IVF for Wounded Vets

For 24 years there has been a ban on the Department of Veterans Affairs paying for fertility treatments for veterans who have suffered reproductive injuries and catastrophic wounds in combat, typically caused by IEDs. Now that ban has been reversed … temporarily. Until now, in- vitro fertilization ( IVF) was banned, likely by conservatives who objected to the fact that sometimes an embryo is lost in the process of implanting it in the

mother. In fact, the odds are against success in many IVF attempts. In 2012, the Department of Defense decided to support IFV, but only for active duty and only for a short time after discharge. But veterans whose injuries are severe aren’t immediately in the frame of mind to start families. Often they’re just wondering how they’re going to survive, or learn to brush their teeth, or sit up in a wheelchair. It’s only later, when they’re stable, that thoughts of a family enter the picture. Many veterans and spouses have tried IVF at their own considerable expense, which can exceed $ 12,000 per attempt, taking their savings and money from relatives and friends to try to do just one normal thing: have a child. Sometimes the male veteran’s injuries are so severe that they also suffer from low sperm count, which complicates the problem. Now, although the VA will pay for IVF and other reproductive treatments for injured veterans, there’s a time limit: two years, with the money coming from the overall VA budget. At that point the VA will review and consider whether to continue and who’s going to pay for it. A salute to Sen. Patty Murray ( D- Wash.) for her long, hard struggle in pushing this bill. In the end, it got tucked into a bill before Congress to keep the government running until December.