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VA claims guide · MST

Military Sexual Trauma: How VA Claims Work

Many survivors of military sexual trauma never reported it. The VA recognizes that, and has special rules that let other kinds of evidence support your claim.

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If you’re in crisis, contact the Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net.

The VA provides free care for mental and physical health conditions related to MST. You don’t need a disability rating or proof that the MST occurred, and you may be eligible even if you aren’t eligible for other VA care. Every VA health care system, including Sioux Falls and the Black Hills, has an MST Coordinator who can help you access care.

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38 CFR 3.304(f)(5)

Evidence Beyond Your Service Records

For PTSD based on personal assault, including MST, the VA must consider evidence from sources other than your service records. That can include:

Records from law enforcement, rape crisis centers, mental health counseling centers, hospitals, or physicians
Pregnancy tests or tests for sexually transmitted diseases
Statements from family members, roommates, fellow service members, or clergy

Behavior changes can be evidence (“markers”)

Evidence of behavior changes after the assault may also support your claim, such as:

A request for a transfer to another duty assignment
Deterioration in work performance
Substance abuse
Episodes of depression, panic attacks, or anxiety without an identifiable cause
Unexplained economic or social behavior changes

The VA can’t deny a PTSD claim based on personal assault without first telling you about these kinds of evidence and giving you the chance to provide them. It can also ask a medical or mental health professional whether the evidence indicates an assault occurred.

38 CFR 4.130

How MST-Related Conditions Are Rated

PTSD, depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions related to MST are rated under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. Physical conditions related to MST are rated under their own diagnostic codes.

Criteria quoted from 38 CFR 4.130 (current as of October 2026). Pay effective December 1, 2025.
Rating	VA criteria	2026 pay (alone)
100%	Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms as: gross impairment in thought processes or communication; persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name.	$3,938.58
70%	Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood, due to such symptoms as: suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities; speech intermittently illogical, obscure, or irrelevant; near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively; impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods of violence); spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and hygiene; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including work or a worklike setting); inability to establish and maintain effective relationships.	$1,808.45
50%	Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to such symptoms as: flattened affect; circumstantial, circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once a week; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.	$1,132.90
30%	Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (such as forgetting names, directions, recent events).	$552.47
10%	Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication.	$180.42
0%	A mental condition has been formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication.	$0.00

FAQ

MST VA Claims: Common Questions

I never reported the assault. Can I still file a claim?

Yes. Many survivors never reported MST. The VA must consider evidence outside your service records, including behavior changes and statements from people who knew you, for PTSD claims based on personal assault.

Do I need a disability rating to get MST-related care?

No. The VA provides free care for conditions related to MST without requiring a disability rating or documentation that the MST occurred.

Does MST only apply to women?

No. Men and women can both experience military sexual trauma, and the same evidence rules and care options apply to everyone.

Will my claim details be kept private?

VA claims are handled confidentially. When you work with us, you decide what to share, and we never post or share your information publicly.

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