Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, introduced legislation today to support disabled veterans who want to start families but are unable due to a 1992 law banning the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from funding in vitro fertilization (IVF) services. Senator Murray today introduced the companion bill in the Senate.

“America’s women and men in uniform sacrifice greatly. If injured in the line of duty, they should not have to sacrifice their dreams of having a family,” said Larsen. “A cycle of IVF treatment, the most effective assisted reproductive technology available today, can cost $12,000 or more. Congress should take the long-overdue step of permanently overturning the IVF prohibition to help these veterans start a family.”

The Women Veterans and Families Health Services Act would also expand the fertility options available to servicemembers through the Department of Defense (DoD), give access to fertility treatment for spouses, allow VA to provide adoption assistance and make VA’s highly successful child care pilot program permanent.

Larsen has been a leading voice in Congress in the fight to expand reproductive care for veterans and has previously worked with Senator Murray and others to temporarily lift the ban through annual appropriations.

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