Veterans whose war injuries prevent them from having children would get coverage from the Department of Veterans Affairs for reproductive treatment options like in vitro fertilization under new federal legislation.
The Women Veterans and Other Health Care Improvements Act of 2013 is authored by Reps. Rick Larsen, D-Washington and Steve Stivers, R-Ohio. It's similar to a bill introduced last year by Sen. Patty Murray that never made it to the president's desk.
Murray's bill failed because the bill would've been funded by wartime contingency funds, according to the Military Times:
Now, [the] legislation would cover the cost by letting the Veterans Affairs Department levy fees on large corporations that contract with VA.
Larsen said of his legislation:
“Too many veterans are returning home with injuries that make conceiving children impossible without assistance. Veterans deserve access to advanced fertility treatment and adoption assistance so they can achieve their dreams of starting families.”
More than 1,800 troops have suffered wounds in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that have made having a baby the old-fashioned way impossible without medical assistance.
