An interventional study of Veterans Affairs-Honest, Open, Proud in Stigma, Co-Occurring Disorders and Substance Use Disorder, sponsored by VA Office of Research and Development. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-03.
Sponsored by VA Office of Research and Development · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
As many as two-thirds of Justice-involved Veterans (JIVs) have a substance-use disorder (SUD), and up to 51% have a mental health (MH) condition; however, fewer than one-third of JIVs receive MH or SUD treatment, and addressing stigma is a recommended strategy for improving Veteran willingness to engage in treatment. Honest, Open, Proud (HOP) is an evidence-based stigma reduction intervention for justice-involved Veterans that is delivered by peers, which can ultimately increase access to and engagement in care, lower rates of criminal recidivism, and improve MH and SUD outcomes. However, implementation of such interventions with high-acuity patients often requires strategies that are intensive and costly. This trial will evaluate the relative impacts and costs of using a high-intensity (vs. low-intensity) strategy to implement a peer-led, stigma reduction intervention for justice-involved Veterans with co-occurring SUD and MH disorders.
Background: Justice-involved Veterans (JIVs) are highlighted as a highly vulnerable Veteran subgroup, and as many as two-thirds of JIVs have SUD, and up to 51% have a MH condition. However, fewer than one-third of JIVs receive MH or SUD treatment and addressing stigma is a recommended strategy for improving Veteran willingness to engage in treatment. Moreover, self-stigma prevents Veterans from asking for help or engaging in ongoing care. The connection between internalized self-stigma and lack of accessing care or support services impairs Veterans recovery. Interventions grounded in evidence-based, peer-led practices are effective in increasing access to and engagement in care; however, implementation of such strategies are costly and intensive. This study protocol describes a Hybrid Type III effectiveness-implementation trial of Honest, Open, Proud (HOP) with high-need, justice-involved Veterans and will evaluate the impact and cost of a high intensity (vs. low-intensity) strategy on implementation, maintenance, and sustainment outcomes.
Methods: This quality improvement (QI) project involves a Hybrid Type III implementation effectiveness trial in six VA medical centers across the United States. Sites will begin with a 6-month pre-implementation period (e.g., orientation) to examine organizational readiness to adopt VA-HOP (Aim 1). A pre-post pragmatic trial with enhancements to accommodate possible growth trends with features of an interrupted time series in which VJP staff at each site will be offered 6-months of audit and feedback (lower-intensity implementation support) followed by 6-months of implementation facilitation (higher-intensity implementation support) for promoting VA-HOP implementation by VJP staff (Aim 2). The investigators will examine whether the Veterans served by staff who delivered VA-HOP with greater model fidelity will demonstrate an increase in outpatient specialty care days, reductions in emergency department use, and reductions in suicide risk compared to Veterans who received VA-HOP with lower fidelity (Aim 3). Finally, this study will examine implementation erosion and sustainment of VA-HOP following discontinuation of active implementation support (for 9-months after high intensity support ends) using quantitative implementation outcomes and post-implementation qualitative interviews (Aim 4).
Anticipated Impact: This study will provide information on the relative impacts and relative costs of strategies aimed at implementing a peer-led, stigma reduction intervention for justice-involved Veterans with co-occurring SUD and MH disorders. The findings will provide guidance to VA and other healthcare systems that serve justice-involved Veterans with co-occurring disorders.
266 studies on the registry are indexed under Social Stigma; 66 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 240 is above the median of 139 across 217 interventional studies indexed under Social Stigma.
Browse Social Stigma studies →VA Office of Research and Development is the lead sponsor of 1,771 studies on the registry; 392 are open to participants now.
Of its 213 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 185 (87%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Veterans who are service-connected and enrolled in a VJP program within six VA Medical Centers:
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
DSM diagnostic criteria
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Audit and Feedback will be our low intensity implementation strategy. Peer specialists and key stakeholders will receive monthly data reports on VA-HOP delivery (e.g. number of sessions delivered, number of Veterans served) and fidelity data with written feedback. Peers will have the opportunity to join an optional, monthly virtual session to discuss their report with a quantitative expert.
Behavioral: Veterans Affairs-Honest, Open, Proud
Implementation Facilitation will be our high intensity implementation strategy. Peer specialists and other key stakeholders will participate in biweekly virtual meetings with an external facilitator. Facilitation activities serve a range of functions spanning problem-solving, relationship-building, and goal setting and planning. Activities are selected based on site progress and needs.
Behavioral: Veterans Affairs-Honest, Open, Proud
VA-HOP is an evidence-based, peer-delivered group intervention designed to help individuals navigate decisions about disclosure of behavioral health conditions. The intervention consists of three lessons comprising nine structured tasks that guide participants through decisions of disclosure aimed at reducing self-stigma. The goal of HOP is not to force disclosure; rather, it empowers participants to decide whether, when, and how disclosure may occur. VA-HOP is facilitated by a peer specialist with a group of 8-10 participants, and sessions can be broken down into a 45-minute weekly session for 9 weeks or 3 weekly 2 1/4-hour blocks. The first lesson covers the short- and long-term benefits and risks of disclosure and non-disclosure. The second lesson addresses the different levels of disclosure, emphasizing that disclosure exists on a continuum and can vary depending on the context and audience. The third lesson focuses on how to tell one's recovery story.
Also known as: VA-HOP
Number of VA-HOP Sessions delivered
Uptake is the study primary outcome and is defined as the number of VA-HOP sessions delivered to Veterans during each implementation period. Using EHR data submitted into the VA CDW, uptake statistics will be extracted for each implementation period, i.e. Audit and Feedback (6-months), Implementation Facilitation (6-months), and Sustainment Phase (9-months).
Time frame: Measured across each implementation period with each participating site; Audit and Feedback (0-6 months), Implementation Facilitation (7-12 months), and Sustainment (13-21 months)
Dose Fidelity Adherence to HOP Model
Dose Fidelity will be a secondary outcome. Dose fidelity is defined as a proportion of expected VA-HOP encounters completed by each Veteran. Fidelity will be assessed from standard documentation embedded within each participating sites EHR completed by VA HOP peer facilitators. This data will be extracted for each implementation period, i.e. Audit and Feedback (6-months), Implementation Facilitation (6-months), and Sustainment Phase (9-months).
Time frame: Measured across each implementation period with each participating site; Audit and Feedback (0-6 months), Implementation Facilitation (7-12 months), and Sustainment (13-21 months)
Content Fidelity Adherence to HOP Model
Content Fidelity will be a secondary outcome. Content fidelity is defined as the extent to which peer facilitators complete the three VA-HOP lessons and nine VA-HOP tasks. Content fidelity will be assessed from standard documentation embedded within each participating sites EHR completed by VA HOP peer facilitators. This documentation note tracks each VA-HOP Peer facilitator and their use of the VA-HOP lessons and associated tasks. This data will be extracted for each implementation period, i.e. Audit and Feedback (6-months), Implementation Facilitation (6-months), and Sustainment Phase (9-months).
Time frame: Measured across each implementation period with each participating site; Audit and Feedback (0-6 months), Implementation Facilitation (7-12 months), and Sustainment (13-21 months)
Effectiveness-Mental Health Outpatient Care encounters
Among Veterans who receive VA-HOP, the number of outpatient mental health treatment encounters they have in each implementation phase will be compared. These data will be collected using VA administrative data.
Time frame: Measured across each implementation period with each participating site; Audit and Feedback (0-6 months), Implementation Facilitation (7-12 months), and Sustainment (13-21 months)
Effectiveness-Substance Use Disorder Outpatient Care encounters
Among Veterans who receive VA-HOP, the number of outpatient substance use treatment encounters they have in each implementation phase will be compared. These data will be collected using VA administrative data.
Time frame: Measured across each implementation period with each participating site; Audit and Feedback (0-6 months), Implementation Facilitation (7-12 months), and Sustainment (13-21 months)
Effectiveness-Emergency Department Hospitalizations
Among Veterans who receive VA-HOP, the number of emergency department visits they have in each implementation phase will be compared. These data will be collected using VA administrative data.
Time frame: Measured across each implementation period with each participating site; Audit and Feedback (0-6 months), Implementation Facilitation (7-12 months), and Sustainment (13-21 months)
Effectiveness-Suicide Prevention Coordinator Visits
Among Veterans who receive VA-HOP, Suicide risk measured as the number of engagements with the Suicide Prevention Coordinator they have in each implementation phase will be compared. These data will be collected using VA administrative data.
Time frame: Measured across each implementation period with each participating site; Audit and Feedback (0-6 months), Implementation Facilitation (7-12 months), and Sustainment (13-21 months)
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
Contact study teamGet an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
VA Office of Research and Development →