Washington (CNN) The Department of Veterans Affairs incorrectly processed hundreds of claims related to military sexual trauma last year -- a breakdown in procedure that may have "resulted in the denial of benefits to veterans who could have been entitled to receive them," according to a report from the VA's Office of the Inspector General released Tuesday.

The Veterans Benefits Administration denied nearly half of the 12,000 claims that were filed in 2017 by veterans seeking support for post-traumatic stress disorder related to military sexual trauma, according to the department.

But investigators estimated that the VA failed to follow procedure when processing 1,300 of the 2,700 claims that were denied during a review period that spanned between April and September of 2017.

The report concluded that "multiple factors led to the improper processing and denial of (military sexual trauma)-related claims" during that time, including: "a lack of reviewers' specialization and no additional level of review, discontinued special focus reviews, and inadequate training."

"Incomplete processing may lead to inaccurate claims decisions and psychological harm to (military sexual trauma) victims," the report noted.

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