MST and VA Care: Free Treatment Without Filing a Disability Claim

VA care for Military Sexual Trauma (MST) is free, available regardless of your disability rating or claim status, and accessible even if you've never enrolled in VA health care. This is one of the most important pieces of VA infrastructure — and one of the most underused.

Filing an MST disability claim and accessing MST care are two separate processes. You can do either, both, or neither, in any order.

What Counts as MST

MST under VA's definition (38 USC § 1720D) includes:

• Sexual assault during military service
• Sexual harassment that involved threatening, repeated, or unwanted sexual conduct
• Trauma occurring on or off-duty, on or off-base
• Trauma at any rank, in any service component (active, Guard, Reserve)

The trauma can be by anyone — service member, contractor, civilian, supervisor, peer. If it happened during your service, it qualifies.

You do not need to have reported the incident contemporaneously. You do not need a contemporaneous police report or chain of command involvement. Many MST survivors didn't report at the time, often for documented institutional reasons. The VA accepts this.

Free MST Care — No Strings

Every VA Medical Center has a designated MST Coordinator — a clinician trained specifically for MST care. To find yours:

1. Call your nearest VAMC and ask for the MST Coordinator
2. Or call the Women Veterans Call Center: 1-855-829-6636
3. Or visit mentalhealth.va.gov/mst for a national directory

What's available through the MST Coordinator (free, confidential):

• Individual therapy with MST-trained clinicians
• Trauma-focused therapies (PE, CPT, EMDR)
• Medication management for related symptoms (sleep, anxiety, depression)
• Group therapy with other MST survivors
• Couples / family counseling related to MST impacts
• Crisis intervention
• Connection to specialized inpatient MST programs (residential treatment)

No copays. No claim required. No disability rating required. Open to non-enrolled veterans for MST-specific care.

What "Free MST Care" Really Covers

The free coverage is broader than many veterans realize:

• Mental health care for MST and conditions related to MST (PTSD, depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, eating disorders)
• Medical care for physical conditions related to MST (chronic pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, headaches, GI issues that can stem from trauma)
• Sexual health services related to MST
• Reproductive health with trauma-informed providers (gynecological exams in safe, accommodating settings)

It does not cover non-MST-related routine care unless you're enrolled in VA health care for that. But the MST-specific care doesn't gate on that enrollment.

Open to All Discharges Including OTH

Important: MST care through the MST Coordinator AND through Vet Centers is open to veterans with Other Than Honorable discharges. The Character of Discharge bars that affect general VA health care don't apply to MST care.

This is statutorily protected. If you're an OTH discharge MST survivor, you can access:

• VA MST Coordinator services
• Vet Center MST counseling
• Free MST therapy and medication

Vet Centers: Another MST Pathway

Vet Centers (separate from VAMCs) offer additional MST care infrastructure:

• Confidential. Vet Center records do not appear in your standard VA medical record.
• No enrollment required. Walk in or call.
• No discharge characterization gate. Open to veterans with any discharge including OTH.
• Family counseling included. Spouses and children covered for related counseling.
• MST counselors available at most centers.

Find your Vet Center: vetcenter.va.gov or call 1-877-927-8387.

Many MST survivors prefer Vet Center care precisely because of the records confidentiality. If you want care without the trauma being documented in your VA medical record (e.g., for security clearance reasons or simple privacy), Vet Center is the path.

Filing a Disability Claim for MST

A separate process. Filing an MST claim doesn't create or interrupt your access to MST care.

To file:

1. VA Form 21-526EZ with PTSD or related conditions linked to MST as the claimed disability.
2. Optional: VA Form 21-0781a (Statement in Support of Claim for Service Connection for PTSD Secondary to Personal Assault). This is the MST-specific evidence form.
3. Markers as evidence. Because contemporaneous reports often don't exist, the VA accepts "markers" — circumstantial evidence of trauma:
   • Behavioral changes documented in performance reviews
   • Sudden requests for transfer
   • Pregnancy tests, STI tests, or related medical visits
   • Mental health visits in service
   • Substance use changes
   • AWOL or disciplinary actions that don't fit prior pattern
   • Lay statements from people who served with you
   • Post-service journal entries or therapy notes describing the trauma

The VA C&P examiner is trained to look for markers and apply favorable interpretation under 38 CFR 3.304(f)(5) (PTSD claims based on personal assault).

Liberal Consideration for MST-Related Discharges

If your discharge characterization was driven by post-MST behavior changes (substance use, AWOL, fights, breaking rank), the Kurta Memo (2017) requires Discharge Review Boards and BCMRs to apply liberal consideration to discharge upgrade requests citing MST.

Even if you have an OTH currently, MST-related discharge upgrades have a high success rate when properly presented. See Liberal Consideration for PTSD Discharges for the framework.

Reporting vs. Care vs. Claims — Three Different Things

Sometimes survivors think these are linked. They're not:

Action	Purpose	Required for the others?
Reporting MST to authorities	Criminal accountability	No
Accessing MST care at VA	Treatment and recovery	No
Filing an MST disability claim	Compensation and rating	No
Pursuing a discharge upgrade	Restoring benefits eligibility	No

You can do any one without the others. Many survivors access care for years before deciding to file a claim. Some never file claims — care is the priority.

Hotlines

• Veterans Crisis Line: 988, then Press 1 (24/7)
• DOD Safe Helpline (active duty): 1-877-995-5247 (24/7, anonymous)
• Women Veterans Call Center: 1-855-829-6636 (M-F 8a-10p ET, Sat 8a-6:30p ET)
• National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-4673 (24/7)

What to Expect at Your First Visit

The MST Coordinator's first appointment is a screening / intake conversation:

• Brief introduction to the trauma (you control the level of detail)
• Discussion of treatment options
• Discussion of confidentiality limits (the MST Coordinator won't share with command, employer, or family without your permission)
• Scheduling of follow-up sessions

You don't have to tell the full story at the first visit. The conversation is collaborative. If the first MST Coordinator isn't a fit, you can request a different one.

Free Legal Help for MST-Related Claims and Discharges

• Service Women's Action Network (SWAN): servicewomen.org — MST-specialized legal referrals
• Protect Our Defenders: MST advocacy
• Connecticut Veterans Legal Center: ctveteranslegal.org — deep MST experience
• NVLSP: nvlsp.org — broader veterans legal services

Related

• Women Veterans Center — full hub of programs
• MST landing page — sensitive landing with action steps
• Liberal Consideration for PTSD Discharges — Kurta memo on MST upgrades
• WHTT Overview — full Women's Health Transition Training