I 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4344 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a presumption of service 

connection for mental health conditions related to military sexual trauma. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 27, 2014 

Ms. TITUS (for herself, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. PINGREE of Maine, Ms. BROWN

of Florida, Ms. KUSTER, Ms. BROWNLEY of California, Ms. FRANKEL of 

Florida, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. TONKO, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. 

O’ROURKE, and Ms. JACKSON LEE) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a presumption of service connection for mental health conditions related to military sexual trauma. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Military Sexual Trau5 ma Claims Administration Reform and Eligibility Act’’. 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 4344 IH

1 SEC. 2. PRESUMPTION OF SERVICE CONNECTION FOR MEN2 TAL HEALTH CONDITIONS RELATED TO MILI3 TARY SEXUAL TRAUMA. 

4 (a) PRESUMPTION.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 11 

6 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by add7 ing at the end the following new section: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 1119. PRESUMPTION OF SERVICE CONNECTION FOR 

9 MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS RELATED TO 

10 MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA. 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of section 1110 of 

12 this title, and subject to section 1113 of this title, a mental 

13 health condition of a veteran that a veteran certifies to 

14 the Secretary as being incurred in or aggravated by mili15 tary sexual trauma shall be considered to have been in16 curred in or aggravated by the service of the veteran, not17 withstanding that there is no record of evidence of such 

18 mental health condition or such military sexual trauma oc19 curring during such service. 

20 ‘‘(b) MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA DEFINED.—In this 

21 section, the term ‘military sexual trauma’ means, with re22 spect to a veteran, psychological trauma, which in the 

23 judgment of a mental health professional, resulted from 

24 a physical assault of a sexual nature, battery of a sexual 

25 nature, or sexual harassment (as defined in section 1720D 

26 of this title) which occurred during a period of serving in 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 4344 IH

1 the Armed Forces on active duty or active duty for train2 ing.’’. 

3 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec4 tions at the beginning of chapter 11 of such title is 

5 amended by inserting after the item relating to sec6 tion 1118 the following new item: 

‘‘1119. Presumption of service connection for mental health conditions related 

to military sexual trauma.’’. 

7 (b) PRESUMPTION REBUTTABLE.—Section 1113 of 

8 title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘or 

9 1118’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘1118, or 

10 1119’’. 

11 (c) PRESUMPTION DURING PEACETIME SERVICE.— 

12 Section 1137 of title 38, United States Code, is amended 

13 by striking ‘‘and 1113’’ and inserting ‘‘1113, and 1119’’. 

Æ 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS