Abstract: Barriers such as transportation, stigma, and scheduling difficulties can interfere with veterans’ abilities to engage in traditionally delivered (i.e., weekly) evidence-based posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatments. Although novel intensive PTSD treatment programs (ITPs) minimize several common barriers such as cost and regular session attendance, previous research indicates that approximately 30% of veterans accepted to an ITP do not start treatment. The present study aimed to investigate which barriers may interfere with treatment initiation following acceptance into a 3-week cognitive processing therapy-based ITP. Semistructured interviews were conducted with nine veterans (Mage = 39.6 years, 55.56% White) who were accepted into the ITP but discontinued contact with intake clinicians and did not attend treatment. Veterans completed one phone interview about barriers they encountered to attending the ITP. All interviews were transcribed, independently reviewed, and coded by the study team. Narrative thematic analysis revealed three main themes (i.e., timing and travel, external factors such as work and school, and problems with the intake) and associated subthemes. The findings of the present study indicate that similar barriers to initiating traditionally delivered PTSD treatments are encountered in relation to ITPs. Findings also suggest that veterans who discontinue contact with intake clinicians may perceive aspects of the intake process as a barrier to initiating treatment, highlighting the importance of evaluating ITP intake processes. Future larger scale research should systematically examine barriers to initiating ITPs as well as the effectiveness of strategies such as reengagement calls and collaboratively developed pretreatment plans that may help minimize barriers to care.