Transgender vets threaten to sue VA over delay in surgery options
By Leo Shane III
Nov 21, 12:12 PM
Veterans advocates are threatening legal action to force Veterans Affairs officials to provide gender-confirmation surgery options to patients, a promise made by department leaders more than two years ago.
In a letter to VA attorneys sent Monday, members of the Transgender American Veterans Association and Yale Law School Veterans Legal Services Clinic said the move may be necessary given the slow pace of work on the issue within the department. The groups said they want VA to unveil a formal rulemaking plan detailing when they will begin providing the surgeries.
“Transgender veterans have waited far too long for the medically necessary health care they require,” said Rebekka Eshler, president of TAVA, in a statement. “It is high time that Secretary McDonough follows through on his public promises to the transgender veteran community. Statements are nothing without action.”
The National Center for Transgender Equality has estimated that there are more than 134,000 transgender veterans in America today, and another 15,000 transgender individuals serving in the armed forces.
https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2023/11/21/transgender-vets-threaten-to-sue-va-over-delay-in-surgery-options/
