The VA Takes Steps Toward Gender Reassignment Surgery Insurance Coverage
Not long after the Biden administration reversed former President Trump’s restrictions on transgender and gender-nonconforming service members in the military, Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough announced the department would resume covering gender reassignment surgery within two years — another major shift in policy.
“This time will allow VA to develop capacity to meet the surgical needs that transgender veterans have called for and deserved for a long time and I am proud to begin the process of delivering it,” McDonough reportedly said during an event at the the Orlando Vet Center as the city marked the five-year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting.
The VA estimates fewer than 4,000 veterans would be interested in the surgery, spokesman Terrence Hayes told the Washington Post, and the change will go through a public comment period before becoming official.
