VA rescinds 2018 directive on transgender treatments, aligning with Trump 'two sexes' EO
VA says directive was 'not compliant' with President Donald Trump's current executive order
By Jamie Joseph Fox News
Published March 17, 2025 1:35pm EDT
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) quietly rescinded a 2018 policy providing transgender-related medical services to transgender and intersex veterans on Friday, aligning the VA with the Trump administration's orders to part ways with "radical gender ideology" within the U.S. military.
The memo states the VA "will conduct a comprehensive review of care with respect to trans-identifying Veterans and will undergo the rulemaking process to revise the medical benefits package as deemed necessary; however, this rescission does not affect existing clinical guidance."
The VA maintains that it will not provide "gender-affirming" surgeries in its facilities or through non-VA care, as these procedures are excluded from the medical benefits package already. Additionally, the VA will not cover plastic reconstructive surgery for cosmetic or gender alteration purposes. The department also requires medical necessity for any surgical care provided, and gender alteration surgery remains unauthorized as a medical treatment.
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