HR 1954 · 115th Congress · Armed Forces and National Security

Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act of 2017

Introduced 2017-04-05· Sponsored by Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1]· House

Bill Progress

Introduced
2
Committee
3
House Vote
4
Senate
5
Enacted
Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.(2017-04-24)

Plain Language Summary

[AI summary unavailable — showing source text] Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act of 2017 This bill expands Department of Defense (DOD) sexual trauma counseling and treatment to include: (1) cyber harassment of a sexual nature, and (2) members of the Armed Forces on active duty for training or inactive duty training. The bill sets forth the standard of proof, which may be rebutted, in the case of a veteran who claims that a covered mental health condition was incurred in or aggravated by military sexual trauma during active service. The reasons for granting or denying service-connection in each case shall be recorded in full. DOD shall ensure that: (1) in a compensation claim for post-traumatic stress disorder based on sexual assault, battery, cyber harassment, or harassment experienced during active military service, non-DOD evidence may corroborate the veteran's account of such assault, battery, or harassment; and (2) behavior changes may be considered as corroborating evidence. DOD shall: (1) report annually through 2027 on submitted claims to identify and track the consistency of decisions across regional offices, (2) inform members of the Armed Forces of their eligibility for services at Vet Centers, a…

Summarized by Claude AI · Non-partisan · For informational purposes only

Cosponsors (16)

15 Democrats1 Republican