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Claims guide · MST

Military Sexual Trauma: Claims Without a Report

Most survivors of military sexual trauma never filed a report. The VA’s rules account for that. Your claim can rest on other kinds of evidence, including changes other people noticed.

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First things first

Care and Support, With or Without a Claim

If you’re in crisis, the Veterans Crisis Line is available 24/7: dial 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net.

The VA offers free treatment for conditions related to MST. You don’t need a disability rating, and you don’t need to prove the MST happened. The Fargo VA Health Care System has an MST Coordinator who can connect you with care, including at clinics across North Dakota.

Talking with us is confidential. You decide how much to share and when.

38 CFR 3.304(f)(5)

What Counts as Evidence

For PTSD claims based on personal assault, the VA must look beyond your service records. Evidence can come from:

Police, rape crisis centers, counseling centers, hospitals or doctors
Pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease testing
Statements from family, roommates, fellow service members or clergy

Behavior changes after the assault can also corroborate it, including:

Asking for a transfer to another duty assignment
A drop in work performance
Substance abuse
Depression, panic attacks or anxiety with no clear cause
Unexplained changes in finances or social behavior

The VA can’t deny one of these claims without first telling you about these kinds of evidence and giving you a chance to submit them, and it can ask a medical or mental health professional to review whether the evidence shows an assault occurred.

38 CFR 4.130

How MST-Related Mental Health Conditions Are Rated

PTSD, depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions are rated under one formula. Physical conditions are rated under their own codes.

Criteria quoted from 38 CFR 4.130 (current as of October 2026). Pay effective December 1, 2025.
Rating	VA criteria	2026 pay (alone)
100%	Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms as: gross impairment in thought processes or communication; persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name.	$3,938.58
70%	Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood, due to such symptoms as: suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities; speech intermittently illogical, obscure, or irrelevant; near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively; impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods of violence); spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and hygiene; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including work or a worklike setting); inability to establish and maintain effective relationships.	$1,808.45
50%	Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to such symptoms as: flattened affect; circumstantial, circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once a week; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.	$1,132.90
30%	Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (such as forgetting names, directions, recent events).	$552.47
10%	Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication.	$180.42
0%	A mental condition has been formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication.	$0.00

FAQ

MST VA Claims: Common Questions

Can I file if I never told anyone?

Yes. The VA must consider evidence outside your service records, such as behavior changes and statements from people who knew you, for PTSD claims based on personal assault.

Is MST-related care really free?

Yes. The VA provides free care for conditions related to MST without requiring a disability rating or proof that the MST occurred.

Does this apply to men?

Yes. Military sexual trauma affects men and women, and the same evidence rules and care options apply to everyone.

Who will see what I share?

VA claims are handled confidentially. When you work with us, you choose what to share, and we never publish or sell your information.

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