USNA Women Survivor Advocacy Network (SAN) 2025 Trauma Survivor Webinar Series: Filing a VA Disability Claim for PTSD from MST

Presentation #2 will be an informational session focusing on filing a VA disability compensation claim for PTSD attributed to military sexual trauma (MST). We will hear about the advantages of obtaining a VA-accredited service officer to develop and file the claim and learn about the alternate evidence VA allows to substantiate an MST-attributed PTSD claim. The presenter is Nancy Springer (USNA 87), a retired Marine who spent time as a defense contractor, Congressional Fellow and now serves as Associate Director at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), overseeing the disability assistance and memorial affairs portfolio.

Nancy Springer is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1987 and served for 30 years. Specializing in logistics and motor transport she held a variety of leadership roles in both operational and support units. Her peacetime assignments included duty stations across the U.S. and overseas in Okinawa, Japan. She also deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan and Bahrain). After retiring in 2017 Nancy transitioned to the private sector as a defense contractor. In 2023 she pivoted to public service as a HillVets Foundation Fellow in Senator Jon Ossoff’s office where she managed his veterans affairs portfolio. She currently serves as an Associate Director at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) overseeing the disability assistance and memorial affairs portfolio.