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1 1 (February 6, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govcacp0001 and id is 1 raw text is: FF.ri E~$~ & Updated February 6, 2020 Veterans Health Administration: Gender-Specific Health Care Services for Women Veterans Traditionally, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) had predominantly provided gender-specific health care services to male veterans. The U.S. Census Bureau began asking women about their military service in 1980 and found that women veterans accounted for less than 3% of the U.S. veteran population, according to a VA report (VA, Women Veterans Report, https://go.usa.gov/xPzNC). Congress, in response to this revelation, requested investigative reports from the Government Accountability Office on women veterans' access to VA benefits (https://go.usa.gov/xEBkM). Congress also passed a number of laws such as the Women Veterans Health Program Act of 1992, which is Title I of the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 (P.L. 102-585, as amended) to specifically increase women veterans' access to gender- specific health care services through the VHA. The number of women veterans accessing VA care is increasing. In 2014, for example, 423,642 women veterans had accessed VA care, and that number has increased by 22.1% to 517,241 women veterans receiving VA care in 2018, according to the VA's budget report FY2020 Funding and FY 2021 Advance Appropriations: Volume I Medical Programs and Information Technology Programs (p. VHA-156, https://go.usa.gov/xdDRn). It is likely that more women veterans will access VA care because the population is projected to increase by more than half from 9.4% of the U.S veteran population in 2015 to 16.3% of the U.S. veteran population by 2043. Tknan to.. VA,,, e.... The VA and the Department of Defense (DOD) jointly administer the Women's Health Transitioning Training Program, which aims to prepare servicewomen and women veterans for VHA enrollment. The free training is delivered in-person and virtually. During the interactive training sessions, servicewomen and women veterans receive information on, but not limited to, the * process of becoming a service-connected veteran, * differences in the delivery of health care services between VA and DOD medical facilities, * various types of women's health care services that can be accessed through the VA, and * available support for other concerns, such as homelessness. From July 2018 to May 2019, the program administrators surveyed an initial 383 participants and found that 88% of them reported a reduction in fear from transitioning out of the military. The 116th Congress is considering a number of measures on this program, including the Servicewomen's Health Transitioning Act of 2019 (H.R. 2941; S. 2324) and Helping Expand and Launch Transitional Health for Women Veterans Act (H.R. 2942; S. 3182). These two sets of companion bills would, if enacted, among other things, require the VA and DOD Secretaries to submit a report to specified congressional committees on program outcomes. The VHA enrollment requirements are the same for all veterans, whether women, men, transgender (whose gender identities are different from their sex assigned at birth), or intersex veterans (who are born with sexual and reproductive anatomies that are outside the definition of the male and female sex categories assigned at birth). The Veterans' Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-262) required the VA to establish an enrollment system that all veterans must meet in order to be eligible to receive VA health care services. Enrollment in the VA health care system is based primarily on veteran status (i.e., previous military service), service-connected disability, and income. Veterans can apply to enroll in VA health care by mail, telephone, and in person at a VA medical facility. Acks ,t He 'Ruh, Ca zre The VHA operates more than 1,700 VA medical facilities where veterans can access gender-specific health care services. Veterans can also access these services from VA- contracted providers in their communities and from DOD providers at DOD medical facilities. (Veterans can access certain gender-specific services such as infertility treatments only from non-VA providers.) In addition, veterans can access gender-specific health care services through telehealth. Telehealth refers to a health care service that is provided via a technological method. The VHA provides women's gender-specific telehealth services such as gynecology and mental health through the VA Tele- Women's Health program. ~ Headd Care Ser-vikee All veterans access gender-specific health care services through the VA as specified in the VA medical benefits package. The VA medical benefits package refers to a suite of health care services that the VA covers and provides to eligible veterans, generally at no cost to the veterans under certain circumstances. In FY2017, the VA spent $5.6 billion on health care services for women veterans, according to the aforementioned VA funding report. Discussed below are some gender-specific health care services that women veterans can access though the VHA, gognpo goo g , q 'S a X 11LULKWALiN,