National Center for Healthcare Advancement and Partnerships
HAP Partnership Impact
VHA Continues to provide care for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Veterans
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) continues to provide world-class care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual identities (LGBTQ+) Veterans nationwide through the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs’ (VA) network of medical centers (VAMCs).
VAMCs offer LGBTQ+ Veterans the opportunity to work with medical teams who have been trained to treat conditions and address the social determinates of heath (SDOH) affecting LGBTQ+ people and the communities in which they live. LGBTQ+ Veterans may need help updating their gender identity in their medical records, may struggle with mental health concerns, substance use disorders, HIV/AIDs, or other concerns that impact their ability access stable housing, for example. Since 2016, every VAMC has had a LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator to ensure this health care is delivered in an affirming and inclusive environment.
Many people do not know VHA offers gender affirming care for around 10,000 of the country’s estimated 134,000 transgender Veterans. VHA medical providers currently provide Veterans with non-surgical gender affirming care, including hormone replacement therapy, prosthetics, voice therapy, and medical care before and after gender affirming surgeries.
Though it may surprise people to learn about VHA’s many services for LGBTQ+ Veterans, LGBTQ+ people have a long history serving in the U.S. military. VHA is committed to providing the highest quality of care so all Veterans may achieve optimal health and well-being. Alexandra Wagner, an associate chief of social work at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, noted that today the military is the largest employer of transgender people in America. “I don't think people know that,” she said. “It's a pretty cool fact.”
A VA team is also working to enact VA’s 2021 promise to provide gender affirming surgeries such as mastectomies and facial and genital reconstruction procedures to Veterans who are transgender and gender diverse in VAMCs.
The team is made up of representatives from multiple offices, including VHA’s National Center for Healthcare Advancement and Partnerships (HAP) which facilitates partnerships between VHA and outside organizations and companies to better Veterans’ health and well-being.
A cornerstone of HAP’s work is promoting the values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) via VHA’s partnerships. For VHA Health Systems Specialist Jamie Davis, this means promoting access to world-class care at VHA for all LGBTQ+ Veterans so medical teams can help tackle issues likely to affect LGBTQ+ Veterans.
“For example, transgender Veterans are twice as likely to die by suicide compared to Veterans who are not transgender,” said Davis. “Raising awareness of LGBTQ+ Veterans’ concerns with VAMCs and VHA partners is part of our core mission to honor our country’s Veterans with exceptional care after they come home.”
Sheila Young is a psychologist and Behavioral Medicine Program Manager at VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System and said she sees hope for the future of LGBTQ+ Veterans. "A few years ago, I was at the Pride festival here locally,” she said. “And some Veterans walked up and went, ‘I never in a million years thought the Department of Veterans Affairs would be in an event like this.’”
“It was a good opportunity to let veterans know, ‘We are so here for you. And we’ll do everything we can,’” said Young.
For more information about transgender Veteran care coordination, please check out these frequently asked questions: https://www.patientcare.va.gov/LGBT/docs/Transgender-Care-External-FAQs-18June21.pdf
For more information on HAP’s initiatives and partnerships, please visit: va.gov/HEALTHPARTNERSHIPS/updates.asp.
External Link Disclaimer: This page contains links that will take you outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs website. VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked websites.
Posted August 10, 2022
