Barriers to Implementing Medical-Legal Partnerships for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: Qualitative Perspectives from the Veterans Health Administration

A qualitative, multi-site study identified five cross-cutting factors shaping the implementation of medical-legal partnerships for Veterans Health Administration patients experiencing intimate partner violence: disruptions related to COVID-19, the partnership’s organizational home, concerns about liability, limited knowledge of legal services and referral processes, and uncertainty about the value of medical-legal partnerships. The findings are reported in a Journal of General Internal Medicine abstract of an original qualitative research study published on 17 September 2026.

Medical-legal partnerships embed legal practitioners in healthcare settings to address civil legal needs, including eviction. Such partnerships are described in the abstract as an evidence-based strategy for mitigating harms associated with adverse social determinants of health linked to intimate partner violence, including housing instability, financial insecurity, and legal problems. However, the researchers noted that little was known about implementing these partnerships for patients experiencing intimate partner violence.

The study used semi-structured interviews and ethnographic document analysis to examine current medical-legal partnership practices, implementation outcomes, and barriers and facilitators. Its 25 participants were Veterans Health Administration clinical staff, including clinicians, social workers, and other frontline team members involved in referrals and care coordination for patients experiencing intimate partner violence. Data collection and analysis were guided by the revised Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

The abstract reports that many barriers reflected outer-setting conditions that may be difficult to address, but it also identifies several modifiable factors as potential targets for improvement. The authors describe relocating medical-legal partnership services into clinically appropriate program homes, reducing intermediary steps in the referral chain, and addressing gaps in clinician awareness as opportunities that may improve implementation and reach for civil legal assistance among veterans experiencing intimate partner violence. These findings are intended to inform scalable approaches for embedding civil legal assistance within clinical settings, but the abstract does not report patient outcomes or establish that the proposed changes have been tested for effectiveness. The available evidence is limited to the abstract and concerns staff perspectives and implementation processes rather than direct assessment of benefits to survivors.

Subject of Research: Qualitative study of medical-legal partnership implementation for Veterans Health Administration patients experiencing intimate partner violence

Article Title: Barriers to Implementing Medical-Legal Partnerships for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: Qualitative Perspectives from the Veterans Health Administration

Article References: Rupcic, S., Mitchell, S., Griesemer, I., Taboas, A., Davis, S., Dichter, M. E., Borrero, S., & Quinn, D. (2026). Barriers to Implementing Medical-Legal Partnerships for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: Qualitative Perspectives from the Veterans Health Administration. Journal of General Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-026-10785-w

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s11606-026-10785-w

Keywords: intimate partner violence, medical-legal partnerships, Veterans Health Administration, civil legal assistance, implementation barriers, healthcare referrals, qualitative research, implementation science, Barriers, Implementing, Medical-Legal, Partnerships