Tell the VA to Support Transition-Related Care for Transgender Veterans
Submit your comments by 11:59PM Eastern on September 7, 2018
Time and time again, the Trump Administration has proven itself to be no ally to the LGBTQ community, especially to transgender people. Not only does it continue to believe transgender individuals are unfit to serve in the military, but now it is working to prevent transgender veterans from accessing the care that their healthcare providers recommend. Now, the Department of Veterans Affairs is accepting comments as to whether the VA should provide medically necessary care for transgender veterans, and needs to hear from you by Sept. 7.
All veterans deserve medically necessary care, regardless of their gender identity and/or sexual orientation. The evidence clearly shows that excluding any medical treatments for gender dysphoria harms the mental and physical health and well-being of transgender veterans, and in some cases, put their lives at risk.
Despite this overwhelming evidence, the Administration continues to falsely claim that there is “scientific uncertainty and overall lack of high quality scientific evidence demonstrating the extent to which transition-related treatments [..] remedy the multifaceted mental health problems associated with gender dysphoria.”
We know this is not true and need our healthcare experts to speak up now! Tell the Department of Veteran Affairs and President Trump that NO VETERAN should be denied the care their providers recommend! Everyone is encouraged to submit a comment.
Submit your comment by September 7 by clicking here.
Provided below is a comment template for your use – please personalize based on any relevant experiences, including based on the suggested questions below, if applicable. Note, comments can be brief and succinct - the important thing is to submit.
Please start your comment by stating your name and your professional background. Then use what follows:
“I believe all eligible veterans deserve fair and equal access to medically necessary care, and that it is wrong to single out any group of veterans to deny medical care. Excluding medical treatments for transition-related care hurts veterans who have proudly served their country, harming their mental and physical health and, in some cases, putting their lives at risk.
"Healthcare decisions should be made by healthcare providers and their patients based on current standards of care. Nobody should put themselves between veterans and the care their VA healthcare providers have recommended.”
Healthcare providers and researchers who have worked directly with transgender patients should briefly share any relevant experiences to emphasize how harmful denying treatments for gender dysphoria can be for transgender patients.
Some questions you might want to answer when writing your comment:
- As a provider and/or researcher, can you speak to the health benefits of transition-related care for transgender patients? Please elaborate on these benefits.
- As a provider and/or researcher, can you speak to the harms of being denied transition-related medical treatment on transgender patients? Explain specifically what mental or physical harm can be inflicted upon patients should they be denied gender affirming care.
Be sure to submit your comments by September 7th!
Please share to your networks!
Suggested questions and comment template have been adapted from materials provided by the National Center for Transgender Equality.
