Military Sexual Trauma- Low Priority With V.A.

Capitol Hill Watch Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Approves Bill That Would Improve Female Veterans' Health Care
[Jun 27, 2008] The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee on Thursday approved by voice vote legislation that would improve health care for female veterans, the Tacoma News Tribune reports. The bill (S 2799) would require new studies about the problems women face when seeking treatment at the Department of Veterans Affairs and expand staff and training for VA personnel attending to female patients. VA, along with the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, would be commissioned to study health consequences for women returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a VA pilot program would be created to provide child care services for female veterans requiring intensive outpatient care. The measure also would authorize new programs to improve care for victims of military sexual trauma.

VA officials told lawmakers that they already have begun efforts to improve care for women and that they opposed many provisions of Murray's bill. The measure was combined with others into omnibus legislation for the voice vote. According to the News Tribune, "Prospects of the bill reaching the Senate floor were uncertain, with the chamber's legislative calendar already jammed and lawmakers hoping to go home in the early fall to campaign" (Tacoma News Tribune, 6/27). http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=53008

The bottom line is the Senate is in a hurry to take their session break and this proposed care for MST will end up never coming to pass. The V.A. doesn't consider MST a priority- that is clear.

ANJYL