Please submit your comment by September 7! The VA will stop accepting comments on September 7--after this date, if you submit this form, the VA will not accept your comment.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking public comments in response to a proposed rule change regarding medically necessary health care for transgender veterans.
After more than a year of attacking transgender troops, the Trump-Pence Administration is now going after transgender veterans. The administration is using the same discredited excuses that they have invoked to justify their ban on open service to now target medically necessary health care for transgender veterans.
Take action with HRC now: Tell the Department of Veterans Affairs that all veterans deserve medically necessary care, regardless of who they are.
1. Start by reviewing our message template — we've started one for you below.
Hello,
My name is _____ and I’m from _____ . I’m writing in regards to the proposed rule change (published Jul. 9) that the VA amend its medical regulations to remove a provision that excludes transgender people from accessing medically necessary care.
All veterans deserve access to the care they need regardless of who they are.
[ADD PERSONAL MESSAGE]
We know that transgender people serve our country in the military at almost twice the rate as the U.S. population in general. Despite this service, the VA currently has a policy that targets transgender veterans for discrimination in health care and excludes many forms of necessary medical treatments for gender dysphoria -- even when a denial directly contradicts medical advice. These arbitrary exclusions disrespect their service, and directly harm transgender veterans’ health -- in some cases putting their lives at risk.
Health care decisions should be left to health care providers and should be based solely on the current standards of care -- not on political convenience or partisan ideology.
I ask that the VA put our veterans -- and their health -- first.
2. Please copy and paste this message into the bar on the right and personalize as you’d like.
3. Confirm your contact information is correct.
4. Proofread and submit! It’s as simple as that.