Dold Announces Support for Bill to Provide Care to Veteran Survivors of Sexual Assault

Press Release

U.S. Congressman Robert Dold (IL-10) today announced his support for the Ruth Moore Act, a bill that will make it easier for survivors of military sexual assault to get the benefits they deserve.

"Ignoring sexual assault in the military is an affront to the service of our nation's heroes and an embarrassment for our country," Rep. Dold said. "While we can never make up for the fact that men and women risking their lives for our freedom were subjected to sexual violence, this bipartisan legislation will ensure they are treated fairly by the VA and get the benefits they deserve."

Rep. Dold made the announcement at the latest installment of his "Solutions Roundtable Series." The event brought together local community organizations for a discussion on caring for female veterans.

The bill is named after Ruth Moore, a veteran from Maine who was raped twice after enlisting in the Navy at age 18. Moore reported the attacks, but the attacker was never charged or disciplined. Moore was labeled as suffering from mental illness and discharged from the Navy. She then fought for over twenty years before she was finally awarded the veterans benefits she deserved. Last year, the VA acknowledged making a "clear and unmistakable error" in denying her veteran's benefits in 1993 and agreed to pay her back benefits owed to her.

"We have always known that the fight for justice for survivors of military sexual trauma wasn't one we were going to win overnight. As a nation, we've made tremendous progress connecting with our veterans, but we've still got many obstacles ahead of us as we reteach ideology and work through old misperceptions and victim blaming attitudes about military sexual assault," Moore said. "We're not giving up until every victim of sexual assault in the military gets the acknowledgement and recognition of their post assault disabilities, fair treatment in the claims process, and the benefits they deserve as veterans who served their country with honor."

The legislation makes it easier for veterans to qualify for benefits by lowering the standard of proof for mental health conditions. The Veterans Administration has previously reduced the standard of proof for combat veterans who suffer from PTSD.

According to the Pentagon, 19,000 sexual assaults occurred in the military in 2010, but only about 13% of victims reported the attacks. In 2011, less than 8% of reported cases went to trial and less than 200 attackers were eventually convicted.

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