A recent decision from the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims may make it easier for veterans claiming disability due to PTSD to prove in-service personal assault. There are special rules in place where in-service assault is involved. The VA knows it can be hard for veterans to prove in-service personal assault because a lot of times, especially […]
Military Sexual Trauma
How VA Healthcare Facilities are Handling the Growing Number of Female Veterans
In an interview with Randy Williamson, the Director of Health Care Issues at GAO, he discusses his report analyzing how VA Healthcare facilities are handling the growing number of female veterans. The primary concern for health care facilities in relation to the growing number of females leaving the military is understanding the needs of women. […]
Lawmakers Urge Change in Defense Bill to Allow Veterans with “Bad Papers” to Upgrade Their Discharge
Advocates are aggressively seeking to change the final version of a defense policy bill to include language that would make it easier for veterans with “bad papers” to upgrade their discharge. Thousands of veterans received “bad discharge papers” due to behavior that can be linked back to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury […]
Report Finds That Military Sexual Trauma Cases Are Inconsistently Handled
Military Sexual Trauma (MST) has been a hot-button issue of late. There was a strong push in Congress to adopt the Military Justice Improvement Act (MJIA). Senator Kristen Gillibrand (NY-D) is hoping to pass a law so that when someone in the military is sexually assaulted, the process is removed from the chain of command […]
PTSD and Military Sexual Assault
I have practiced veterans law for many years now, and I can say one thing that I did not know about before I entered this field was the prevalence of sexual assault in the military. According to a recent lawsuit filed by two veterans’ groups, nearly a third of women are raped during service to […]
Senate Approves Changes to Military Sexual Assault Policy
The Senate Armed Services Committee has approved new policies aimed to reduce the military’s growing problem with sexual assault. The new military sexual assault policy provides for additional safeguards when a sexual assault is reported. Under the new rules, commanders will automatically have their decisions to not prosecute a sexual assault reviewed by a higher-level […]