National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership, Department of Health Policy & Management, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University (NCMLP) - Bob Woodruff Foundation

National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership, Department of Health Policy & Management, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University (NCMLP)

Location: National

Many post-9/11 veterans experience an array of complex needs at the intersection of health and poverty, related to securing income, stable housing and a supportive family context. Medical-Legal partnerships address the social determinants of health most effectively in the veteran population, but the twenty-five existing medical-legal partnerships in Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) represent only approximately 15 percent of all VAMCs nationally. The Internal VA MLP Task Force reports an additional 146 informal legal clinics across 90 VAMCs. This BWF grant will support the development and dissemination of a Phase 1 Toolkit for VA medical-legal partnerships, allowing NCMLP to partner with key field leaders as well as with the VA’s internal MLP Task Force, to collaborate with the emerging and active MLP field to document, detail, and improve field practices, insights and activities. The toolkit will empower legal providers and VA practitioners to advocate for and implement an MLP within VHA settings.