Affording care

Fertility Benefits for Wounded Veterans

For over 2 decades, a ban on advanced reproductive technology like in vitro fertilization (IVF) at the Veterans Administration (VA) meant that for approximately 1,800 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who have suffered injuries to their reproductive system, this critical care has not been covered. Without fertility benefits for wounded veterans, these brave soldiers were forced to pay for this expensive treatment out of pocket or forego the chance to have a family of their own.

On the eve of the final session before the election, Congress passed House Resolution 5235, a stop-gap measure that provided the funds to keep the Government running for 10 weeks, Congressional approval for the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide fertility treatment or adoption assistance to these veterans and their families. Another bill, authored by Senator Patty Murray, seeks to fund fertility care for veterans completely and overturns the current ban. While Congress’s actions do not overturn the current ban, they do allow for existing funds within the VA to be used for fertility treatment or adoption services for the next 2 years. We will continue our efforts to support our veterans by advocating to lift the ban permanently.

SGF Patients: The Jaye Family’s Journey 

Our patients Lauren and Kevin Jaye understand the urgency necessary for the VA and Congress to implement the measures called for in Senator Murray’s bill. In 2015, we worked closely with the Jayes to share their reproductive journey and educate the public during interviews. In May, the Jayes joined scores of Shady Grove Fertility physicians, staff, and patient advocates, and took their mission to Capitol Hill on Advocacy Day, the annual event organized by RESOLVE: The National Fertility Association, lobbying members of Congress directly to overturn the ban and receiving RESOLVE’s Hero’s Award. In vitro fertilization (IVF) was the necessary treatment for the Jayes after a roadside bomb destroyed one of Kevin’s testicles while he was on duty in Afghanistan in 2012. The Jayes were able to afford fertility treatment with Lauren Jaye’s insurance coverage as a teacher in Maryland, one of the few states with a mandate for fertility treatment coverage.

For Lauren and Kevin, whose dreams of parenthood came true in August with the birth of their daughter, allowing the public to see the process is part of their advocacy. Talking to Military Times about this important step forward, Lauren Jaye said, “It’s hard to imagine when we hold our daughter in our arms that there are veterans who have been denied that opportunity because of an injury they received serving their country and they can’t afford to do what we did. We are really hopeful for the people who have been waiting for years.”

Serving our Veterans

Acknowledging the urgency to support veterans like Kevin Jaye, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) created their own initiative, called Serving our Veterans, to work with fertility centers around the country to provide deeply discounted treatment and fertility benefits for wounded veterans. Currently over 103 centers around the country, including Shady Grove Fertility, have begun to offer discounted treatment to veterans. The program is supported by Veterans’ groups including the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the Wounded Warrior Project. Dr. Gilbert Mottla, one of Shady Grove Fertility’s leading voices in Veterans’ advocacy, said, “Although medicine and surgery can’t restore them to their former selves, reproductive medical technology can, through IVF, enable wounded veterans to start and complete their families.”

To learn more about fertility benefits for wounded veterans and the many ways SGF supports our veterans through the Serving our Veterans program, Military Discount Program, Shared Risk 100% Refund Program, Shared Help Discount Program, medication discount programs, and more, call 1-877-971-7755 to speak with our New Patient Liaisons. 

After serving our country in war, adjusting to home can be extremely challenging, especially for our wounded veterans who have endured wounds that leave them infertile with no infertility treatment coverage. Damaged spines and injuries to reproductive organs add to an array of seemingly insurmountable battles both psychologically and physically. For a group of approximately 1,800 veterans with impaired fertility who bravely served in Iraq and Afghanistan, the return to civilian life is even more challenging. The Veterans Administration (VA) is barred by law from providing financial coverage for veterans who require fertility treatment, specifically in vitro fertilization (IVF). Last week PBS’s signature current events program, the Newshour, took a deep dive into the necessary fertility treatments veterans who have survived these types of injuries must receive in order to build their families.

The Estimated Cost of IVF without Infertility Treatment Coverage

According to the Newshour reporter, without insurance that provides infertility treatment coverage, the cost of IVF can range from $10,000 to $13,000 a cycle—a hefty sum for anyone in need of fertility treatment. For veterans whose infertility came about as a result of fighting for our country, it’s an added wound. Fortunately for groups like RESOLVE, a patient advocacy group, and, more recently, many fertility centers across the country, including Shady Grove Fertility, it’s become a priority to affect change in this legislation and provide our wounded veterans the treatment they need to build their families, regardless of the cost.

For the last 6 years Senator Patty Murray, D-WA, in her role on the Senate Veterans Affairs committee, has worked tirelessly to get the votes to pass the bill she authored that would end the VA ban on IVF. Murray told the Newshour, “To me, when someone goes off to fight a war for us, a man or a woman, we have an obligation as the country to make them whole again, as whole as we can. And, certainly, having a family, having children, having that kind of quality of life that a lot of Americans want is something that we should make sure they get.”

While the Newshour was unable to get comment from lawmakers who oppose Murray’s bill, the concern is considered to be largely centered around cost and ethical concerns about potentially extra embryos created during the IVF process. Some estimate the costs of fertility treatment to the VA would be as high as $568 million over 5 years while others argue that estimate is wildly inflated.

Despite the potential cost and ethical concerns, Shady Grove Fertility’s Gilbert L. Mottla, M.D. explained the importance of the legislation to support fertility treatments for veterans. Mottla told the Newshour, “We’re really talking about some 1,800 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who are now aging. This one group of war injured, we really need to move this legislation forward and get these individuals the coverage they need before they lose their own reproductive potential.”

A New Program to Help Vets without Infertility Treatment Coverage

To address the cost issue, this past Veterans Day the leading reproductive medicine governing bodies, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), announced the creation of Service to Vets, a program specifically designed the fill the void in funding for fertility treatments by offering the necessary fertility treatments at deeply discounted rates.

During RESOLVE’S Advocacy Day and through letters and appointments with legislators across the country, Shady Grove Fertility has let its voice be known in support of the effort to lift the IVF ban for veterans who require fertility treatment to build their family. We are also proud to enthusiastically support ASRM and SART’s efforts in the Service to Vets Program. In addition to our existing Military Discount Program for active duty military and reservists, as part of Service to Vets, wounded vets who require fertility treatment will receive a 50 percent discount at Shady Grove Fertility. Since November 2015, 103 fertility centers have joined Shady Grove Fertility, the ASRM, and SART in providing these discounts to our most worthy patriots.

Click to watch the entire PBS segment. For more information on Shady Grove Fertility’s Military Discount Program or to schedule an appointment, please contact our New Patient Center at 888-971-7755.