Missoulian: Military sex abuse has long-term impact for vets

Even though the VA’s statistics indicate that a greater percentage of military sexual trauma victims are getting benefits, lawmakers believe more action is required.

“If half of them are being denied their claims, that’s still a lot of people,” said Rep. Chellie Pingree. Pingree and Sen. Jon Tester are the lead sponsors of the legislation that would allow the veteran’s word to serve as sufficient proof that an assault occurred. The legislation is named after Moore, who spent years fighting for disability benefits.