To improve the reproductive assistance provided by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to certain members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their spouses or partners, and for other purposes.
The Veteran Families Health Services Act of 2023 expands reproductive and fertility assistance for active-duty military members and veterans through the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs. For active-duty service members, the bill requires the Defense Department to provide fertility treatment and counseling, including in vitro fertilization (limited to three egg retrieveries with unlimited embryo transfers), to those with infertility conditions caused by military service, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, or marital status. It also allows service members deploying to combat zones or hazardous assignments to freeze and store reproductive genetic material at no cost for one year after separation. For veterans, the bill adds fertility treatment and counseling as a covered medical service and establishes an adoption assistance program with a cap equal to the cost of three adoptions, again without regard to marital or relationship status. The Department of Veterans Affairs must issue regulations implementing these changes within two years of enactment. The bill also directs research to improve reproductive health care for veterans with service-connected disabilities affecting fertility.
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