Date of Award

2018

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Abstract

Fourteen-thousand nine-hundred active-duty United States military men and women said they were sexually assaulted in fiscal year 2016. When these survivors of military sexual assault (MSA) end their active-duty military service, they transition from being managed by the Department of Defense (DoD) to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). A seamless transition from the DoD to the VA is key to a survivor’s continuum of care. This study examines the exit from active-duty military service to the entrance into the VA system for female survivors of MSA. The data for this study was collected using structured interviews with a survivor, and key subject matter experts in the DoD, VA, and Transition Assistance Program (TAP). Additionally, a survey of female active-duty and veterans was conducted to learn more about their personal experiences with the DoD, VA and sexual assault. Relevant scholarly literature and practitioner studies were checked to examine the MST phenomenon; the DoD’s efforts to prevent and respond to MSA; and DoD, TAP and VA outreach programs and processes for exiting active-duty service female MSA survivors, some of whom have developed military sexual trauma (MST) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from their sexual assault experiences. The goal of this research is to provide recommendations to key decision-makers at the DoD and VA on ways to guarantee exiting active-duty service female MST survivors receive the VA’s permanent, no-cost MST medical benefits, support and services.

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