Military Sexual Trauma Retirement Equity Act

Military Sexual Trauma Retirement Equity Act

This bill expands eligibility for certain special compensation to disabled uniformed services retirees who are survivors of military sexual trauma.

Specifically, the bill renames combat-related special compensation as trauma-related special compensation and makes eligible for such compensation trauma-related disabled uniformed services retirees (i.e., members of the uniformed services who have a trauma-related disability and are entitled to retired pay).

The bill expands the former definition of a combat-related disability (now a trauma-related disability under this bill) to include a disability that is compensable under laws administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and is determined by the VA to be the result of military sexual trauma.

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1082 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1082

   To amend title 10, United States Code, to extend eligibility for 
 certain special compensation to certain retired survivors of military 
                             sexual trauma.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 17, 2023

Mrs. Gonzalez-Colon (for herself, Ms. Ross, and Ms. Wexton) introduced 
   the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed 
                                Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 10, United States Code, to extend eligibility for 
 certain special compensation to certain retired survivors of military 
                             sexual trauma.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Military Sexual Trauma Retirement 
Equity Act''.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR CERTAIN SPECIAL COMPENSATION TO 
              CERTAIN RETIRED SURVIVORS OF MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA.

    (a) In General.--Section 1413a of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``combat-related'' each place it appears 
        and inserting ``trauma-related'';
            (2) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``The Secretary'';
                    (B) by inserting ``under paragraph (1) or (2) of 
                subsection (e)'' before the period at the end of the 
                first sentence; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraph:
    ``(2) The Secretary of Defense shall treat a disabled uniformed 
services retiree with a trauma-related disability, determined by the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs under paragraph (3) of subsection (e), as 
an eligible trauma-related disabled uniformed services retiree.'';
            (3) in subsection (e)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``; or'' and 
                inserting a semicolon;
                    (B) in paragraph (2)(D), by striking the period at 
                the end and inserting ``; or''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraph:
            ``(3) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has determined was 
        the result of military sexual trauma.''; and
            (4) in subsection (i), by striking paragraph (1) and 
        inserting the following new paragraph:
            ``(1) The term `military sexual trauma' has the meaning 
        given such term in section 1166 of title 38.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendments.--
            (1) Headings.--Such section is amended--
                    (A) in the heading by striking ``Combat-related'' 
                and inserting ``Trauma-related''; and
                    (B) in the heading of subsection (e) by striking 
                ``Combat-Related'' and inserting ``Trauma-Related''.
            (2) Table of sections.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of chapter 71 of such title is amended by striking 
        the item relating to section 1413a and inserting the following:

``1413a. Trauma-related special compensation.''.
    (c) Conforming Amendments.--Such title is amended--
            (1) in section 1414(d)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``combat-
                related'' and inserting ``trauma-related''; and
                    (B) in the heading, by striking ``Combat-Related'' 
                and inserting ``Trauma-Related'';
            (2) in section 1449(b)(2)--
                    (A) by striking ``combat-related'' and inserting 
                ``trauma-related''; and
                    (B) in the heading, by striking ``CRSC'' and 
                inserting ``TRSC'';
            (3) in section 1450(e)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``combat-
                related'' and inserting ``trauma-related''; and
                    (B) in the heading, by striking ``CRSC'' and 
                inserting ``TRSC''; and
            (4) in section 1452--
                    (A) by striking ``combat-related'' each place it 
                appears and inserting ``trauma-related'';
                    (B) in subsection (d)(2), in the heading, by 
                striking ``combat-related'' and inserting ``trauma-
                related''; and
                    (C) in subsection (g)(4), in the heading, by 
                striking ``CRSC'' and inserting ``TRSC''.
                                 <all>