In 1992 Congress mandated the Department of Veterans Affairs to provid
e treatment to veterans traumatized by sexual assault experienced duri
ng active military duty. A 1995 survey of how VA medical centers had r
esponded to this mandate indicated that 51 percent of 136 centers had
established a sexual trauma treatment team, Teams treated a mean +/- S
D of 5.5 +/- 10 patients a week, and newly referred veterans waited a
mean of 3.3 +/- 4 days for evaluation. Teams varied in the discipline
mis of providers, training, organizational structure, services offered
, and caseload. Medical centers without dedicated treatment teams offe
red nonspecialized services to sexually traumatized veterans or offere
d community referrals for sexual trauma treatment services.