ORLANDO, Fla. — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is taking the first step toward providing gender-confirmation surgeries through its health care network, Secretary Denis McDonough announced at a Pride Month event in Orlando Saturday — a historic move he said is simply “the right thing to do.”
Vowing to create a “safe and caring” environment for all veterans, McDonough cited the need to overcome a “dark history” of discrimination against LGBTQ military service members.
The rule-making process needed to fully approve and implement coverage of gender-confirmation surgery can take two years to complete and includes a period of public comment.
