VA moves to offer gender confirmation surgery to vets

The Department of Veterans Affairs is moving to offer transgender veterans gender confirmation surgery, Secretary Denis McDonough announced at a Pride Month event in Orlando Saturday.

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, but McDonough said the VA will use the time to "develop capacity to meet the surgical needs" of transgender veterans. The decision, he said, will allow "transgender vets to go through the full gender confirmation process with VA by their side." McDonough also referenced what he said were higher rates of mental illness and suicidal thoughts among LGBTQ veterans, and a fear of discrimination that prevents those veterans from seeking care.