H. R. 6961 
One Hundred Seventeenth Congress 
of the 
United States of America 
AT THE SECOND SESSION 
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday, 
the third day of January, two thousand and twenty-two 
An Act 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve hearings before the Board 
of Veterans’ Appeals regarding claims involving military sexual trauma. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. REQUIREMENT FOR TRAINING ON CLAIMS INVOLVING 
MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA PRIOR TO ASSIGNMENT OF 
CERTAIN PROCEEDINGS. 
(a) REQUIREMENT.—Section 7102 of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(c)(1) The Secretary shall ensure that there is offered to each 
member of the Board an annual training on military sexual trauma 
and proceedings that concern a claim for compensation based on 
military sexual trauma experienced by a veteran. 
‘‘(2) A proceeding that concerns a claim specified in paragraph 
(1) may not be assigned to an individual member of the Board 
or to a panel of members unless the individual member, or each 
member of the panel, as the case may be, has completed the 
annual training most recently offered to that member pursuant 
to such paragraph. 
‘‘(3) In this subsection, the term ‘military sexual trauma’ has 
the meaning given that term in section 1166(c) of this title.’’. 
(b) FIRST TRAINING.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
ensure that each member of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals is 
offered the first annual training under section 7102(c) of title 38, 
United States Code, as amended by subsection (a), by not later 
than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(c) APPLICABILITY.—The limitation under section 7102(c)(2) of 
title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall 
apply with respect to the assignment of proceedings on or after 
the date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
SEC. 2. REVIEW OF LANGUAGE AND PRACTICES USED IN CONNECTION 
WITH CLAIMS INVOLVING MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA. 
(a) BOARD OF VETERANS’ APPEALS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 7112 of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘(a) REMANDED CLAIMS.—’’ before ‘‘The 
Secretary’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new subsections: 
‘‘(b) CLAIMS INVOLVING MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA.—The Board 
shall promptly determine whether a notice of disagreement filed 
with the Board is a covered case.
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‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘covered case’ means a case— 
‘‘(A) that concerns a claim for compensation based on 
military sexual trauma; and 
‘‘(B) for which the appellant has requested a hearing 
in the notice of disagreement filed with the Board pursuant 
to section 7105 of this title. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘military sexual trauma’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 1166 of this title.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 
(A) SECTION HEADING.—The heading of such section 
is amended by striking ‘‘remanded’’ and inserting ‘‘cer-
tain’’. 
(B) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of sections at the 
beginning of chapter 71 of such title is amended by striking 
the item relating to section 7112 and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘7112. Expedited treatment of certain claims.’’. 
(b) AUDIT AND MODIFICATION OF DENIAL LETTERS.— 
(1) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
conduct an audit of the language used in letters sent to individ-
uals to explain the decision by the Secretary to deny covered 
claims. Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall modify the letters to ensure 
that— 
(A) the letters use trauma-informed language; and 
(B) veterans are not re-traumatized through insensitive 
language. 
(2) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall carry out para-
graph (1) in consultation with veterans service organizations 
and other stakeholders as the Secretary determines appro-
priate. 
(c) EXAMINATIONS.—The Secretary shall establish protocols for 
Department of Veterans Affairs medical providers and contract 
medical providers to ensure that the medical providers conduct 
examinations regarding covered claims using trauma-informed prac-
tices. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘compensation’’ has the meaning given that 
term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code. 
(2) The term ‘‘contract medical provider’’ means a medical 
provider who contracts with the Department of Veterans Affairs 
to provide a medical examination or a medical opinion when 
such an examination or opinion is necessary to make a decision 
on a claim under the laws administered by the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs. 
(3) The term ‘‘covered claim’’ means a claim for compensa-
tion based on military sexual trauma experienced by a veteran. 
(4) The term ‘‘military sexual trauma’’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 1166 of title 38, United States 
Code. 
(5) The term ‘‘trauma-informed’’ means, with respect to 
language or practices, using language or carrying out practices 
in a manner that— 
(A) is based on a knowledge of the awareness of the 
prevalence and impact of trauma on the physical, emo-
tional, and mental health of an individual, the behaviors
H. R. 6961—3 
of the individual, and the engagement by the individual 
to services; 
(B) is aimed at ensuring environments and services 
are welcoming and engaging to the individual who receives 
such services and the staff who provide such services; and 
(C) ensures that the language or practices do not re-
traumatize the individual. 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.