MST Survivor Sent to VA Exam in a Hotel Room—Congress Demands Answers
In one of the most disturbing revelations to surface in a House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee hearing this year, Rep. Morgan McGarvey (D-KY), who represents Kentucky’s 3rd Congressional District, exposed a shocking incident involving a military sexual trauma (MST) survivor being required to attend a VA disability compensation exam inside a hotel room.
Not a clinic.
Not a medical office.
A hotel room.
For MST survivors — who already face retraumatization simply walking into an exam — the idea of being told to meet an examiner in a hotel room is not only inappropriate, it is dangerous.
WATCH FULL VIDEO: HVAC Hearing On DBQ Examiners At Veterans Affairs
Rep. McGarvey, a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and a strong advocate for accountability and systemic reform, described the event in detail during the oversight hearing titled “Improving Outcomes for Disabled Veterans: Oversight of VA’s Medical Disability Examination Office.”
“Think about the veteran who’s transitioning to civilian life showing up to a compensation exam for military sexual trauma — and walking into a hotel room for their exam. This might sound far-fetched… but it’s happened.”
According to McGarvey, the veteran later filed a Congressional Inquiry, which is how the incident made its way to the Committee. But even more disturbing is what McGarvey revealed next: the contract examiner conducting the hotel-room exam would still receive full incentive pay so long as the paperwork was completed correctly.
“If the contracted provider gets the paperwork right…and they get it in, they’ll get their incentive pay. Is this the standard of care our veterans deserve?”
This is more than a one-off mistake. It is a systemic pattern enabled by weak oversight, inadequate contractor accountability, and an incentive structure that rewards speed over professionalism and volume over safety.
For MST survivors, the consequences are catastrophic. An already vulnerable veteran is forced into an environment that mirrors the conditions of their trauma — and the contractor gets paid extra for doing it quickly.
And this raises a critical point:
Veterans must start fighting back with Congressional Inquiries.
Congressional Inquiries work.
They force the VA to respond.
They create a permanent record.
They trigger oversight when VA leadership refuses to act internally.
This hotel-room exam incident reached national attention because one veteran refused to stay silent.
If your exam is unsafe, inappropriate, unprofessional, or retraumatizing — especially if you are an MST survivor — you have the right to file a Congressional Inquiry with your Representative or Senator.
What happened to this veteran should never happen again. And the only way to change the system is to shine as much light as possible on these contractor abuses.
If the VA won’t hold its contractors accountable, then Congress — and veterans themselves — must.
Conclusion: Get Help If You Experienced a Bad VA Exam
If you’ve been through a VA exam that felt unsafe, unprofessional, or simply wrong, you’re not imagining it — and you’re not alone. These contractor failures often have real consequences on your claim and your well-being.
Veterans who want guidance on how to document a bad exam, request a new examiner, or understand their options can find more information here:
https://www.benjaminkrauselaw.com/veterans-disability-attorney/
You deserve a fair process. You deserve to be heard. If you experienced something similar or need clarity on the next steps, this resource can help you move forward.
