Female combat veterans left in cold by loophole as group of women senators steps in

Sen. Jacky Rosen and four other women senators are calling on the Defense Department and VA to ensure that female combat veterans get access to vital benefits.

At issue is the case of about 310 women veterans, who the lawmakers say deployed and served alongside special operations forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Their service in the conflicts came before female service members were formally allowed to serve in combat roles, according to a press release from the senators, serving instead as part of cultural support teams that were tasked with outreach to Iraq and Afghanistan's female populations.

Many of those female service members accompanied their male counterparts on missions such as raids, the lawmakers argued, sustaining injuries that they have not been fairly compensated for in the aftermath because of the lack of recognition of their combat service.