Mississippi Veterans Lawyers Assist Victims of Military Sexual Trauma

VA offers the services of qualified MST counselors for men and women at every VHA facility.

Jackson, MS (prHWY.com) May 5, 2012 - Jackson, Mississippi (April 7, 2012) - According to a report by New York-based nonprofit group Service Women's Action Network (SWAN), one in every three women in the military experience some form of sexual harassment. In 2010 alone, the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) treated more than 68,000 veterans - 61 percent of whom were women - for military sexual trauma (MST).

Although the exact prevalence of MST among veterans remains unclear, the established fact is that it happens to both male and female members of the US Armed Forces. Among the veterans who go through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), around one in five women and one in 100 men respond "yes" to the questions posed in VA's MST screening program.

VA defines MST as "psychological trauma, which in the judgment of a VA mental health professional, resulted from a physical assault of a sexual nature, battery of a sexual nature, or sexual harassment which occurred while the veteran was serving on active duty or active duty for training."

The effects of MST are manifold, the most common of which include difficulty sleeping, trouble with attention, concentration, and memory, depression, irritability, numbness, alcohol and drug abuse, and more.

VA offers the services of qualified MST counselors for men and women at every VHA facility. Counselors and MST coordinators discuss treatment with victims of MST and help them determine which VA services best suit their needs.

Although VA offers these services free regardless of a veteran's VA disability rating, Mississippi veterans lawyers Derek Hall and Gregory Keenum advise filing for service connection for psychological or physical conditions caused by MST. Service connection can qualify the veteran for disability compensation and make him or her eligible for more comprehensive VA care.

As nationally accredited lawyers for veterans, Hall and Keenum of Veterans Benefits Law Group assist clients in establishing their claim for disability compensation while minimizing the trauma associated with reliving the event. Interested parties can find more resources on MST and other disability claims for veterans at www.VABenefitsLawGroup.com.

About Veterans Benefits Law Group, P.L.L.C.

Veterans Benefits Law Group is the nationally recognized practice of Mississippi veterans lawyers Derek L. Hall and Gregory D. Keenum. The practice is committed to helping veterans who have suffered service-connected injuries in obtaining the disability benefits due them. As nationally accredited lawyers for veterans, they have stood as advocates for clients before the Board of Veterans' Appeals, the US Court of Appeals for Veterans, and regional offices throughout the country.

For more information about Veterans Benefits Law Group, call (888) 454-5197 toll-free today.

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