I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1607 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the disability compensation 
evaluation procedure of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for veterans 
with mental health conditions related to military sexual trauma, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 25, 2015 
Ms. PINGREE (for herself, Mr. POLIQUIN, Ms. TSONGAS, Mr. RUSH, Mr. GRI-
JALVA, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. POCAN, Ms. KUSTER, Mr. LEWIS, Mr. DOLD, 
and Mr. GUINTA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the 
disability compensation evaluation procedure of the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs for veterans with mental 
health conditions related to military sexual trauma, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ruth Moore Act of 
2015’’. 
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SEC. 2. STANDARD OF PROOF FOR SERVICE-CONNECTION 
OF MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS RELATED 
TO MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA. 
(a) STANDARD OF PROOF.—Section 1154 of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection: 
‘‘(c)(1) In the case of any veteran who claims that 
a covered mental health condition was incurred in or ag-
gravated by military sexual trauma during active military, 
naval, or air service, the Secretary shall accept as suffi-
cient proof of service-connection a diagnosis of such men-
tal health condition by a mental health professional to-
gether with satisfactory lay or other evidence of such trau-
ma and an opinion by the mental health professional that 
such covered mental health condition is related to such 
military sexual trauma, if consistent with the cir-
cumstances, conditions, or hardships of such service, not-
withstanding the fact that there is no official record of 
such incurrence or aggravation in such service, and, to 
that end, shall resolve every reasonable doubt in favor of 
the veteran. Service-connection of such covered mental 
health condition may be rebutted by clear and convincing 
evidence to the contrary. The reasons for granting or de-
nying service-connection in each case shall be recorded in 
full. 
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‘‘(2) For purposes of this subsection, in the absence 
of clear and convincing evidence to the contrary, and pro-
vided that the claimed military sexual trauma is consistent 
with the circumstances, conditions, or hardships of the 
veteran’s service, the veteran’s lay testimony alone may 
establish the occurrence of the claimed military sexual 
trauma. 
‘‘(3) In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) The term ‘covered mental health condi-
tion’ means post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, 
depression, or other mental health diagnosis de-
scribed in the current version of the Diagnostic and 
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by 
the American Psychiatric Association that the Sec-
retary determines to be related to military sexual 
trauma. 
‘‘(B) The term ‘military sexual trauma’ means, 
with respect to a veteran, psychological trauma, 
which in the judgment of a mental health profes-
sional, resulted from a physical assault of a sexual 
nature, battery of a sexual nature, or sexual harass-
ment which occurred during active military, naval, 
or air service.’’. 
(b) ANNUAL REPORTS.— 
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