“Raising a family is a great thing,” Secretary McDonough said.
The Department of Veterans Affairs will soon offer in vitro fertilization to eligible veterans who are single or in same-sex marriages, following criticism that the agency is denying reproductive benefits to some veterans.
The Veterans Administration announced Monday that it will also offer in vitro fertilization using donated sperm or eggs to veterans.
The announcement follows a lawsuit filed last year in New York and Boston against the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration, alleging that some Department of Veterans Affairs policies, including IVF care, exclude LGBTQ+ members of the military. It was done after.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Dennis McDonough stated in a statement Expanding care has long been a priority for the Veterans Administration. He added: “Raising a family is great.”
“I’m proud to help the VA provide that opportunity to more veterans,” McDonough said in a statement.
Prior to Monday’s announcement, the Department of Veterans Affairs offered IVF care only to legally married veterans who were biologically capable of producing sperm and eggs. Federal law requires that all veterans undergoing in vitro fertilization must have fertility issues due to health conditions related to military service.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) has been working to secure more comprehensive reproductive assistance for veterans. She previously introduced the Veterans Family Health Services Act of 2023, which aims to improve reproductive assistance provided to veterans under the Department of Defense and VA Health Care.
Following the VA’s announcement, Murray praised the agency’s decision. Murray said he would seek unanimous consent to move forward with legislation to ensure IVF care and family formation assistance is available to all U.S. military personnel.
“VA’s announcement is an important step forward in helping more veterans start and grow families, and is especially timely as IVF has come under attack from the far right,” Murray said in a statement. “It’s something that happened.”
Under current policy, VA health insurance covers adoption costs up to $2,000, but does not cover surrogacy for veterans with service-connected disabilities that caused infertility.
Mr McDonough said he was “working with urgency” to implement these new policies as soon as possible.
“The Veterans Administration is taking immediate steps to implement this policy and anticipates being ready to provide this care to veterans across the country in the coming weeks,” the VA said in a statement. Stated.
