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VA moves to offer gender confirmation surgery to vets

USPS delays lead to alternative shipping options for Department of Veterans Affairs
Posted at 4:43 PM, Jun 20, 2021
and last updated 2021-06-20 16:43:11-04

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — The Department of Veterans Affairs is moving to offer transgender veterans gender confirmation surgery.

VA Secretary Denis McDonough made the announcement Saturday at a Pride Month event in Orlando, Florida. McDonough said in prepared remarks that the move was “the right thing to do,” and that it was part of an effort to overcome a “dark history” of discrimination against LGBTQ service members.

The move is just the first step in what’s likely to be a yearslong federal rulemaking process to expand VA health benefits to cover the surgery.