Sponsors (13)
The bill modernizes and expands VA recognition, outreach, and benefits processes for military sexual trauma (including digital incidents) to increase care access and claims approvals for veterans, but it will raise VA workload and federal costs and creates some privacy and oversight trade‑offs unless resources and transparency safeguards are strengthened.
Veterans who experienced military sexual trauma (including incidents involving digital communications) will gain broader eligibility for VA counseling, treatment, and potentially disability compensation, and MST-related claims can be evaluated using mental-health diagnoses and broader corroborating evidence—improving chances of benefit approval and access to care.
Veterans filing MST-related claims will receive targeted outreach and prompt (within 14 days) written information about available VA services (MST coordinators, Vet Centers, Veterans Crisis Line) and VA must provide written reasons for grant or denial—improving timely access to care and transparency in decisions.
Definitions for MST and sexual harassment are clarified and service academy students who withdraw or fail to complete training will be notified about potential VA MST care eligibility and can obtain service records and investigative reports—improving awareness, record access, and coordination between VHA and VBA.
Veterans may face longer wait times and delays in claims processing and access to mental-health services because expanded eligibility, broader evidence standards, required specialist reviews, and increased outreach will raise VA workload unless staffing and capacity are increased.
Taxpayers and the federal budget will incur additional administrative and fiscal costs to prepare required reports, expand outreach, provide records, perform specialist reviews, and implement any statutory changes.
Providing copies of investigative reports and personnel records to students or claimants could raise privacy and legal concerns for third parties named in those reports and will require extra redaction and processing resources.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Broadens VA definitions, evidence rules, and treatment eligibility for military sexual trauma (including online incidents); requires a VA report and faster claimant outreach.
Introduced April 1, 2025 by Chellie Pingree · Last progress April 1, 2025
Expands how the Department of Veterans Affairs defines, evaluates, and treats claims tied to military sexual trauma (MST), including trauma arising from online or technological communications. It requires VA to accept a wider range of corroborating evidence, to notify claimants and give them a chance to provide evidence before a denial, and to document decisions fully. Requires a VA report (within one year) on gaps in law and policy for MST in the digital age and the feasibility of covering nonsexual trauma tied to technological communications. Broadens VA counseling and treatment eligibility to more former Reserve members, requires quick contact information for MST claimants, and directs VA to coordinate with other agencies to inform withdrawn service academy attendees about MST care eligibility and record access.