114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1607 
AN ACT 
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’’. 
SEC. 2. REPORTS ON CLAIMS FOR DISABILITIES INCURRED 
OR 
AGGRAVATED 
BY 
MILITARY 
SEXUAL 
TRAUMA. 
(a) ANNUAL REPORTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter VI of chapter 11 
of title 38, United States Code, is amended by add-
ing at the end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 1164. Reports on claims for disabilities incurred or 
aggravated by military sexual trauma 
‘‘(a) REPORTS.—Not later than December 1, 2015, 
and each year thereafter through 2019, the Secretary shall 
submit to Congress a report on covered claims submitted 
during the previous fiscal year. 
‘‘(b) ELEMENTS.—Each report under subsection (a) 
shall include the following: 
‘‘(1) The number of covered claims submitted 
to or considered by the Secretary during the fiscal 
year covered by the report. 
‘‘(2) Of the covered claims listed under para-
graph (1), the number and percentage of such 
claims— 
‘‘(A) submitted by each sex;
‘‘(B) that were approved, including the 
number and percentage of such approved claims 
submitted by each sex; and 
‘‘(C) that were denied, including the num-
ber and percentage of such denied claims sub-
mitted by each sex. 
‘‘(3) Of the covered claims listed under para-
graph (1) that were approved, the number and per-
centage, listed by each sex, of claims assigned to 
each rating percentage. 
‘‘(4) Of the covered claims listed under para-
graph (1) that were denied— 
‘‘(A) the three most common reasons given 
by the Secretary under section 5104(b)(1) of 
this title for such denials; and 
‘‘(B) the number of denials that were 
based on the failure of a veteran to report for 
a medical examination. 
‘‘(5) The number of covered claims that, as of 
the end of the fiscal year covered by the report, are 
pending and, separately, the number of such claims 
on appeal. 
‘‘(6) For the fiscal year covered by the report, 
the average number of days that covered claims take
to complete beginning on the date on which the 
claim is submitted. 
‘‘(7) A description of the training that the Sec-
retary provides to employees of the Veterans Bene-
fits Administration specifically with respect to cov-
ered claims, including the frequency, length, and 
content of such training. 
‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘covered claims’ means claims 
for disability compensation submitted to the Sec-
retary based on a covered mental health condition 
alleged to have been incurred or aggravated by mili-
tary sexual trauma. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘covered mental health condition’ 
means post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, de-
pression, or other mental health diagnosis described 
in the current version of the Diagnostic and Statis-
tical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the 
American Psychiatric Association that the Secretary 
determines to be related to military sexual trauma. 
‘‘(3) 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.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions at the beginning of such chapter is amended 
by adding at the end the following new item: 
‘‘1164. Reports on claims for disabilities incurred or aggravated by military sex-
ual trauma.’’. 
(3) INITIAL REPORT.—The Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall submit to Congress an initial re-
port described in section 1164 of title 38, United 
States Code, as added by paragraph (1), by not later 
than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. Such initial report shall be in addition to the 
annual reports required under such section begin-
ning in December 2015. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should update 
and improve the regulations of the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs with respect to military sexual trauma by— 
(1) ensuring that military sexual trauma is 
specified as an in-service stressor in determining the 
service-connection of post-traumatic stress disorder 
by including military sexual trauma as a stressor de-
scribed in section 3.304(f)(3) of title 38, Code of 
Federal Regulations; and
(2) recognizing the full range of physical and 
mental disabilities (including depression, anxiety, 
and other disabilities as indicated in the Diagnostic 
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders pub-
lished by the American Psychiatric Association) that 
can result from military sexual trauma. 
(c) PROVISION OF INFORMATION.—During the period 
beginning on the date that is 15 months after the date 
of the enactment of this Act and ending on the date on 
which the Secretary updates and improves regulations as 
described in subsection (b), the Secretary shall— 
(1) provide to each veteran who has submitted 
a covered claim or been treated for military sexual 
trauma at a medical facility of the Department with 
a copy of the report under subsection (a)(3) or sec-
tion 1164 of title 38, United States Code, as added 
by subsection (a)(1), that has most recently been 
submitted to Congress; 
(2) provide on a monthly basis to each veteran 
who has submitted any claim for disability com-
pensation or been treated at a medical facility of the 
Department information that includes— 
(A) the date that the Secretary plans to 
complete such updates and improvements to 
such regulations;
(B) the number of covered claims that 
have been granted or denied during the month 
covered by such information; 
(C) a comparison to such rate of grants 
and denials with the rate for other claims re-
garding post-traumatic stress disorder; 
(D) the three most common reasons for 
such denials; 
(E) the average time for completion of cov-
ered claims; 
(F) the average time for processing cov-
ered claims at each regional office; and 
(G) any information the Secretary deter-
mines relevant with respect to submitting a cov-
ered claim; 
(3) in addition to providing to veterans the in-
formation described in paragraph (2), the Secretary 
shall make available on a monthly basis such infor-
mation on a conspicuous location of the Internet 
website of the Department; and 
(4) submit to Congress on a monthly basis a re-
port that includes— 
(A) a list of all adjudicated covered claims, 
including ancillary claims, during the month 
covered by the report;
(B) the outcome with respect to each med-
ical condition included in the claim; and 
(C) the reason given for any denial of such 
a claim. 
(d) MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA DEFINED.—In this 
section: 
(1) The term ‘‘covered claim’’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 1164(c)(1) of title 38, 
United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1). 
(2) The term ‘‘military sexual trauma’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 1164(c)(3) of 
title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection 
(a)(1). 
SEC. 3. LIMITATION ON AWARDS AND BONUSES PAID TO 
SENIOR EXECUTIVE EMPLOYEES OF DEPART-
MENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
Section 705 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Ac-
countability Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–146; 38 U.S.C. 
703 note) is amended by striking the period at the end 
and inserting the following: ‘‘, of which, during fiscal years 
2016 through 2018, not more than an aggregate amount 
of $2,000,000 in each such fiscal year may be paid to em-
ployees of the Department of Veterans Affairs who are 
members of the Senior Executive Service.’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives July 27, 2015. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 1607 
AN ACT 
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.