All Our Veterans Deserve The Benefits They Have Earned

Our best and brightest join our armed forces for all the right reasons: to serve our country, protect our freedom and keep America safe. But all too often, they find themselves in the fight of their lives, not in combat but in their own ranks, among their own brothers and sisters in arms. 

Sexual violence in the military was allowed to fester in the darkness for too long. For more than two decades, the top brass claimed “zero tolerance” but in reality practiced zero accountability. While a broad bipartisan coalition fought hard in Congress for over a year to reform a broken military justice system, it was inspiring to see so many brave men and women tell their personal stories to total strangers simply to protect fellow service members from the betrayal they had experienced, and strengthen our military. 

As we continue that fight for justice, new issues have come to light that require us to push forward. One of the most troubling is that tens of thousands of victims of military sexual assault, who after suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from horrific acts of sexual violence, are now being tangled up in bureaucratic red tape while trying to get the help they need. 

According to the Defense Department, in FY 2012, there were an estimated 26,000 cases of unwanted sexual contacts, assaults and rapes throughout the U.S. military, but of those, only 3,374 were reported. According to the latest available data, at least 8 out of 10 victims are not confident enough in the system to file a report. These survivors will have a hard time meeting the burden of proof when applying for benefits. 

A recent Government Accountability Office report reveals that disability claims made by veterans suffering from PTSD related to military sexual trauma are much more likely to be denied than those made by veterans with combat-related PTSD or other trauma. 

Currently, veterans with PTSD related to sexual trauma face a very different playing field compared with veterans claiming disability for combat-related PTSD. Survivors of military sexual assault are required to show evidence to prove their personal testimony, while combat-related PTSD claims only require a diagnosis of PTSD and the opinion of a medical professional that the diagnosis is related to the veteran’s testimony of a traumatic combat event. 

The V.A. must remove this unfair burden placed on victims of sexual assault and take immediate steps to deliver critical compensation to survivors who have suffered horrific events that have long-lasting, often lifelong consequences. But we have to do our job in Congress, too, by passing the Ruth Moore Act to make it easier for veterans to qualify for benefits. If passed, veterans would only have to show a medical diagnosis of a mental health condition and a link between an assault and that mental health condition. 

This legislation is named after a veteran, Ruth Moore, who joined the Navy when she turned 18. Within two and a half months she was raped. After she attempted suicide, the Navy diagnosed her with borderline personality disorder, and discharged her. Ruth fought for over two decades before she was finally awarded the veterans benefits she deserved. 

There is no greater responsibility for Congress, military and V.A. leaders than to care and provide for our service members and their families. The nation entrusts their sons and daughters to our military, and we must ensure that they are safe from sexual assaults—and if they are assaulted, that they receive the best care and treatment possible both during and after their service while holding perpetrators accountable for their criminal actions. We owe it to the men and women who bravely serve our country, and I will continue the fight for justice and accountability. 

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.