I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 930 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the disability compensation 
evaluation procedure of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for veterans 
with post-traumatic stress disorder or mental health conditions related 
to military sexual trauma, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 3, 2011 
Ms. PINGREE of Maine 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 post-trau-
matic stress disorder or 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, 
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SECTION 1. STANDARD OF PROOF FOR SERVICE-CONNEC-
TION 
OF 
POST-TRAUMATIC 
STRESS 
DIS-
ORDER AND 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 subsections: 
‘‘(c) The Secretary shall accept as sufficient proof of 
service-connection of post-traumatic stress disorder al-
leged to have been incurred in or aggravated by service 
in the active military, naval, or air service a diagnosis of 
post-traumatic stress disorder by a mental health profes-
sional together with written testimony by the veteran of 
such incurrence or aggravation and a written determina-
tion by the professional that such disorder is related to 
the veteran’s service, if consistent with the circumstances, 
conditions, or hardships of such service, notwithstanding 
the fact that there is no official record of such incurrence 
or aggravation in such service, and, to that end, shall re-
solve every reasonable doubt in favor of the veteran. Serv-
ice-connection of post-traumatic stress disorder may be re-
butted by clear and convincing evidence to the contrary. 
In the case of such a rebuttal, the Secretary shall make 
all documents related to the service-connection of the vet-
eran’s disability available to the veteran. 
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‘‘(d)(1) The Secretary shall accept as sufficient proof 
of service-connection of covered mental health conditions 
alleged to have been incurred or aggravated by military 
sexual trauma experienced during service in the active 
military, naval, or air service a diagnosis of such mental 
health condition by a mental health professional together 
with written testimony by the veteran of such trauma al-
leged to have been incurred during the veteran’s service 
and a written determination by the professional that such 
mental health condition is related to such trauma, if con-
sistent with the circumstances, conditions, or hardships of 
such service, notwithstanding the fact that there is no offi-
cial record of the incurrence of such trauma in such serv-
ice, and, to that end, shall resolve every reasonable doubt 
in favor of the veteran. Service-connection of covered men-
tal health conditions under this subsection may be rebut-
ted by clear and convincing evidence to the contrary. In 
the case of such a rebuttal, the Secretary shall make all 
documents related to the service-connection of the vet-
eran’s disability available to the veteran. 
‘‘(2) In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) The term ‘covered mental health condi-
tions’ means post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, 
depression, or other mental health conditions that 
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the Secretary 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 while the veteran was serving 
on active duty or active duty for training.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Subsections (c) and (d) of 
section 1154 of title 38, United States Code, as added by 
subsection (a), shall apply with respect to any claim for 
disability compensation under laws administered by the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs for which no final decision 
has been made before the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
Æ 
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