What MST is in VA terms
Military Sexual Trauma is not a diagnosis — it''s the service-connection basis for mental-health conditions (PTSD, anxiety, depression) caused by sexual assault, harassment, or threats during active duty, ACDUTRA, or IDT. Most MST claims are filed under DC 9411 (PTSD) but can apply to other mental-health DCs.
Why MST claims have special rules
Most assaults aren''t reported through official channels at the time. Official military records often don''t reflect them at all. The VA recognizes this — under 38 CFR § 3.304(f)(5), MST claims have relaxed evidentiary standards that allow alternative evidence to establish the stressor.
"Markers" — alternative evidence the VA accepts
If your service treatment records don''t document the assault, the VA looks for markers — indirect evidence of behavioral or performance changes around the time:
- Records of mental-health treatment during service or shortly after.
- Requests for transfer, especially from the unit/location where the assault occurred.
- Drop in performance evaluations (NCOERs/OERs/Fitness Reports).
- Disciplinary actions that didn''t exist before — Article 15s, counseling statements, AWOL.
- Substance abuse onset documented in service or shortly after.
- Letters home to family describing distress (without needing to name the event).
- Pregnancy tests, STD treatment, or visits to a chaplain or rape crisis center.
- Sudden changes in social/sexual behavior noted by anyone who served with you.
- Request for a different MOS or duty station following the timeframe.
- Buddy statements describing changes they observed.
You don''t need to have reported it
The VA explicitly cannot deny an MST claim solely because there''s no contemporaneous report. The whole point of the relaxed standard is that most assaults go unreported.
What to file
- VA Form 21-526EZ — main claim form.
- VA Form 21-0781a — Statement in Support of Claim for Service Connection for PTSD Secondary to Personal Assault. This form is specifically designed for MST. Use it.
- Personal statement describing what happened, when, and your symptoms since. You don''t need to relive every detail — focus on what helps the VA establish credibility and link symptoms.
- Markers evidence as described above.
- Current diagnosis of PTSD, anxiety, depression, etc. from a qualified provider.
MST Coordinator
Every VA Regional Office has an MST Coordinator who can help you build the claim. Contact your nearest VARO or call 1-800-827-1000.
Free MST treatment
Independent of compensation: every veteran who experienced MST is eligible for free VA mental-health care for MST-related conditions, regardless of discharge status, regardless of whether you ever file a compensation claim. You don''t have to prove anything to access treatment — just self-identify when you make the appointment.
Confidentiality
Your MST claim records are tightly restricted within VA systems. They aren''t shared with non-VA entities, and even within VA, access is limited.
Bottom line
If you experienced MST during service and have a current mental-health condition because of it, you have a viable claim — even with no contemporaneous report and silent service records. The relaxed evidentiary rules under § 3.304(f)(5) exist for exactly this situation. Use them.