Transgender Veterans Lose Access to Hormone Therapy and Other Care Through VA

Transgender Veterans Lose Access to Hormone Therapy and Other Care

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced on Monday that it will no longer provide hormone therapy to transgender veterans who were not already receiving such care through the department or the military. This reversal of a decade-old policy comes just days after the VA rescinded a 2018 directive that required the department to treat trans veterans "with respect and dignity."

The rescinded directive required coverage of mental health care, hormone therapy, pre-surgery evaluation, and care after surgery as medically necessary. The VA has never covered gender-affirming surgery for veterans. It also required health care providers to address veterans by their gender identity, including using their requested pronouns and preferred name.

Under the new policy, transgender veterans who were not already receiving treatment for gender dysphoria, the medical term for the severe emotional distress caused by the misalignment between one's gender identity and birth sex, will not be able to access it through the VA.

VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a statement that the "vast majority" of veterans and Americans agree with the decision, though he did not provide any data to support that claim. He added that any money saved by curtailing treatments for gender dysphoria "will be redirected to help severely injured VA beneficiaries — such as paralyzed Veterans and amputees — regain their independence."

The policy change was brought on by President Donald Trump's executive order declaring that there are only two, unchangeable sexes. The executive order has resulted in sweeping changes regarding trans people across the federal government.

The VA has been providing treatment for gender dysphoria for more than a decade. The Veterans Health Administration estimates that less than one-tenth of 1% of the 9.1 million veterans enrolled in VA health care are trans, which would be about 9,100 veterans. That number is far lower than previous research has found. The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law estimated in 2014 that about 134,300 trans people are veterans or are retired from the Guard or Reserve, though it's unclear if they would all be eligible for VA health care.

Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, condemned the VA's announcement. "Transgender veterans share the same commitment and the same love of country as all other veterans," she said in a statement. "They made the same sacrifices and are owed the same respect and care after their service. Despite this, the VA has decided to turn its back on transgender veterans who committed their lives to serving in our armed forces—complying with an Administration hellbent on harming and scapegoating the transgender community.