[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 4232]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

  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.

                          ____________________