Sgt. 1st Class Kelly Simon shared her sexual assault and healing journey with Soldiers at Fort Drum in 2019. (Photo: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Paige Behringer)
A new report says Veterans who file disability claims connected to military sexual trauma often face a benefits process that is harder to prove than other service-connected claims.
The report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, recently covered by Military Times, looked at how VA reviews claims involving military sexual trauma, or MST. It found that related claims were approved at a lower rate than combat-related claims over five years. The report also found lower approval rates among men and Black Veterans.
The National Academies reported that about one in three women and one in 50 men say they experienced sexual assault or sexual harassment while serving. Those experiences can be tied to PTSD, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, injuries, sexually transmitted infections, and other long-term health conditions.
A major issue is documentation. Many survivors never make an official report while in uniform. Some fear retaliation, feel shame, worry they will not be believed, or are discouraged by the culture and chain of command around them.
That lack of paperwork can become a problem years later.
The VA allows Veterans filing PTSD claims related to MST to use evidence such as personal statements, behavior changes, or observations from others. But the report found that other MST-related mental or physical health claims can depend more heavily on military or medical records from the time of service.
The National Academies said that the difference creates an uneven standard, and recommends that Congress and the VA use the same type of evidence-based rules for all MST-related disability claims, not only PTSD claims. Under that recommendation, statements from the Veteran, changes in behavior, and other supporting evidence could help establish what happened when official records are missing.
The report also points to earlier concerns about the VA’s handling of these cases. In 2025, the VA Office of Inspector General found that the VA’s Military Sexual Trauma Operations Center had done little to improve claims accuracy. The OIG also reported that VA’s accuracy rate for MST claims fell by almost 10 percentage points between fiscal years 2019 and 2024.
VA received over 39,000 MST-related claims in 2024, according to figures cited by Military Times. Of those claims, VA granted benefits in close to two-thirds of cases, and approved claims averaged an 80% disability rating and about $2,500 per month in compensation. That one-year figure is separate from the report’s five-year comparison, showing MST-related claims were approved at a lower rate than combat-related claims.
VA health care for MST is handled separately from disability compensation. Veterans can receive free treatment for MST-related physical and mental health conditions even if they never reported the incident, do not have documentation, or are not enrolled in VA health care.
The National Academies found that the claims process itself can also harm survivors when it includes repeated exams, unclear rules, or denials that force Veterans to relive traumatic experiences. The report calls for better examiner training, fewer unnecessary exams, and a claims process that better accounts for how MST is often reported, documented, and carried long after service.
Author: Rikki Almanza
Rikki is a Web Content Coordinator for the American Legion, Department of California. With a deep-rooted family connection to the military, Rikki is committed to using her skills and knowledge to provide valuable assistance and resources to servicemembers and veterans.
