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H.R. 5203 directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to update its policies and procedures for handling acute sexual assault cases involving veterans within 18 months of the bill's enactment. The updated directives must ensure that VA medical facilities either employ certified sexual assault forensic examiners or sexual assault nurse examiners, or refer veterans to local non-VA providers with these specialists, while also requiring facilities to maintain supplies of rape kits and offer victims access to mental health counseling and preventive care for sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy. The bill also mandates that VA employees and police officers receive annual training on the new sexual assault protocols, with in-person training at least once every five years, and that each Veterans Integrated Service Network director monitor compliance with these requirements. No specific funding amount is mentioned in the legislation, but the mandate affects all VA medical facilities and employees who handle these cases.

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