Dignity for MST Survivors Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6961) to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve hearings before the Board of Veterans' Appeals regarding claims involving military sexual trauma, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 6961, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6961, as amended, the Dignity for MST Survivors Act, introduced by Representative Mrvan.

The importance of caring for veterans who have experienced military sexual trauma cannot be overstated. By virtue of the bill's name, Representative Mrvan seeks to ensure that MST survivors are given the respect and honor they deserve.

Words have meaning and power, and how we discuss MST can be retraumatizing for survivors. Careful thought must be given to the way in which the VA communicates with veterans who have MST claims. This bill takes great

care to address the language included in claims denial letters so veterans are not retraumatized when receiving what may be troubling news. This legislation requires the VA to consult with stakeholders to identify the appropriate language to include in these letters.

Additionally, the Board of Veterans' Appeals does significant work, including the processing of appeals for MST. Given the extremely sensitive nature of these claims, board members must be adequately trained to review these cases. Therefore, this legislation includes an annual training element and requires that if board members do not meet this annual training requirement, they will not be assigned MST cases.

As has been noted in other MST-related bills, the training and development of contract medical providers is essential to conducting MST compensation exams.

This bill will require these medical providers to use the most up-to- date, trauma-informed protocols while working with veterans seeking MST claims.

While it is my understanding that most MST claim exams are being outsourced to contract providers, I appreciate the changes to the introduced text that will require the same training for contract providers and in-house VA providers.

As such, I supported the amendment by Ranking Member Bost to clarify this issue during committee consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this vital legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Mrvan), my good friend and author of this legislation, who serves as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization on the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 6961, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of the Dignity for MST Survivors Act, legislation I was proud to introduce and collaborate with Chairman Takano, Chairwoman Luria, and my other colleagues to address longstanding issues regarding the treatment of survivors of military sexual trauma.

I also thank the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, The American Legion, and the Wounded Warrior Project for their endorsements of this legislation.

The Dignity for MST Survivors Act seeks to support and affirm veterans who experienced sexual trauma during their military service as they navigate the Board of Veterans' Appeals claims appeal process.

According to the data collected by the Department of Veterans Affairs, an unconscionable 1 in 3 of our brave women veterans and 1 in 50 male veterans report having experienced sexual assault or sexual harassment.

Such traumatic events often have lasting impacts on these individuals' physical and mental health, placing MST survivors at heightened risk for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other debilitating conditions.

Despite these clear treatment needs, many MST survivors face significant difficulty in accessing healthcare and disability benefits from the VA.

In August 2021, an investigation released by the VA's Office of the Inspector General found that an astounding 57 percent of denied MST claims were improperly processed by the VA, in part due to claims processors' lack of MST training.

Multiple veterans service organizations report that the BVA has proven similarly ill-equipped to deal with appeals of denied MST claims and that the current claims appeal process has the unfortunate potential to retraumatize MST survivors.

While the VA has taken steps in the right direction, more must be done to improve the claims appeal experience, show compassion, and safeguard the dignity of MST survivors.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation in order to ensure MST survivors are not retraumatized at any point in their effort to obtain the world-class healthcare and disability benefits to which they are entitled.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6961, the Dignity for MST Survivors Act, which was introduced by Congressman Mrvan, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization.

All veterans should receive an accurate decision the first time they file a claim, especially if the claim is related to MST. If the VA must deny that claim, this should be communicated in a compassionate manner.

Moreover, the VA disability examiners should be sensitive to the needs of our veterans who are undergoing an exam for a condition related to MST.

This bill would make several improvements to the MST claims process, including enhancing training on MST for adjudicators at the Board of Veterans' Appeals; improving decision notices for claims related to MST; and, requiring the VA to establish standards to ensure that disability examiners perform exams related to MST using trauma-informed practices.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be discharged and that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following bills en bloc: H.R. 6064, H.R. 6604, H.R. 6961, H.R. 7299, H.R. 7335, and S. 4949.

I ask unanimous consent that the bills, en bloc, be considered read a third time and passed and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.