Free case reviews for Illinois veterans
Claims guide · MST

MST Claims: Your Story Can Still Be Proven

Most survivors of military sexual trauma never filed a report, and VA rules account for that. A claim can rest on records from outside the military and on the changes people close to you saw.

Start My Free Case Review VA Pay Calculator

Care at your own pace
Evidence VA must consider
Free care in Illinois
How ratings work

Get Your Free Case Review

Takes 60 seconds. No obligation.

I need help with…

First Claim Increase Denied / Appeal

First name

Last name

Phone

Town (IL)

Current VA rating

Branch

Secure & private. We never ask for your SSN on this form.

Thank you!

A member of our team will reach out within one business day to schedule your free case review.

Veteran-OwnedRun by people who’ve served

Free Case ReviewNo cost to talk with us

Phone & VideoNo office visit needed

All of IllinoisRock Island, Moline & beyond

Care first

Free MST-Related Care Without Filing Anything

If you are in crisis right now, reach the Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net.

VA provides care for physical and mental health conditions related to MST free of charge. You don’t need a disability rating, and you don’t need to have reported the trauma or prove it happened. Every VA medical facility has an MST Coordinator who can help you get started. Near Rock Island and Moline, the Quad Cities Vet Center in East Moline offers confidential counseling that includes MST, and mental health care is also available through VA Iowa City Health Care, including the Quad Cities VA Clinic in Davenport.

What you tell us is kept confidential. You decide how much to share and when.

38 CFR 3.304(f)(5)

Proof That Doesn’t Come From Your Service File

When a PTSD claim is based on in-service personal assault, VA is required to look at evidence from sources other than your military records. Examples include:

Records from police, rape crisis centers, mental health counseling centers, hospitals or physicians
Tests for pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases
Statements from relatives, roommates, fellow service members or clergy

Evidence of changes in behavior after the incident also counts. That can mean a request to transfer to another duty assignment, a drop in work performance, alcohol or drug misuse, depression, panic attacks or anxiety with no clear cause, or abrupt changes in finances or social life.

Before VA can deny a claim like this, it must let you know these kinds of evidence are acceptable and give you a chance to send them in. VA may also ask a medical or mental health professional to review the evidence and give an opinion on whether it indicates an assault took place.

38 CFR 4.130

How MST-Related Mental Health Claims Are Rated

All mental health diagnoses share a single rating formula. Physical conditions linked to MST are rated under their own diagnostic codes.

Criteria quoted from 38 CFR 4.130, in force as of October 2026. Pay effective December 1, 2025.
Rating	VA criteria	2026 pay (alone)
100%	Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms as: gross impairment in thought processes or communication; persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name.	$3,938.58
70%	Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood, due to such symptoms as: suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities; speech intermittently illogical, obscure, or irrelevant; near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively; impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods of violence); spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and hygiene; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including work or a worklike setting); inability to establish and maintain effective relationships.	$1,808.45
50%	Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to such symptoms as: flattened affect; circumstantial, circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once a week; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.	$1,132.90
30%	Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (such as forgetting names, directions, recent events).	$552.47
10%	Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication.	$180.42
0%	A mental condition has been formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication.	$0.00

FAQ

MST VA Claims: Common Questions

Nothing was ever reported. Can I still file?

Yes. For PTSD tied to personal assault, VA has to consider markers such as behavior changes and statements from people who knew you then.

Where can I get MST care near Rock Island or Moline?

The Quad Cities Vet Center in East Moline offers MST counseling, and VA Iowa City Health Care provides MST-related care, including at the Davenport clinic. The care is free and no rating is required.

Do these rules apply to men too?

Yes. MST happens to men and women, and the same evidence rules and free care apply to both.

Who will see what I tell you?

Our conversations are confidential. We never publish or sell your information.

Illinois Veterans: Get the Rating You Earned

Start with a free, no-obligation case review. It takes about a minute.

Start My Free Review