Women's History Month

Floor Speech

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment today to recognize the dedication of women service members and women veterans in celebration of Women's History Month.

Women have played an important role in our Nation's military from the time of our Founding Fathers. Today, women make up 15 percent of the Active-Duty military and 18 percent of Guard and Reserve forces. Our women soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and coastguardsmen have served courageously in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have played a variety of roles ranging from convoy leaders to fighter pilots to field medics. I am inspired by their bravery and their dedication to our country.

Already women make up nearly 10 percent of the veteran population, a proportion that Department of Veterans Affairs, VA, expects to grow over the next decade. VA has already come a long way in addressing the unique health needs and challenges that women face. A generation ago, VA would have been the last place that we would associate with women's health, but just this past January, VA marked an important milestone in caring for women veterans. In Salt Lake City, UT, a woman veteran not only received all of her prenatal care from VA but also delivered a beautiful baby girl under the care of her VA obstetrician. Yet, for all of its recent progress, VA still must do more to ensure that women veterans are receiving the care that they need and deserve. As they return from the battlefield, the VA system must be equipped to help women veterans step back into their lives as mothers, wives, and citizens.

I am incredibly proud of the women who have served or are serving our Nation in uniform, and I strongly believe we must do all we can to honor them. That is why I led the effort to pass into law the Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act. This bill, which was included as part of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010, helped to transform the way that VA addresses the needs of women veterans. This act authorized the VA to provide neonatal care, train mental health professionals to provide mental health services for sexual trauma, develop a childcare pilot program, and staff each VA medical center with a full-time women veterans program manager. VA has an obligation to provide women veterans with quality care, and we have an obligation to make sure VA does so.

Our commitment to women veterans does not end with passing legislation like the Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act. We must actively monitor the implementation and effect of these bills to make sure that no woman falls through the cracks. In December of 2010, a VA Office of Inspector General report found that the Veterans Benefit Association had not fully assessed available military sexual trauma-related claims data and had no clear understanding of how consistently these claims were being adjudicated. While both men and women service members carry the devastating wounds of military sexual trauma, the GAO found in 2002 that 22 percent of screened women service members reported military sexual trauma compared to 1 percent of screened men. With this shocking statistic in mind, Senator Tester and I pressed VBA to improve the accuracy and consistency of their military sexual trauma-related disability claims process. I am happy to say that VA agreed with our assessment and has since worked to overhaul the way it processes military sexual trauma disability claims.

Mr. President, the committee's experience with military sexual trauma disability claims is symbolic of the kind of work that remains to be done for women veterans. I recognize the challenges that women veterans face over the coming years and remain determined to work on their behalf. The promise that we make to our veterans is sacred and knows no gender. To honor our veterans, we must honor this promise for each and every one of them.

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