The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced expanded eligibility for Veterans in need of mental health care due to sexual assault or sexual harassment that occurred during their military service (commonly known as military sexual trauma (MST)).
The expansion primarily pertains to Reservists and National Guard members participating in weekend drill, giving the authority to offer Veterans the appropriate care and services needed to treat conditions resulting from MST that occurred during a period of inactive duty training.
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- Every VA health care facility has an MST Coordinator who serves as a contact person for MST-related issues.
- Every VA medical center and Community-based Vet Center offers MST-related outpatient counseling.
- Currently, all VA health care for mental and physical health conditions related to MST is provided free of charge.
- Veterans do not need to have a service-connected disability or seeking disability compensation to be eligible for MST-related counseling and care.
- Veterans also do not need to have reported such incidents to the Department of Defense or possess documentation or records to support their assertion of having experienced such trauma.
- The determination of whether a Veteran’s condition is MST-related is strictly a clinical determination made by the responsible VA mental health provider.
- Finally, Veterans need not be enrolled in VA’s health care system to qualify for MST-related treatment, as it is independent of VA’s general treatment authority.
Learn more about VA’s MST-related services online at www.mentalhealth.va.gov/msthome.asp and see video clips with the recovery stories of Veterans who have experienced MST at http://maketheconnection.net/conditions/military-sexual-trauma .
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