO; the connections can be complicated.

If your IPV experience triggered a mental health condition that meets criteria for service connection (less common but possible — for instance, if the IPV occurred in a military housing or military-related context), you can file a claim. Marker evidence rules similar to MST claims sometimes apply.

Children

If children are present in an IPV situation, the IPV Coordinator can:

• Connect you with family-focused services
• Coordinate with school-based resources
• Assist with custody-related legal needs
• Connect with child trauma specialists

Child protective services involvement is mandatory in some abuse scenarios; your IPV Coordinator will be transparent about when reporting is required.

After Separation

VA IPV services continue after separation. There's no expiration. If you're a separated veteran and IPV happens 5 years post-separation, you still qualify.

If your former active-duty TRICARE has lapsed, the VA pathway is your safety net.

Specific Resources for LGBTQ+ Veterans

LGBTQ+ veterans often face additional barriers to IPV services. The VA has specific LGBTQ+ veteran care resources that intersect with IPV care:

• LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinators at most VAMCs
• Trans-affirming care
• Same-sex partner inclusion in family programs
• Trauma-informed care for LGBTQ+-specific trauma

Related

• Women Veterans Center — full hub of programs
• WHTT Overview — comprehensive transition training
• COMPACT Act Emergency Mental Health — for immediate crisis, including for OTH veterans