Improve Health Care For Female Veterans

Dear Senator,

I urge you to support the Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2008 (S.2799), a bipartisan legislation that will dramatically increase the care available to our women veterans. Veterans Administration officials estimate that the amount of female veterans who use the VA will double in the next five years, and the health care system must be able to meet their special needs.

More than 155,000 women have served our country in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002. It is essential to recognize that these women may have different physical, mental and reproductive health challenges than the men the VA is accustomed to treating.

This is especially the case for Military Sexual Trauma. Almost one-third of female veterans who sought health care from the VA said they experienced rape or attempted rape during their service. Of that group, 37 percent reported they were raped multiple times and 14 percent said they were gang-raped. Our VA health care system must be able to address the needs physical and mental health needs of our service women.

[Your comment here]

We must ensure these women - and all our veterans - return home to a high quality health care system their service has earned and that they certainly deserve. Making the improvements outlined in the Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2008 is the least we can do for those to whom we owe much.