Healing Combat Trauma

Resources on Military Sexual Trauma: VetWow's Short Podcasts for Survivors, Friends and Family

Military Sexual Trauma, like PTSD another "invisible wound," is unfortunately more prevalent in the military than we would want to believe, though little discussed officially. It's different though when combatants get together who have experienced it. Among female servicemembers in particular, it is all too often a common experience; and whether among male or female servicemembers, the after-effects can be devastating. 

At its root, it is a betrayal of trust -- the military is designed to be a "family unit," so assault within this context can feel to survivors like incest -- and many survivors describe the hazing by their command as more difficult in its own way than the actual assault (ugh). Civilians in particular have a hard time wrapping their brains around how prevalent the problem is, how light or nonexistent the penalties (despite official "policies" to the contrary), and how devastating the aftermath is for those who suffer -- who then have to navigate an often-byzantine system of claims and benefits for their care. (Fortunately, MST survivors are able to access VA in a very direct manner...it's worth watching Susan's discussion, linked here, to understand how.) Family and friends -- who may find themselves supporting the survivor -- also need education about how best to offer support, in ways that are constructive and not counter-productive or further traumatizing.

We've written about military sexual assault on the site before, here. "Military sexual trauma (MST) is the term that the Department of Veterans Affairs uses to refer to sexual assault or repeated, unsolicited, threatening acts of sexual harassment –- that occurred while the veteran was in the military."

Susan Avila-Smith, a former Army linguist who suffered her own sexual assault in the military, is now a formidable MST/PTSD advocate and the founder of VetWow, where she advocates for others who have experienced MST and PTSD, and focuses on resolving their claims. A settled claim can provide the MST survivor with financial independence, which is important also in healing. Avila-Smith does not charge for her services, though she does encourage the male and female survivors to pay this service forward in their own lives, once they have stabilized enough to do so, by contributing to others in various ways. 

Recently I got a chance to work with Avila-Smith on creating a "channel" on YouTube for short, one to three minute podcasts about various aspects of MST for survivors, their families and friends, their advocates and the media. The videos/podcasts are organized into the following categories. Please watch them, and share them with your friends and colleagues. Particularly let those in the military (active duty) and veterans know about this resource. As Avila-Smith herself says, it's important to get the word out about military sexual trauma, because "you can't tell by looking at someone" if they've ever been sexually assaulted. For those who have been, these resources can be tremendously reassuring, constructive and helpful.

For MST survivors:

• Symptoms of MST in Veterans;
  
• What PTSD Feels Like to the MST Survivor;
  
• Difference between "Traumatic Stress Syndrome" and "Post-Traumatic Stress" Syndrome; 
  
• For the MST Survivor: Thoughts of Death and Self-Harm;
  
• Interested in Becoming an MST Advocate?;
  
• For Female MST Survivors, Hoarding Can Be Typical;
  
• For MST Survivors: "Hitting the Wall";
  
• For the MST Survivor: Working with Your Therapist Effectively;
  
• For the MST Survivor: Working with the Veterans Service Officer ("VSO") Effectively;
  
• For the MST Survivor: Achieving Satisfaction with Your Advocate;
  
• MST Survivor May Fit VA's Expanded Definition of "Homeless";
  
• For the MST Survivor: Learn to “Pay it Forward";
  

For male survivors of MST:

• For Male Survivors of MST;
  

Self-care and healing resources:

• For the MST Survivor: Good Self-Care Habits;
  
• Alternative Therapies for PTSD.;
  

For friends and family:

• Welcome Friends and Family!; 
  
• What PTSD Feels Like to the MST Survivor;
  
• For Friends and Family: When an MST Survivor Wants to Share Their Story with You;
  
• For Friends and Family: How to Help and How Not to Help an MST Survivor;
  
• When the MST Soldier Comes Home: Best Practices for a Good Outcome;
  

For active duty:

• Why Active Duty Advocacy is So Important;
  
• Active Duty / Filing a Restricted Report;
  
• Active Duty / Filing an Unrestricted Report;
  
• Filing an Unrestricted Report: What GENERALLY happens;
  
• Filing an Unrestricted Report: What SHOULD happen;
  
• Unrestricted Reports: the Danger of "The McDowell Checklist";
  
• For Active Duty: More on the Administrative Discharge;
  

Dealing with the VA:

• Accessing VA Services as an MST Survivor;
  
• Guide to Navigating the VA;
  
• When You Get a Letter from the VA;

Filing and winning a claim:

• Why Filing the Claim Quickly is in the Veteran's Best Interest;
  
• How to File a Claim for Military Sexual Trauma: The Key Items Needed in Your VA Claim File;
• Winning an MST Claim, Part I;
• Winning an MST Claim, Part II: How Long It Takes, Strategies for Self-Care While You Wait, etc.;

For advocates:

• Interested in Becoming an MST Advocate?;
  

For prospective donors:

• For Prospective Donors;
  

For the media:

• For the Media: When You Want to Interview an MST Survivor;
  
• For Media Who Want to Interview MST Survivors and Veterans;
  

General interest:                                                   

• Why MST is a Problem and Why the Solutions Don't Work;
  
• Explaining a Few of the Myths Surrounding Military Sexual Trauma;
  
• Which is Worse for the MST Survivor: The Rape or the Command?;
  
• Why the Current System Needs an Overhaul;
  
• Strange Facts about MST and the VA: Offenders and Victims;
  
• What I Envision in a Perfect Future: Blue Sky Thinking on MST;
  

Editor's note: For more resources about military sexual trauma, particularly filing and winning a VA claim, head for Susan Avila-Smith's website, VetWow; to support (i.e., donate to) those who advocate for victims of military sexual trauma, go to PackParachute; or to follow the legislative progress on this issue, go to Service Women's Action Network for information on the legislative angle. Remember, this is a problem that affects both men and women in the military. And most of all, watch the videos linked above -- and share those with family, friends and veterans' advocates. Thank you.

The VA's PTSD Payments Vary Based on Where You Live - And They Shouldn't

Military.com has a very good article in yesterday's paper, called "PTSD Payments Vary from State to State."  Please take the time to read it.  It's one of those few articles where every word in it is worth knowing, and relevant to our topic.  The McClatchy Newspapers chain did some extensive independent research here.  According to the article, they took a look at "3 million disability compensation-claims records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, as well as separate documents that the VA provided. The analysis is the first to examine the issue of state-to-state variations in compensation for those young veterans who have left the military since the war in Afghanistan began in 2001."

Okay -- and what did they find? They found that payments for PTSD disability vary widely from state to state, with no obvious reason why -- nothing deeper or more significant than how disability from PTSD is likely rated by your local VA.  So it turns out if you live in New Mexico, you're like to do better than say if you live in Montana.  There's a certain amount of complexity to this system that is worth learning.  A higher disability rating means a higher payment, but whatever you start getting paid at is what you get locked in being paid at, over time, so it's crucial to start with higher numbers, essentially, if you're young and are likely going to be relying on this check for life.  And the payments are not that high to start with.  The top of the scale, total disability, runs around $2500 a month -- and that's now -- not potentially 50 years from now, when you might still be relying on that payment.  Why VA benefits don't adjust for cost of living or inflation over time is beyond me -- seems like another thing veteran rights organizations need to take up with Congress -- congressional salaries certainly have that perk.  But nevertheless, where you start on the scale ends up being vitally important over time, and some states seemed skewed to give better results than others.  Again -- read the article, it's full of good information, and it'd be bad practice to quote the whole thing just to get that point across.  But here's some other good information from it:

The VA workers who decide PTSD cases determine whether a veteran's ability to function at work is limited a little, a lot or somewhere in between. They examine the frequency of panic attacks and the level of memory loss. The process is subjective, and veterans are placed on a scale that gives them scores - or "ratings" - of zero, 10, 30, 50, 70 or 100.

McClatchy's analysis found that some regional offices are far more likely to give veterans scores of 50 or 70 while others are far more likely to stick with scores of 10 or 30.

Consider the New Mexico and Montana offices, where there are big differences up and down the scale.

In Montana, more than three-quarters of veterans have ratings of zero, 10 or 30. In New Mexico, a majority of the veterans have ratings of 50 or 70.

On top of that, 6 percent of New Mexico veterans had the highest rating possible - 100, worth $2,527 a month - compared with just 1 percent of Montana veterans.

Because payments are loaded toward the highest end of the scale - the difference between the highest rating and the next-highest rating is more than $1,000 a month - the gap in ratings has a significant impact on how much the VA is paying, on average, to veterans in different states.

Factoring in all mental and physical disabilities, the average payment for recent veterans ranges from a high of $734 a month in the Little Rock, Ark., office to a low of $435 a month in Honolulu. In Roanoke, the average was $538.

And while we're on the subject -- the average payment is $435 a month to $734 a month?  Is anyone able to actually live on this money?

Editor's Note: Congratulations to the McClatchy Newspapers for doing independent research on this subject.  It's another case to me of journalism serving to move society forward.  In future years, getting the VA system of disparate compensation cleaned up will owe much to articles based on research like this, that showed there was a problem in the first place.  Thank you...