VA Decides It Won’t Pay For Sex Change Surgeries
Categories: News
Veterans Affairs officials have decided not to allow sex-change operation for transgender veterans. The move, originally intended to be part of the Fall 2016 Unified Agenda, has been scrapped due to budgetary constraints, according to Military.com.
“VA has been and will continue to explore a regulatory change that would allow VA to perform gender alteration surgery and a change in the medical benefits package, when appropriated funding is available,” said a statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs to Military.com.
While sex-change surgery is not covered, the VA does currently pay for hormone therapy, preoperative evaluation and mental health care, as well as long-term post-sex change surgery care.
Sex change operations and option for active duty troops
The Department of Defense announced in June that it would begin paying for sex-change operations for qualifying transgender troops after the ban on openly serving transgender military service members was lifted that same month.
In one well-publicized case of a transgender soldier, Chelsea Manning, the soldier who leaked a massive number of national security documents and videos to Wikileaks, demanded sex-change surgery and was granted it in early September. She had been on a hunger strike for some time before the Army acquiesced to demands from her lawyers, who are associated with the American Civil Liberties Union.
There are currently between 1,320 and 6,630 transgender service members in the active-duty force of 1.3 million, according to RAND Corp. estimates. They believe around 25 to 130 would seek sex change surgery, costing the U.S. government between $2.4 to $8.4 million per year.
A handbook detailing how active duty, Reserve and Guard commanders should deal with transgender soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines was released in September.
That handbook talks about how to confirm the diagnosis of “gender dysphoria,” and will need to have his or her commander sign off on the timing of gender transition and hormone replacement therapy.
From there, the soldier will need to meet the height, weight, physical fitness and uniform standards of his or her gender.
Although the headline sounds like a sorely overdue sanity check at the VA, who incidentally have serious work to do to unf#%* themselves, the current SecDef will almost certainly intercede and have them revisit their decision. The “Honorable” Mr. Carter is and has been working tirelessly at being recognized as the very worst, most incompetent, and unabashedly politically correct SecDef in modern history. It’s a damn dirty shame that those of us still wearing the uniform have to serve under such despicable “leadership”.
Franco, I am not in the military and I’m not a vet, but I do have the greatest admiration and respect for men and women who put their lives on the line for our safety. freedom and liberty. I agree with you 100%……..the use of tax dollars to pay for transgender sex change surgeries is most assuredly “insanity”! Let’s take care of our vets who are suffering from loss of body parts in active duty or trying to deal with PTSD with no help from our government!! It seems that the liberals are not happy with policy changes and laws supporting their agenda until they are also able to force their liberal agenda down our throats and force dollars out of our pockets to support their perverted thinking! Yes, it is a shame that you guys still wearing the uniform have to serve under such despicable “leadership” from the military all the way to the top!! I say that this OBAMA NATION is an ABOMINATION!!!! Prayers are with you….may decency and justice prevail!!!
I am a veteran who served my country with pride. I would give my life willingly for my country. I am also trans I have been trapped in this body for 56 years and what I find appalling is the audacity of people deciding what health conditions are to be covered and not covered. Would we not cover a deformity or mental impairment without hesitation? Unless you are a Trans individual you have no idea what is like emotionally to live in a body you weren’t meant to be in! If you were born with a third eye wouldn’t you want to be able to have that corrected and what if you were unable to do so until you were afforded your veteran benefits. Would you appreciate someone who hadn’t walked in your shoes with your affliction to decide if it was important or relevant enough to be included in your medical benefits? For one moment imagine if your grandchild or son or daughter suffered from this and it was ripping them apart emotionally to the point of doing the unthinkable taking their own life because living life not feeling like you belong in your own body is surely a life lived in hell. Would you not then advocate for the treatment that could save them? I would hope that all parents would love their children, grandchildren unconditionally and not abandoned them when they are suffering through this, I also would hope the country that they served with honor would love them the same!