New grant from Bob Woodruff Foundation will help grow MLP services for Veterans

Friday, November 1, 2019

The National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership (NCMLP) has received a Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) grant to grow the movement to integrate legal services as part of comprehensive health care available to Veterans at VA medical centers across the country. BWF leverages its expertise and collaborative network to find, fund, and shape innovative programs that help our impacted Veterans, service members, and their families thrive.

There are currently 30 VA-based medical-legal partnerships (MLPs) across the country that address Veterans’ critical legal needs, such as ensuring access to safe housing and VA benefits, removing barriers to employment, and more. However, 39 states do not yet provide any MLP services in VA settings. Over the next year, this grant will specifically support the development of implementation guidance and best practices to expand the reach of medical-legal partnerships in VA medical centers. New performance measures will be created that VA-based MLPs can use to gauge their impact on Veterans’ lives and health, and the efficacy of MLP services. It will also examine innovative approaches for reaching specific populations with the VA, such as the provision of legal services on H-PACT teams and for women Veterans.

This investment builds on a previous grant from the Bob Woodruff Foundation that led to the development of the foundational VA Medical-Legal Partnership Readiness Guide, which provides VA medical centers and legal organizations with the tools and step-by-step information needed to set up a partnership. As a nonpartisan leader in the military-Veteran community, the Bob Woodruff Foundation brings transparency and credibility to its partners and complements their efforts. This grant from BWF recognizes the effectiveness and future promise of MLP services, and the dedication and work of the growing MLP field for Veterans.