The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced it will phase out treatment for gender dysphoria, citing Donald Trump’s “Defending Women” executive order. This means that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for transgender veterans who are not already receiving treatment will be discontinued.
The decision follows a March 14 memo from the Veterans Health Administration, which officially rescinded the 2018 directive establishing healthcare standards for transgender and intersex veterans.
What’s Changing?
🚫 No new transgender veterans will be eligible for hormone therapy through VA health services.
🚫 VA doctors can no longer provide letters of support for gender-affirming surgeries.
🚫 Previous guidelines ensuring respectful care for trans and intersex veterans (VHA Directive 1341(4)) have been removed from the VA’s website.
🚫 The VA has not clarified how intersex veterans—who sometimes require HRT for medical reasons—will be affected.
Medical Professionals Call Move “Infuriating”
A VA healthcare professional, speaking anonymously to Mother Jones, expressed frustration over the policy:
“I don’t understand how it’s allowed—how are they able to tell providers what they can and cannot treat?”
Despite every major U.S. medical association supporting gender-affirming care, the VA now claims that funding for trans healthcare will be redirected to treating paralyzed veterans and amputees—a cost-saving measure estimated at just 0.04 to 0.13% of military health expenditures.
How Does This Affect Intersex Veterans?
The new policy also rescinds protections for intersex veterans, but it remains unclear how their care will be impacted.
🩺 Some intersex individuals require HRT due to medical conditions or past non-consensual surgeries.
❓ The VA has not clarified whether HRT for intersex veterans will be restricted.
⚠️ Confusion among providers could delay or block necessary care.
Intersex activist Alicia Roth Weigel noted that for many intersex people, HRT is not elective but medically required:
“By removing my testes, they basically put my body into artificial hormone withdrawal and didn’t give me new hormones until a certain age.”
A Politicized Attack on Trans and Intersex Healthcare
This move comes amid broader anti-trans policies from the Trump administration, including:
✅ Banning discussion of LGBTQ+ issues in schools
✅ Defining gender strictly by assigned sex at birth
✅ Blocking transgender people from serving in the military
✅ Restricting gender-affirming care for minors
A VA staffer summed up the frustration among medical professionals:
“It’s frustrating that the party that pushes against government involvement in healthcare is now defining what care providers can and cannot treat.”
What Happens Next?
With no clear direction on intersex healthcare and a rollback of transgender care protections, VA healthcare providers and LGBTQ+ veterans face an uncertain future.
