{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T18:01:42Z","timestamp":1790359302803,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":14,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]],"date-time":"2026-07-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784678400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]],"date-time":"2026-07-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784678400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J Community Health"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,10]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    Low-income US veterans may experience civil legal needs that intersect with financial, housing, and health-related challenges, yet national data describing these patterns remain limited. This study provides national estimates of civil legal needs and receipt of assistance among veterans with household incomes below 300% of the federal poverty level. Data were drawn from the fifth wave (2025) of the National Veterans Homeless and Other Poverty Experiences (NV-HOPE) study, a nationally representative survey of low-income US veterans (\n                    <jats:italic>N<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u20091384). Civil legal needs were assessed across seven domains, and receipt of professional assistance was measured among those reporting at least one need. Weighted descriptive statistics and hierarchal logistic regression models examined associations between sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics by reporting a legal need and receiving assistance. Approximately 18% of veterans reported at least one civil legal need, most commonly debt and wills and inheritance. Veterans with legal needs were younger, less likely to be white or married, more likely to have PTSD, and reported higher debt. Among those with a civil legal need, 57% received professional assistance, with notable variation across issue types. Regression analysis showed that factors associated with reporting a legal need differed from those associated with receiving assistance including higher education attainment and naval service. Civil legal needs were reported by a modest proportion of low-income veterans, with distinct characteristics associated with reporting a need and receiving assistance. These findings provide descriptive evidence to inform future research and policy efforts addressing civil legal needs among veterans.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1007\/s10900-026-01604-8","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]],"date-time":"2026-07-22T09:59:40Z","timestamp":1784714380000},"page":"854-860","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Prevalence of Civil Legal Needs and Assistance Among Low-Income US Veterans: Results from the National Veterans Homeless and Poverty Experiences Survey"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"51","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2399-3343","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Melissa R.","family":"Cruz","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jack","family":"Tsai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"1604_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11606-026-10268-y","author":"A Griesemer","year":"2026","unstructured":"Griesemer, A., Peltzman, T., Rupcic, S., Byrne, T., Tsai, J., Shiner, B., & Hausmann, L. R. M. (2026). Prevalence of Civil Legal Needs and Associated Characteristics Amond US Department of Veterans Affairs Patients: A National Survey. Journal Of General Internal Medicine. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s11606-026-10268-y","journal-title":"Journal Of General Internal Medicine"},{"issue":"3","key":"1604_CR2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"398","DOI":"10.2105\/AJPH.2016.303596","volume":"107","author":"J Tsai","year":"2017","unstructured":"Tsai, J., Jenkins, D., & Lawton, E. (2017). Civil Legal Services and Medical-Legal Partnerships Needed by the Homeless Population: A National Survey. American Journal Of Public Health, 107(3), 398\u2013401. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2105\/AJPH.2016.303596","journal-title":"American Journal Of Public Health"},{"issue":"1","key":"1604_CR3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"507","DOI":"10.1002\/jcop.22912","volume":"51","author":"J Tsai","year":"2022","unstructured":"Tsai, J., & Kelton, K. (2022). Service use and barriers to care among homeless veterans: Results from the National Veteran Homeless and Other Poverty Experiences (NV-HOPE) study. J Community Psychol, 51(1), 507\u2013515. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/jcop.22912","journal-title":"J Community Psychol"},{"key":"1604_CR4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Tsai, J., Middleton, M., Retkin, R., Johnson, C., Kenneally, K., Sherman, S., & Rosenheck, R. A. (2017). Partnerships Between Health Care and Legal Providers in the Veterans Health Administration. Psychiatr Serv., 1;68(4):321\u2013323. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1176\/appi.ps.201600486","DOI":"10.1176\/appi.ps.201600486"},{"issue":"12","key":"1604_CR5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2195","DOI":"10.1377\/hlthaff.2017.07","volume":"36","author":"J Tsai","year":"2017","unstructured":"Tsai, J., Middleton, M., Johnson, V. J., Retkin, C., Seidman, R., Sherman, A., S., & Rosenhack, R. A. (2017). Medical-legal partnerships at Veterans Affairs medical centers improved housing and psychosocial outcomes for vets. Health Aff (Milwood), 36(12), 2195\u20132203. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1377\/hlthaff.2017.07","journal-title":"Health Aff (Milwood)"},{"key":"1604_CR6","unstructured":"Veterans Affairs Homeless Program. (2026, June). Legal Services for veterans - VA homeless programs. US Department of Veterans Affairs. https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/legal-services-for-veterans\/"},{"issue":"19(4)","key":"1604_CR7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0297424","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0297424","volume":"16","author":"B Kim","year":"2024","unstructured":"Kim, B., Petrakis, B. A., Griesemer, I., Sliwinski, S. K., Midboe, A. M., Raciborski, R. A., Byrne, T. H., Gingell, M. B., Blue-Howells, J., Clark, S. C., Tsai, J., Harvey, K. L. L., & McInnes, D. K. (2024). Legal Services for Veterans (LSV): Protocol for evaluating the grant-based LSV initiative supporting community organizations\u2019 delivery of legal services to veterans. PLoS One, 16(19(4)), e0297424. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0297424","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"issue":"1","key":"1604_CR8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e16","DOI":"10.1093\/pubmed\/fdy076","volume":"41","author":"J Tsai","year":"2019","unstructured":"Tsai, J., Blue-Howells, J., & Nakashima, J. (2019). Needs of homeless veterans: 5 years of the CHALENG Survey 2012-16. J Public Health (Oxf), 41(1), e16\u2013e24. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/pubmed\/fdy076","journal-title":"J Public Health (Oxf)"},{"key":"1604_CR9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"181","DOI":"10.1016\/j.puhe.2022.10.017","volume":"213","author":"J Tsai","year":"2022","unstructured":"Tsai, J., & Hooshyar, D. (2022). Prevalence of eviction, home foreclosure, and homelessness among low-income US veterans: the National Veteran Homeless and Other Poverty Experiences study. Public Health, 213, 181\u2013188. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.puhe.2022.10.017","journal-title":"Public Health"},{"key":"1604_CR10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"199","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socscimed.2017.01.010","volume":"175","author":"H V\u00e1squez-Vera","year":"2017","unstructured":"V\u00e1squez-Vera, H., Pal\u00e8ncia, L., Magna, I., Mena, C., Neira, J., & Borrell, C. (2017). The threat of home eviction and its effects on health through the equity lens: A systematic review. Social Science And Medicine, 175, 199\u2013208. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.socscimed.2017.01.010","journal-title":"Social Science And Medicine"},{"issue":"3","key":"1604_CR11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"461","DOI":"10.1093\/geronb\/gbu020","volume":"69","author":"KA Zurlo","year":"2014","unstructured":"Zurlo, K. A., Yoon, W., & Kim, H. (2014). Unsecured consumer debt and mental health outcomes in middle-aged and older Americans. Journals Of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences And Social Sciences, 69(3), 461\u2013469. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/geronb\/gbu020","journal-title":"Journals Of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences And Social Sciences"},{"key":"1604_CR12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"302","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467-9515.2005.00441","volume":"39","author":"A Buck","year":"2005","unstructured":"Buck, A., Balmer, N., & Pleasence, P. (2005). Social Exclusion and Civil Law: Experience of Civil Justice Problems among Vulnerable Groups. Social Policy & Administration, 39, 302\u2013322. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1467-9515.2005.00441","journal-title":"Social Policy & Administration"},{"issue":"1","key":"1604_CR13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"10","DOI":"10.1162\/daed_a_00530","volume":"148","author":"RH Frank","year":"2019","unstructured":"Frank, R. H. (2019). How rising income inequality threatens access to the legal system. Daedalus, 148(1), 10\u201318.","journal-title":"Daedalus"},{"issue":"2","key":"1604_CR14","first-page":"16","volume":"67","author":"RL Sandefur","year":"2016","unstructured":"Sandefur, R. L. (2016). What We Know and Need to Know about the Legal Needs of the Public. South Carolina Law Review, 67(2), 16.","journal-title":"South Carolina Law Review"}],"container-title":["Journal of Community Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1007\/s10900-026-01604-8.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s10900-026-01604-8","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1007\/s10900-026-01604-8.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T17:38:07Z","timestamp":1790357887000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/10.1007\/s10900-026-01604-8"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]]},"references-count":14,"journal-issue":{"issue":"5","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,10]]}},"alternative-id":["1604"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10900-026-01604-8","relation":{},"ISSN":["0094-5145","1573-3610"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0094-5145","type":"print"},{"value":"1573-3610","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]]},"assertion":[{"value":"7 July 2026","order":1,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"8 July 2026","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"22 July 2026","order":3,"name":"first_online","label":"First Online","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.","order":1,"name":"Ethics","label":"Competing interests","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}},{"value":"All analyses were conducted using de-identified data under the same ethical approvals as the primary study, with appropriate adjustments to account for the secondary nature of the inquiry.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","label":"Ethics Approval","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}}]}}