Veterans may not realize that they do not need new evidence in order to resubmit a previously denied claim for PTSD benefits related to military sexual trauma (MST), according to a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).<\/p>\n
The report also claims evidence that an overwhelming number of veterans who are aware of the opportunity to resubmit a claim may choose not to do so because they perceive the process to be too complex to navigate.<\/p>\n
In 2011, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) conducted random sampling, discovering that more than one in four MST-related claims had been improperly denied. If the sample accurately represents claims made over the last several decades, thousands of survivors of military sexual assault were denied benefits in error.<\/p>\n
In response, the VBA created a 2013 initiative to allow resubmission of all denied MST-related claims. However, the initiative has not been widely publicized, and the GAO’s (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Veterans may not realize that they do not need new evidence in order to resubmit a previously denied claim for PTSD benefits related to military sexual trauma (MST), according to a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).…<\/span><\/p>\n