WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined Senate Democrats to applaud the Department of Veterans Affairs’ announcement that, effective today, it will begin covering the cost of assisted reproductive technology for veterans who cannot have children without assistance as the result of service-connected injuries. During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, even though thousands of servicemembers suffered genitourinary, blast, spinal and brain injuries that left them unable to conceive naturally, VA was unable to cover the costs of certain fertility services because of a ban Congress passed in 1992. Last year, Senate Democrats, led by Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), successfully secured a provision in the MilCon-VA Appropriations bill that gives VA the authority to provide assisted reproductive technology, of which IVF is the most common, through Fiscal Year 2018. The senators will continue to push for a permanent repeal of the ban.
“Our troops and their families deserve the best possible care our nation can provide,” said Senator Coons. “I applaud the VA for changing this policy that unfairly kept veterans from accessing these critical services that will allow them to build their families after returning home from combat. We have a lot of work to do to uphold our promise to those who serve our nation, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure this coverage becomes permanent.”
This effort has the support of: The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), American Legion, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Wounded Warrior Project, RESOLVE, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), AMVETS, and Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN).