A group of transgender veterans is renewing its legal fight with the Department of Veterans Affairs over the VA's lack of coverage for gender-affirmation surgeries.
The Transgender American Veterans Association, or TAVA, filed a lawsuit Monday in federal court seeking to compel the VA to cover the surgeries, its second lawsuit this year related to the issue.
“Every day of transgender veterans being denied this care increases the distress of gender dysphoria that is plaguing our community, and lifesaving, doctor-prescribed, transition-related health care is incredibly vital to the life satisfaction of veterans in our community,” Josie Caballero, acting president of TAVA, told Military.com in a phone interview Monday.
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“We're hoping that this lawsuit provides more hope for transgender veterans to know that something's going to move, something's got to give,” Caballero added.
TAVA previously filed a lawsuit in January over the VA's yearslong delay in covering surgeries for transgender veterans.
The earlier lawsuit sought to force the VA to formally respond to a petition TAVA first filed in 2016 calling on the department to cover the surgeries. In February, the VA denied TAVA's petition, making the earlier lawsuit moot.
The VA estimated in 2021 that about 4,000 transgender veterans could qualify for surgeries. Covering surgery…
