What Happened?
Around 30,000 veterans had an infertility diagnosis in fiscal year 2025, but some interested veterans may be unaware of the fertility care available to them through the federal government.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published an audit Sept. 29 that found the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has not implemented key performance management practices for its fertility care communications.
To qualify for certain treatments, including in vitro fertilization, a veteran's infertility must be directly tied to a service-connected disability (an injury or illness that happened or got worse during military service) or to the treatment of one. The GAO found that the VHA has no measurable goals, no timelines, and no system for tracking whether its outreach is actually reaching veterans who need it.
Why Does it Matter to Me?
Infertility can stem from combat injuries, environmental exposures, or trauma sustained during service, and those factors also shape which treatments a veteran can access.
One specific gap the audit flagged: the VHA routes fertility eligibility information through its Office of Women's Health, and people the GAO spoke with said male veterans may not seek out that office, or may find it hard to navigate, making it less likely they learn what they qualify for.
That means a veteran who qualifies for covered fertility treatment may never find out, not because the benefit doesn't exist, but because the information never reached them. For a family weighing the cost of fertility care, which can run tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket, that gap has real financial consequences.
Both Sides, Now
The GAO issued two recommendations to the VHA, both still open as of the report's publication. The first calls on the Under Secretary for Health to direct the Office of Women's Health to set measurable goals with specific targets and timelines, collect data to track progress, and use that data to adjust its outreach. The second asks the Under Secretary to review whether the process for determining fertility eligibility is working as intended and to fix it if it is not.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) concurred with both recommendations. The audit does not record any opposition to the findings. Congress holds oversight authority over the VHA and can press the agency to act on the GAO's findings, but the report does not identify any pending legislation tied directly to these recommendations.
What Happens Next?
The agency must set performance goals, begin collecting data on its outreach, and review its eligibility process. The GAO will track whether those steps are completed and whether the VHA follows through.
Veterans who want to check their own eligibility for fertility benefits can contact their local VA medical center or a patient advocate. No congressional vote or hearing on this issue is currently scheduled, and no deadline has been set for the VHA to complete either recommendation.
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