When you have suffered from military sexual trauma (MST), know that you are not alone. Unfortunately, many women and men experience incidents such as non-consensual sexual contact, sexual harassment at work, and rape.
In the armed forces, you provided this country with your dutiful service and did not deserve to be hurt in any way. When you have had an MST, you deserve compensation and justice. Our team can assist with getting help and benefits for military sexual trauma.
MST can be, but is not limited to, any sexual advances that are unwanted or threatening, comments about your body or sexual activities that make you feel unsafe, sexual contact without your consent, and coercion or physical force that results in any sexual activity. MST can be a single incident, or it could be a repeated behavior.
In any case where your mental or physical health conditions have been made worse by MST, you should consider filing a claim for disability compensation. Most commonly, your sexual trauma could have worsened or created your PTSD. For all MST claims, you would need to provide evidence, which could include the following:
Direct and indirect evidence are both valuable for your claim. Direct evidence can include statements or records from:
A request to transfer to another military duty assignment could also be used as evidence. In addition, indirect evidence may include changes in your:
Our team can provide more information on what qualifies as direct and indirect evidence for your situation.
If you are filing an MST claim for the first time, you will need to do so for your existing or new condition. You can file online, by mail, or in person. Consider contacting an experienced VA disability lawyer to help you with this process. If you have already filed a claim for MST and it was denied, an attorney can help you request a decision review.
Looking back on your military sexual trauma is difficult, and you do not have to go through it alone. Contact a professional who has experience filing disability claims and we can handle as much of the application or appeals process as we can so you do not have to relive your MST. We can represent you, no matter where in the country you live, so call us now for a free and private consultation.