Page 76 - 2026 SMOG

SEXUAL ASSAULT
Clinical Indications
Reported and/or suspected assault on any person, regardless of age or sex.
• Trauma to and/or bleeding from the vagina, rectum, or buttocks that cannot be identified as
being the result of any other cause.
Remarks
• Focus shall be placed on the victim and on doing what is necessary and appropriate to support
victim recovery and also, if a Service Member, to support that Service Member to be fully
mission capable and engaged.
• Medical personnel should be sexresponsive, culturally competent, and recovery oriented.
˚ Medical providers giving care to sexual assault victims shall recognize the high prevalence
of preexisting trauma (prior to the present sexual assault incident) and the concept of
traumainformed care.
˚ If the attending flight medic is not appropriately trained to utilize a Sexual Assault Forensic
Evidence (SAFE) Kit, information will be forwarded to the Medical Treatment Facility in
order to make the necessary arrangements to complete the SAFE Kit administration as soon
as possible.
• Flight Paramedics shall abide by the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Program
and coordinate with the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC) and Sexual Assault
Prevention and Response Victim Advocate (SAPR VA). The SARCs shall serve as the single
point of contact for coordinating care to ensure that sexual assault victims receive appropriate
and responsive care.
• Sexual assault victims shall be given priority and treated as emergency cases. Emergency care
shall consist of emergency medical care and the offer of a SAFE.
Patient Management Procedure
1. In the management of sexual assault patients, the DoD’s priority for victims is to protect, treat
with dignity and respect, and provide the medical treatment, care, and counseling that patients
deserve. Under the DoD Confidentiality Policy, sexual assault victims have two reporting
options: Restricted and Unrestricted. All DoD health care providers (including 68Ws) must
adhere to the parameters of confidentiality and notification pursuant to each form of reporting.
a. Restricted Reporting: Reporting option that allows assault victims to confidentially
disclose the assault to specified individuals (e.g., SARC, SAPR VA, healthcare personnel)
and receive medical treatment (including emergency care), counseling, and assignment of
a SARC and SAPR VA, without triggering an investigation. The victim’s report provided
to healthcare personnel (including the information acquired from a SAFE Kit), SARCs,
or SAPR VAs will NOT be reported to law enforcement or to the command to initiate the
official investigative process unless the victim consents or an established EXCEPTION
applies. Restricted reporting applies to Service Members and their military dependents 18
years of age and older. Additional persons who may be entitled to Restricted Reporting are
NG and Reserve Component members who must be on Title 10 orders to be eligible for
SAFE/Restricted reporting. Only a SARC, SAPR VA, or healthcare personnel may receive a
Restricted Report.
(continues)

68 • SPECIAL POPULATIONS