Women are the fastest-growing group of veterans, and the claims system has been slow to catch up. That gap costs women veterans benefits they have earned. Knowing where the system falls short is how you close it.

Military Sexual Trauma (MST)

PTSD stemming from MST is service-connectable, and the VA recognizes that these events are often not documented in the traditional record. Lay statements, markers of behavioral change, and post-service treatment records can establish the stressor when the service file is silent.

Conditions that get minimized

• Reproductive and gynecological conditions tied to service
• Musculoskeletal injuries from ill-fitting gear and load-bearing duties
• Mental health conditions that get mislabeled or underrated

You served. The system owes you an accurate rating, not a minimized one. We build the record so the VA cannot look past what you are owed.

The regulatory authority behind toxic-exposure claims lives in M21-1, Part IV, Subpart ii, Chapter 2, Section C (Service Connection for Disabilities Resulting from Exposure to Environmental Hazards). This section governs how raters develop and adjudicate toxic-exposure claims, including burn-pit, Agent Orange, contaminated-water, and radiation claims, and cross-references the PACT Act's conceded-exposure framework under 38 U.S.C. §1168 (TERA). When a C&P examiner renders a negative nexus opinion without addressing the documented exposure pathway, that opinion is inadequate under Barr v. Nicholson, and raters are required to return it for a supplemental opinion. Veterans who receive a denial after a cursory exam should cite the specific M21-1 development procedures the rater failed to follow.