Vet sues over coverage denial for daughter gender transition
Source: Associated Press
Vet sues over coverage denial for daughter gender transition
By PATRICK WHITTLE
November 21, 2022
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A U.S. military veteran and his daughter filed a lawsuit on Monday challenging a federal rule they said prevents the daughter from accessing medical coverage because she is transgender.
The veteran and daughter filed their lawsuit against the government anonymously via GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, a Boston-based advocacy group. The group’s court filing said the daughter has been denied treatments recommended by doctors due to a federal statute that dates to 1976 that mandates exclusion of surgical treatments for gender transition in the military’s medical coverage for dependent of service members.
The statute is an antiquated rule based on outdated views of transgender people, and striking it from the books would be significant for many people seeking to access care, said Ben Klein, an attorney with GLAD.
“We can safely say this is the first time the statute has been challenged. It would affect a huge number of people,” Klein said. “A victory in this case would ensure that all dependents of military personnel who are transgender would have access to the critical medical care they need, free of discrimination of exclusion.”
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/health-lawsuits-maine-portland-veterans-2cbbdf42f0c8289844668c3de22d395d
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