Below are documents that were produced by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as a result of lawsuits filed by the Service Women's Action Network, the ACLU, and the ACLU of CT against the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and VA. These records document VA's treatment of disability compensation claims filed by veterans who experienced sexual violence in the military, referred to by VA as military sexual trauma ("MST").
These documents are presented here, in chronological order, with the most recently released document appearing first. They are labeled according to date received, title, and the agency/department from which the document was released.
In November 2013, Service Women's Action Network (SWAN), the American Civil Liberties Union Women's Rights Project (ACLU), and the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut (ACLU-CT) released a report based on some of this data, "Battle for Benefits: VA Discrimination Against Survivors of Military Sexual Trauma." The full report is available for download here.
Veterans' Affairs Documents
06/06/2013
Cover Email for VA Production
Counts of Unique Veterans with MST (Sexual Harassment/Trauma) - Department of Veterans Affairs
Counts of Unique Veterans with Mental Health Disorders - Department of Veterans Affairs
04/12/2011
Cover Email for VBA Revised Exhibit B
04/01/2011
Cover letter for BVA Production - Exhibits A-C
11/11/2010
Appeals, PTSD Issues by Disposition - Board of Veterans' Appeals
Related Issues
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ConnecticutNov 2013
Women's Rights
Service Women's Action Network v. Department of DefenseService Women's Action Network v. Department of Defense
Thousands of service members each year are estimated to have experienced some form of military sexual trauma (MST), including rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. These acts occur nearly twice as often within military ranks as they do within civilian society.