Expert panel issues recommendations for VA to address intimate partner violence

In a bid to expand care for women who served in the U.S. military, Congress passed the Deborah Sampson Act of 2020. Named after a Revolutionary War figure who lived as a man to fight, the law aimed to improve access to government medical support for female veterans. Now, one of its key policy directions has helped set the stage for a new evidence-focused report on intimate partner violence (IPV) within veteran communities.

The study synthesizes current knowledge on veteran-related IPV and translates it into clinician- and policymaker-facing recommendations. Authors convened a multidisciplinary virtual panel with advocates, frontline healthcare professionals, researchers, and VA decisionmakers to evaluate what is known—and what should be prioritized—using an explicitly evidence-informed approach.

“We want to learn anything and move forward,” said Susanne Hempel, PhD, first and corresponding author and director of the Southern California Evidence Review Center at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. The VA commissioned the work to review the evidence base on IPV and veterans’ health, consolidating findings drawn from more than 100 studies, including multiple systematic reviews.

Instead of treating IPV as only physical or sexual harm, the panel emphasized that definitions should capture additional behaviors such as stalking and psychologically coercive tactics. They noted that the absence of universal definitions complicates measurement, and that available estimates are further limited by differences in study sampling and gaps in subgroup data.

Risk factors highlighted as particularly relevant to veterans include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), elevated suicide risk, and prolonged separation during deployment. These factors also help explain why IPV can intersect with broader mental health and safety concerns in complex ways.

The panel judged that the VA’s existing National IPV Assistance Program is aligned with sound principles: centering patients’ perspectives and recognizing the trauma-driven realities that shape recovery. Panelists largely agreed that the program’s foundations remain valid and operationally appropriate.

A central recommendation is broader “no wrong door” screening—ensuring that any clinical contact across the VA system can become an opportunity to identify risk and connect people to support. Hempel stressed that disclosures often arise during unrelated visits, such as blood draws or physical therapy sessions.

To make screening actionable, the report calls for staff training and education, along with the staffing and tools needed for follow-through. The team also recommends safety planning paired with targeted IPV screening for veterans reporting suicidality, PTSD, substance abuse, or sleep problems, given the dangerous convergence of firearm access and suicide risk.