VHA Social Work
Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program (IPVAP) - VETERANS & PARTNERS - What Is IPV?
Physical - Any use of physical force meant to hurt, control, or intimidate.
Examples include:
- Hitting, slapping
- Strangulation/Choking, suffocating
- Biting
- Shoving, kicking
- Restraining, hair pulling
- Using weapons or other objects to harm or intimidate
Seek Help:
- Not all physical abuse is visible. Abuse such as strangulation can cause long-lasting internal physical damage, including brain injury. Other physical abuse can also cause or contribute to chronic medical issues that are not visible, such as damage to internal organs, reproductive issues, digestive difficulties, heart problems, and high blood pressure
- Some people experience only one form of intimate partner violence while others may experience many. Often IPV begins as infrequent mild emotional, verbal or controlling behavior, but it can escalate to become more frequent and severe. Intimate partner violence can be a single event or can occur on and off for many years.
- You do not have to be sure you are experiencing or using intimate partner violence to receive help from the Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program.
For more information or assistance, contact your local Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program, Primary Care Social Worker or other Provider. Women Veterans can also ask for the Women Veterans Program Manager.
Not yet a patient at VA? - Apply Now
Find help in the community by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233 (SAFE) or TTY 1−800−787−3224.
If you or a loved one is in immediate danger, call 911
If you’re experiencing an emotional crisis or having thoughts of suicide, call the Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1 or TTY 1-800-799-4889
* Links with an asterisk (*) next to them will take you outside the VA website. VA is not responsible for the content of the linked site. This link does not constitute endorsement of the non-VA website or its sponsor.