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Military Sexual Trauma (MST) is a hard subject. Because it’s hard to talk about it remains one of the most underreported (and misunderstood) experiences in the veteran community.
MST affects veterans of all genders, ranks, and branches of service. It isn’t exclusively impacting females. For everyone who has experienced MST or plays a role in the story of someone with this experience, they know that it leaves lasting emotional and psychological injuries. For many survivors, MST leads to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
While the VA offers disability benefits for both MST-related conditions such as PTSD, many veterans don’t realize how critical it is to document both properly the circumstances surrounding the MST and the currently diagnosed PTSD or other mental health condition and separately. Failing to do so can lead to lower ratings, incomplete treatment plans, or even outright denials. If your claim has been denied, our team is ready to help you get the benefits you deserve.
Understanding MST and PTSD in the VA System
Military Sexual Trauma refers to sexual harassment, assault, or coercive sexual contact that occurs during military service. It is not a diagnosis in itself, but rather a category of experience that can lead to several diagnosable mental health conditions, including PTSD, anxiety disorders, depression, and sexual dysfunction.
PTSD is a recognized psychiatric disorder. It occurs when a person experiences a traumatic event and continues to suffer from symptoms such as hypervigilance, avoidance, nightmares, and emotional numbing.
The VA does not assign a specific MST VA rating. Instead, they rate the conditions that result from MST. Most often, this is PTSD, but it could also be major depressive disorder, panic disorder, or other mental health conditions.
Still, MST plays a pivotal role in how the VA processes and views your claim. A clear link between MST and PTSD can make the difference between an accepted and a denied claim, especially since MST cases often lack traditional service records like combat-related trauma might have.
Why Documentation Matters
Unlike many other service-connected conditions, MST-related PTSD claims are often complicated by the absence of immediate documentation. Survivors may not have reported the assault at the time. There may be no military police report, medical evaluation, or formal complaint on record.
As a result, the VA has adopted a different standard for MST claims. Instead of requiring direct documentation of the event, they allow for the use of “markers”—indirect signs or evidence that something occurred. These markers may include:
- Requests for transfer
- Declines in work performance
- Substance abuse
- Sudden changes in behavior
- Statements from friends, family, or fellow service members
- Episodes of panic, depression, or anxiety during service
This approach is intended to make it easier for survivors to pursue claims, but in practice, the process can still be daunting. That’s why documenting both the MST experience and the development of PTSD afterward is critical—not just for eligibility, but also for accurate rating and long-term care.
How the VA Rates PTSD Caused by MST
PTSD resulting from MST is rated the same way as PTSD caused by other traumatic events. The VA uses a general formula based on the severity of your symptoms and how they impact your ability to work, maintain relationships, and manage daily life. The rating percentages are:
- 0%: PTSD is diagnosed but does not interfere with functioning.
- 10%: Mild symptoms controlled by medication.
- 30%: Occasional symptoms that reduce work and social performance.
- 50%: Frequent symptoms affecting reliability and productivity.
- 70%: Severe symptoms causing significant occupational and social impairment.
- 100%: Total occupational and social impairment.
Why You Should Not Rely on the PTSD Diagnosis Alone
A common mistake we often see is veterans focusing only on their PTSD diagnoses and failing to link their PTSD with the MST that caused it. It weakens your claim to only think of your PTSD without the context or stemming source of the pain. PTSD can come from many sources – we see it all the time. It’s important to establish the connection to your MST in order to ensure that service connection is granted by VA.
Second, you should consider that focusing only on PTSD could limit the scope of your benefits. Take this advice from an experienced veteran’s disability attorney: If you experience anxiety, depression, panic attacks, or physical symptoms related to MST but don’t report them all, you may be missing out on being able to establish service connection or to receive a higher rating. (Ask us how we can help.)
Documenting both MST and PTSD provides a fuller picture of your condition and enables the VA to assess your situation more accurately. This can lead to better compensation, more targeted mental health care, and increased eligibility for secondary condition claims.
How to Build a Strong MST and PTSD Claim
To ensure your claim is properly evaluated, you should approach it as a two-part submission: one part documenting the MST, and one part connecting that trauma to your current psychiatric symptoms.
Start by gathering any available service records that could support the occurrence of MST. These don’t need to include a direct report of the assault. Instead, look for signs of behavioral or performance changes, such as requests for reassignment, changes in performance evaluations, or unexplained disciplinary actions.
Then, obtain a formal diagnosis of PTSD or another mental health condition from a licensed medical professional. The VA will require this as part of your claim, ideally supported by a nexus letter, which is a written statement from your doctor affirming that your condition is at least as likely as not caused by the MST you experienced.
Finally, include lay statements from people who knew you during or after your service. These statements can describe personality changes, withdrawal from social activity, or other signs that you were struggling after the incident. While the process can be emotionally difficult, thorough and well-organized documentation is your best tool in getting a fair and accurate MST VA rating.
Secondary Conditions and Additional Ratings
Survivors of MST often experience long-term consequences that go beyond PTSD. These may include chronic pain, sexual dysfunction, gastrointestinal disorders (often related to anxiety or long-term medication use), and sleep disturbances.
These conditions can often be claimed as secondary to your service-connected PTSD, meaning they were caused or aggravated by your mental health condition. The VA allows for separate ratings of secondary conditions, which may significantly increase your overall disability rating and compensation.
For example, if you have PTSD rated at 70% and also suffer from sexual dysfunction directly tied to MST-related trauma, you may be eligible for special monthly compensation (SMC) in addition to your base rating.
Don’t overlook the ripple effects of your trauma. Make sure your full range of symptoms and diagnoses are included in your claim. Doing so will not only increase your compensation but also improve your access to comprehensive care through the VA system.
Service Connections and MST
When filing for PTSD related to Military Sexual Trauma (MST), you must prove that a qualifying stressor occurred during your military service and that you now suffer from a diagnosable mental health condition caused by that event. Because MST often goes unreported at the time, the VA permits markers as proof that sexual trauma likely occurred. These markers may include documented changes in unit behavior, sudden drops in performance, requests for reassignment, disciplinary issues, or self‑reported mental health struggles during duty.
Once you establish a credible stressor through markers or documented evidence, a current diagnosis is required. A licensed mental health provider must formally diagnose your condition and ideally provide a nexus letter explicitly tying that PTSD to your MST experience. This satisfies the VA’s three-prong service connection criteria: presence of a current disorder, an in‑service stressor, and a link between the two.
Without this combination, the VA may deny your PTSD claim or attribute your symptoms to another cause. Securing service connection for MST‑related PTSD means not just proving trauma, but demonstrating its lasting psychological impact. When both elements are clearly documented and connected, veterans significantly increase their chances of receiving a proper MST VA rating and access to VA benefits and care.
Get Help With Your Claim
If you’ve experienced Military Sexual Trauma and are living with PTSD or related conditions, don’t settle for partial documentation or assume that a single diagnosis tells the whole story. Your MST VA rating and related benefits depend on your ability to show not just that you were affected. However, the unfortunate reality is that many survivors initially have their claims denied.
The good news is that our team is here to help. By documenting both the original trauma and your ongoing psychiatric symptoms, you give the VA the information it needs to fairly evaluate your claim. This leads to better care, more accurate compensation, and recognition of the real impact your service had on your life. To learn more about your options, contact Gang & Associates today for a private consultation.