US House passes military sexual-assault reporting compensation bill

US House passes military sexual-assault reporting compensation bill
By Kevin Miller
Morning Sentinel
Washington Bureau Chief
June 4, 2013

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill named for a Maine woman that aims to make it easier for veterans who were sexually assaulted to receive compensation.

The Ruth Moore Act of 2013 aims to help victims of military sexual trauma qualify for disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Bill supporters argue that disability claims for mental health conditions linked to a sexual assault should be treated the same as claims for post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, from combat. The VA receives thousands of claims linked to sexual assaults every year. However, advocacy groups contend the approval rate is too low, in large part because many veterans never report the assaults out of fear of retaliation, or the documentation has been lost or destroyed.

House passage of the bill — which was sponsored by Maine Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District — represents the first policy victory this year in either chamber of Congress for veterans' groups and lawmakers pushing for a more aggressive military response to sexual assault within the ranks.

"I'm beyond pleased," Ruth Moore, a sexual assault survivor and the bill's namesake, said Tuesday after the House approved the bill on a voice vote. "It is bittersweet, of course. But this is going to make a difference for so many veterans. Now we just need to get it through the Senate."
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