Legion to Congress: MST survivors need flexible treatment options

At the forefront of advocacy efforts to improve comprehensive care options and better awareness training for Department of Veterans Affairs medical professionals providing care to military sexual trauma survivors, The American Legion presented written and oral testimony during a congressional hearing Nov. 17.

LaRhanda Holt, assistant director for women and minority veteran outreach, testified before the House Committee on Veteran Affairs Subcommittee on Health regarding the Military Sexual Assault Victims Empowerment Act. Intended to amend the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014, the bill aims to improve the private treatment of veterans who are MST survivors. Through this piece of legislation, MST victims could potentially be eligible for non-VA health care under the Veterans Choice Program.

Holt explained to the committee how untreated symptoms are a nexus to other mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, substance abuse and suicidal ideations.

“Ultimately, this is about trying to find the right treatments and therapies for every veteran, and in the case of MST, unique circumstances can shape treatment and therapy needs," she said. "VA should be flexible to ensure these veterans receive the appropriate health care they need in an environment that is conducive to the veteran’s unique circumstances."

Ensuring they get the appropriate treatment and therapy can mean the difference between a survivor continuing his or her treatment, or abandoning treatment and feeling further isolation and a possible escalation of their symptoms.

The American Legion is deeply concerned with the challenges survivors of MST face, imploring members of Congress to ensure MST survivors can receive the right health care, at the right place and at the right time.

In January 2011, The American Legion launched a landmark women veterans survey that identified challenges women veterans face when receiving gender-specific health care for the treatment of MST conditions throughout VA health-care facilities. Since then, the Legion has since fought for better awareness training in VA for MST sensitivity, significant increases in outreach, and to provide more comprehensive care options for MST survivors, including female therapists, group therapies, and other options to make care for MST more accessible in the community.

“The VA is working to improve their MST programs," Holt said. "However, as we know changes within VA can take time, and even the best programs can have different results from one VA medical center to another. Veterans should not have to suffer because the health care they need is not available at their local VA health-care facility.”

The American Legion recognizes that the Choice program was an emergency measure implemented to make health care accessible to veterans where VA was struggling to deliver such care. In recognition of the needs of an integrated system to deliver non-VA health care when needed, The American Legion believes VA needs to develop a well-defined and consistent non-VA care coordination program, policies and procedures that include patient-centered care strategies that take veterans’ unique medical injuries and illnesses, as well as their travel and distance, into consideration.

Survivors of MST who are suffering right now should have immediate access to prompt medical treatment either within the VA health-care system or in their local community, Hold told the members of the committee. The assistant director noted additional steps that should be taken by the VA to ensure there are no gaps in the continuum of care.

“As with any care outside VA, The American Legion stresses the importance of ensuring non-VA health care has quality-of-care standards equal to or better than VA quality of care standards,” she said. “Additionally, the care MST survivors receive must be coordinated effectively and efficiently to ensure veterans health care is not adversely impacted. Most importantly, non-VA health-care providers must have access to VA health-care records and, to the full extent possible, make use of the electronic data information exchange to share patient health information.”

Holt concluded her testimony by thanking the committee for its dedication to finding solutions to the problems that stand in the way of delivery of veterans’ health care and ensured the Legion’s commitment to remaining an engaged stakeholder.

Click here for video of Holt's testimony and here for her submitted testimony.