—PROGRAMS

Woman Veterans

The American Legion provides resources for women veterans to learn about their benefits, advocates for gender-specific health care and fights to end MST.

The American Legion continues to track and monitor all issues related to Military Sexual Trauma (MST). Every day, servicewomen and men experience MST, which includes any sexual activity against one’s will, or during a time when one is unable to consent to sexual activities while serving in the military.

The American Legion is deeply concerned with the plight of survivors of MST and continues to work with Congress to find the right treatment for every patient, while urging VA to be flexible to ensure these veterans receive the care they need.

The American Legion will work to ensure those who have become victims are treated, all while encouraging the U.S. Armed Forces to take steps to eradicate MST.

The American Legion Women and Minority Program will continue to urge VA to provide proper resources to all medical centers, Vet Centers and community-based outpatient clinics by employing MST counselors to oversee screening and treatment referral processes and continue researching MST to get a better understanding of services affected veterans need. Additionally, The American Legion will encourage better awareness training in VA for MST sensitivity and develop more comprehensive care options for survivors, including better availability of female therapists, female group therapy and other options to make MST care more accessible.

For more information on MST please visit, www.mentalhealth.va.gov/msthome/index.asp

Health Care

Women veterans face remarkably different experiences than their male counterparts when they transition out of the military. While VA has made significant advancements in women veterans health care throughout the VA health-care system, there is still room for improvements.

The American Legion wants every woman veteran who walks through the doors of a VA medical facility to feel that it was designed with them in mind and no longer has the looks of a “For Male” only building. As a result of the increase in the number of women veterans, The American Legion National Executive Committee passed Resolution 14, in September 2016, which calls for VA to ensure that all women veterans receive gender-specific quality health care.

In 2013, The American Legion System Worth Saving Task Force turned its attention to women veterans’ health care and identified a number of challenges women veterans face when receiving VA health care to include:

Many women veterans do not identify themselves as veterans.
Many women veterans do not know or understand what benefits they are entitled to receive.
VA medical facilities across the system do not have adequate baseline plans to close the gender gaps and improve use of facilities and services for women.
Additional research is needed to determine the purpose, goals, and effectiveness of three VA women models of care on overall outreach, communication and coordination of women veterans health services.
Many VA facilities do not offer inpatient/residential mental health care programs for women veterans.
Many VA facilities do not offer child care services for women veterans seeking health care appointments.
The time it takes for women veterans to receive results from their mammogram screening.