Good Morning Ladies and Gentleman:

Would everyone please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance?  Flags are located at the front and back of the room.

I am grateful for the opportunity to be here today for a joint hearing entitled, Healing the Wounds: Evaluating Military Sexual Trauma Issues, with my colleagues, Health Subcommittee Chairman Michaud, and our Ranking Members, Mr. Lamborn and Mr. Brown.  But, I am particularly enthusiastic to recognize the men and women veterans who are in this room today and to hear about their experiences with the Department of Veterans Affairs and DoD as it relates to Military Sexual Trauma Issues (MST). 

The purpose of this hearing today is to evaluate ways in which the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and the Department of Defense (DoD) can better address the needs of veterans impacted by Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and identify ways to better prevent, treat and properly compensate them.

MST refers to sexual harassment and sexual assault that occurs in military settings.  MST often occurs in a setting where the victim lives and works, which means that the victims must continue to live and work closely with their perpetrators.  MST can also disrupt the career goals of many of its victims, as perpetrators are frequently peers or supervisors responsible for the decisions on work-related evaluations and promotions.  This means that victims must choose between continuing their military careers at the expense of frequent contact with their perpetrators or ending their careers in order to protect themselves.  Many victims share that when they do report the incident, they are not believed or are encouraged to keep silent because of the need to preserve organizational cohesion. 

The National Center for PTSD of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reports that in 1995, the Department of Defense (DoD) conducted a large scale study of sexual victimization among its active duty population.  This DoD study found that the rates of attempted or completed sexual assault were 6 percent for women and 1 percent for men.  Another study found that rates of sexual assault and verbal sexual harassment were higher during wartime than peacetime in their sample study population.  This suggests that the stress of war may be associated with increases in rates of sexual harassment and assault.  The National Center for PTSD also reports that the rates of MST among the veteran population who use the VA health care system appear to be even higher than that of the general military population.  One study found that 23 percent of female users of the VA health care system reported having experienced sexual assault while in the military. 

MST has been a concern among many veterans who have continually expressed frustration with the disability claims process, especially in trying to prove to the VA that the actual assault ever happened.  For many women  and men, when their disability claims for PTSD related to MST are denied, they suffer a secondary injury, which results in an exacerbation of PTSD symptoms.  Thus, they are less likely to file an appeal.

There also has been frustration with the lack of appropriate health care providers to treat veterans who have experience working with MST. 

We cannot allow this to happen to this nation’s veterans who have served her.  VA and DoD need to ensure that the proper treatment is available.  Veterans should be able to have access to treatment facilities and qualified staff with care and benefits delivered by employees who are properly trained to be sensitive to MST related issues.  These veterans need to be treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve. 

I look forward to hearing from the esteemed panels of witnesses assembled today as we attempt to heal the wounds of these veterans and get them the proper treatment and benefits without unnecessary delay.