Washington
(CNN)The Department of Veterans Affairs incorrectly processed hundreds of
claims related to military sexual trauma last year -- a breakdown in procedure
that may have "resulted in the denial of benefits to veterans who could
have been entitled to receive them," according to a report from the VA's
Office of the Inspector General released Tuesday.
The
Veterans Benefits Administration denied nearly half of the 12,000 claims that
were filed in 2017 by veterans seeking support for post-traumatic stress
disorder related to military sexual trauma, according to the department.
But
investigators estimated that the VA failed to follow procedure when processing
1,300 of the 2,700 claims that were denied during a review period that spanned
between April and September of 2017.
The
report concluded that "multiple factors led to the improper processing and
denial of (military sexual trauma)-related claims" during that time,
including: "a lack of reviewers' specialization and no additional level of
review, discontinued special focus reviews, and inadequate training."
"Incomplete
processing may lead to inaccurate claims decisions and psychological harm to (military
sexual trauma) victims," the report noted.
While
the issue of sexual assault in the military has been widely reported for years,
the momentum of the #MeToo movement has prompted a renewed effort for
transparency within the armed services.
The
Pentagon has said that it remains committed to addressing the issue of sexual
assault and harassment within the ranks as survivors demand accountability from
military leadership -- but encouraging victims to come forward and report
sexually violent crimes remains a major challenge.
More
than 5,200 service members reported a sexual assault in 2017 for "an
incident that occurred during their military service, an increase of about 10
percent from the previous year," Tuesday's report said.
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