skip to main content

Ruth Moore Act Passes House

On June 4, the Ruth Moore Act of 2013 (H.R. 671), as amended, was passed in the House, by voice vote. The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee approved the legislation on May 8 (see The Source, 5/10/13).

Sponsored by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME), the Ruth Moore Act would direct the secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to submit to Congress an annual report on claims for disabilities incurred or aggravated by military sexual assault. The bill also would require the VA to accept a veteran’s lay testimony of military sexual trauma (MST) as sufficient proof of the attack to approve a disability compensation claim for MST-related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Current VA policy requires a veteran with MST-related PTSD to provide documented evidence of MST in order to file a claim for disability compensation.