Since the US mounted sustained military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan nearly 15 years ago, military personnel have had to cope with any number of debilitating injuries. In addition to injuries such as loss of limbs, spinal injuries resulting in paralysis, and burns from explosions, there is a hidden toll many veterans also face: injuries to their genitals.
Aside from the physical and psychological toll these injuries take, they also leave many combat veterans unable to have children without medical assistance. The problem becomes even more complicated when they discover that the VA doesn’t cover IVF.
The failure of the Veteran’s Administration isn’t an oversight. IVF was expressly forbidden under a 1992 law because some lawmakers were hesitant to have tax-payer monies used for a procedure that can result in the destruction of embryos.
Gosh. Thanks, pro-life movement.
In a mind boggling inconsistency, the tax-payer funded insurance for active duty military DOES cover IVF, but for service members who have to retire due to their injuries, that’s not helpful. The transition out of active duty leaves them forced to foot the whole bill for IVF, which can cost around $12,000 per cycle.
Proposals to amend the law to allow the VA to cover IVF have been met with resistance. It’s unclear if the hesitation is due to the estimated $125 million per year price tag that procedure would cost the VA, or out of a concern for TEH EMBRYOZZZZZZ. Regardless, the system is stuck, and our most gravely wounded veterans are the ones suffering.
