IIB 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 671 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 6, 2013 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

AN ACT 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress an 

annual report on claims for disabilities incurred or aggravated by military sexual trauma, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ruth Moore Act of 

3 2013’’. 

4 SEC. 2. REPORTS ON CLAIMS FOR DISABILITIES INCURRED 

5 OR AGGRAVATED BY MILITARY SEXUAL 

6 TRAUMA. 

7 (a) ANNUAL REPORTS.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter VI of chapter 11 

9 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by add10 ing at the end the following new section: 

11 ‘‘§ 1164. Reports on claims for disabilities incurred or 

12 aggravated by military sexual trauma 

13 ‘‘(a) REPORTS.—Not later than December 1, 2014, 

14 and each year thereafter through 2018, the Secretary shall 

15 submit to Congress a report on covered claims submitted 

16 during the previous fiscal year. 

17 ‘‘(b) ELEMENTS.—Each report under subsection (a) 

18 shall include the following: 

19 ‘‘(1) The number of covered claims submitted 

20 to or considered by the Secretary during the fiscal 

21 year covered by the report. 

22 ‘‘(2) Of the covered claims listed under para23 graph (1), the number and percentage of such 

24 claims— 

25 ‘‘(A) submitted by each sex; 


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1 ‘‘(B) that were approved, including the 

2 number and percentage of such approved claims 

3 submitted by each sex; and 

4 ‘‘(C) that were denied, including the num5 ber and percentage of such denied claims sub6 mitted by each sex. 

7 ‘‘(3) Of the covered claims listed under para8 graph (1) that were approved, the number and per9 centage, listed by each sex, of claims assigned to 

10 each rating percentage. 

11 ‘‘(4) Of the covered claims listed under para12 graph (1) that were denied— 

13 ‘‘(A) the three most common reasons given 

14 by the Secretary under section 5104(b)(1) of 

15 this title for such denials; and 

16 ‘‘(B) the number of denials that were 

17 based on the failure of a veteran to report for 

18 a medical examination. 

19 ‘‘(5) The number of covered claims that, as of 

20 the end of the fiscal year covered by the report, are 

21 pending and, separately, the number of such claims 

22 on appeal. 

23 ‘‘(6) For the fiscal year covered by the report, 

24 the average number of days that covered claims take 


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1 to complete beginning on the date on which the 

2 claim is submitted. 

3 ‘‘(7) A description of the training that the Sec4 retary provides to employees of the Veterans Bene5 fits Administration specifically with respect to cov6 ered claims, including the frequency, length, and 

7 content of such training. 

8 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 ‘‘(1) The term ‘covered claims’ means claims 

10 for disability compensation submitted to the Sec11 retary based on a covered mental health condition 

12 alleged to have been incurred or aggravated by mili13 tary sexual trauma. 

14 ‘‘(2) The term ‘covered mental health condition’ 

15 means post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, de16 pression, or other mental health diagnosis described 

17 in the current version of the Diagnostic and Statis18 tical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the 

19 American Psychiatric Association that the Secretary 

20 determines to be related to military sexual trauma. 

21 ‘‘(3) The term ‘military sexual trauma’ means, 

22 with respect to a veteran, psychological trauma, 

23 which in the judgment of a mental health profes24 sional, resulted from a physical assault of a sexual 

25 nature, battery of a sexual nature, or sexual harassVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:47 Jun 07, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H671.RFS H671

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1 ment which occurred during active military, naval, 

2 or air service.’’. 

3 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec4 tions at the beginning of such chapter is amended 

5 by adding at the end the following new item: 

‘‘1164. Reports on claims for disabilities incurred or aggravated by military sexual trauma.’’. 

6 (3) INITIAL REPORT.—The Secretary of Vet7 erans Affairs shall submit to Congress an initial re8 port described in section 1164 of title 38, United 

9 States Code, as added by paragraph (1), by not later 

10 than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this 

11 Act. Such initial report shall be in addition to the 

12 annual reports required under such section begin13 ning in December 2014. 

14 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con15 gress that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should update 

16 and improve the regulations of the Department of Vet17 erans Affairs with respect to military sexual trauma by— 

18 (1) ensuring that military sexual trauma is 

19 specified as an in-service stressor in determining the 

20 service-connection of post-traumatic stress disorder 

21 by including military sexual trauma as a stressor de22 scribed in section 3.304(f)(3) of title 38, Code of 

23 Federal Regulations; and 


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1 (2) recognizing the full range of physical and 

2 mental disabilities (including depression, anxiety, 

3 and other disabilities as indicated in the Diagnostic 

4 and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders pub5 lished by the American Psychiatric Association) that 

6 can result from military sexual trauma. 

7 (c) PROVISION OF INFORMATION.—During the period 

8 beginning on the date that is 15 months after the date 

9 of the enactment of this Act and ending on the date on 

10 which the Secretary updates and improves regulations as 

11 described in subsection (b), the Secretary shall— 

12 (1) provide to each veteran who has submitted 

13 a covered claim or been treated for military sexual 

14 trauma at a medical facility of the Department with 

15 a copy of the report under subsection (a)(3) or sec16 tion 1164 of title 38, United States Code, as added 

17 by subsection (a)(1), that has most recently been 

18 submitted to Congress; 

19 (2) provide on a monthly basis to each veteran 

20 who has submitted any claim for disability com21 pensation or been treated at a medical facility of the 

22 Department information that includes— 

23 (A) the date that the Secretary plans to 

24 complete such updates and improvements to 

25 such regulations; 


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1 (B) the number of covered claims that 

2 have been granted or denied during the month 

3 covered by such information; 

4 (C) a comparison to such rate of grants 

5 and denials with the rate for other claims re6 garding post-traumatic stress disorder; 

7 (D) the three most common reasons for 

8 such denials; 

9 (E) the average time for completion of cov10 ered claims; 

11 (F) the average time for processing cov12 ered claims at each regional office; and 

13 (G) any information the Secretary deter14 mines relevant with respect to submitting a cov15 ered claim; 

16 (3) in addition to providing to veterans the in17 formation described in paragraph (2), the Secretary 

18 shall make available on a monthly basis such infor19 mation on a conspicuous location of the Internet 

20 website of the Department; and 

21 (4) submit to Congress on a monthly basis a re22 port that includes— 

23 (A) a list of all adjudicated covered claims, 

24 including ancillary claims, during the month 

25 covered by the report; 


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1 (B) the outcome with respect to each med2 ical condition included in the claim; and 

3 (C) the reason given for any denial of such 

4 a claim. 

5 (d) MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA DEFINED.—In this 

6 section: 

7 (1) The term ‘‘covered claim’’ has the meaning 

8 given that term in section 1164(c)(1) of title 38, 

9 United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1). 

10 (2) The term ‘‘military sexual trauma’’ has the 

11 meaning given that term in section 1164(c)(3) of 

12 title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection 

13 (a)(1). 

14 SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF ROUNDING DOWN OF PERCENTAGE 

15 INCREASES OF RATES OF CERTAIN EDU16 CATIONAL ASSISTANCE. 

17 (a) MONTGOMERY GI BILL.—Section 3015(h)(2) of 

18 title 38, United States Code, is amended— 

19 (1) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2014’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘fiscal year 2019’’; and 

21 (2) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2013’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘fiscal year 2018’’. 

23 (b) SURVIVORS’ AND DEPENDENTS’ EDUCATIONAL

24 ASSISTANCE.—Section 3564(b) of such title is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2014’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘fiscal year 2019’’; and 

3 (2) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2013’’ and inserting 

4 ‘‘fiscal year 2018’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives June 4, 2013. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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