Bacon introduces bipartisan Veteran Restitution and Justice Act

With data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs showing that about one in three women and one in 50 men experience military sexual trauma, U.S. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) on Oct. 11 introduced a bipartisan bill that would authorize the retroactive payment of benefits for veterans with covered mental health conditions resulting from their experience.

“Sexual assault in the military happens too often, and can leave veterans with injuries, trauma, anxiety, and depression,” Rep. Bacon said. “When I was a Wing Commander at Ramstein, I established the best sexual assault prevention program in the Air Force. Now we need to take extra steps to support service members after they take off the uniform. Changing the effective date of when veterans receive payment is critical to them getting the treatment resources needed to recover faster.”

The Veteran Restitution and Justice Act of 2022, H.R. 9164, which Rep. Bacon cosponsored alongside bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA), would change the effective date of a veteran’s claim to allow veterans who experience sexual trauma during their service to receive retroactive disability benefits, starting from the date after their discharge from service rather than the claim file date, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.

“Our veterans deserve better when it comes to this historically underreported injury, especially as we acknowledge the stigma around this issue,” said Rep. Carbajal. “That’s why I’ve worked across the aisle with Congressman Bacon — a fellow veteran in Congress — to craft legislation to deliver restitution for these survivors of sexual trauma and justice for the many veterans who we know faced these injuries while serving our nation.”

H.R. 9164 has been referred for consideration to the U.S. House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.