The Department of Veterans Affairs has announced it will phase out gender transition care for veterans, reversing a previous 2018 policy in response to an executive order from President Trump. While veterans currently on hormone therapy will continue to have their treatments covered, new requests for gender dysphoria-related care will not be accepted. VA Secretary Douglas Collins emphasized this decision aims to exclude gender transition services from their offerings, reallocating funds instead to other veteran needs. Critics, including Rep. Mark Takano, argue this decision disregards medical expertise and constitutes a disservice to transgender veterans.
Trans veterans who already receive hormone therapy through VA will continue to have it covered, as will new veterans who received that care while in the military, but other veterans can no longer initiate care for gender dysphoria, according to the new policy.
VA Secretary Douglas A. Collins said in a statement that the department "should not be focused on helping Veterans attempt to change their sex."
Rep. Mark Takano (D-California), chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, said the new policy "isn't cost-cutting" but "cruelty."
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