Transgendered Veterans Resource and Information Center

[Devlyn]

A place to post and share information useful to Veterans and their loved ones.

[Jessica B]

       Great!  I love it, I'll have to write a few survival guides for the Transgendered Service Member. 

[Brooke777]

I am a US Army veteran. I have actually found the VA to be quite helpful. They are fully paying for my hrt, and therapy. They even have a transgender support group at my local VA hospital. There is one doctor here who will find a way to tweak policy to allow you to get an orchi. Since the VA does not cover any surgical treatments for GID, this is quite nice.

Have any of you veterans worked on getting voice therapy through the VA? I was going to ask my therapist the next time I see her, and am wondering if anyone has some precedence I could use.

[Samantha Stone]

Thanks for posting.  I have wondered about the Portland Oregon VA and will have to ask them.  The NW Gender Alliance did a recent presentation to mental health is all I know. 

USAF Veteran

Samantha

[Brooke777]

Nice to meet you. I am in the Seattle area. I don't know what the NW Gender Alliance is.

So, USAF? You almost made it into the Army...so close

[Devlyn]

Now, now, there's no room on this site for petty squabbling between the different branches of...wait, I've just been handed something...OK, great news, it looks like there is room for inter service rivalries here, carry on! Hugs, Devlyn

[Brooke777]

You know Devlyn, with your sense of humor I would say you were an N.C.O. (Never Challenged Orders). But hey, someone has to follow.

[Brooke777]

I printed up the VA policy for transgender care, and took it to my psych this week. I told her I wanted to go to speech therapy. She used that to get me an appointment. I got a call last night from the speech pathology clinic. They are going to schedule me to start voice lessons. I am really excited. I just thought you other vets would want to know that the VA will do this.

[Sheala]

i fully agree I have found the VA to be a wonderfull resource for us vets. I see a therapist, speech therapy, I have a gyne there. like brooke said all but surgeries. Kist wish i was in the seatle are for the DR, but im here in Pittsburgh. and the rivalries are just fun, NAVY corpsman, stationd with the marines. so i have heard and said it all lmao.

[Jean24]

i fully agree I have found the VA to be a wonderfull resource for us vets. I see a therapist, speech therapy, I have a gyne there. like brooke said all but surgeries. Kist wish i was in the seatle are for the DR, but im here in Pittsburgh. and the rivalries are just fun, NAVY corpsman, stationd with the marines. so i have heard and said it all lmao.

So do they actually pay for any of it Sheala or is it more or less a place that offers those services?

[Brooke777]

The amount you have to pay for medications is dependent on your disability rating. However, all of the appointments and therapies are fully covered.

They now also pay for Orchis. I am going to be scheduled in about 2 months to get mine.

[Sheala]

due to my rating i dont pay a thing. all therapy, and medications are coverd. i didnt know they did the Orchis now brook i may need to look into it my self in the area.

[Jean24]

I never applied for it lol. Maybe I should have but I'm not disabled and don't want to be so I guess it works out. I guess I will have to call the local VA hospital or visit them for more information?

[Sheala]

well i dont have a disabuility rating Gene. it comes down to my anual income that they cover everything for me. and you deffinatly should.

[Brooke777]

They just started offering it at the Seattle VA about a month ago. Prior to that they did not cover it. The trans supportive staff here are reaching out to other VA Hospitals to make sure this service starts to get offered everywhere.

[Sheala]

I will have to keep my eye and ear out for it over here. thank you for the info.

[Brooke777]

I would like to suggest that you talk with your psych, and endo about it (assuming you use the VA ones). If you start planting the thought in their ear, they might actually take the hint. You could also ask them if there is a trans friendly urologist there. That was what I had to find first. I found one of the urologists who was not only trans friendly, but had worked with a lot of trans people prior to being at the VA. Once I got her on board, she talked with the endo staff, and the psychologist who heads up the trans support group.

You shouldn't have to do all of that, but if you at least talk with endo and psych they will keep their ears out for you. If they say it can't be done, ask them to contact their counter parts at the VA hospital in Seattle.

[Sheala]

I will deffinatly do that. however i dont go through endo out here. I go through the womens health clinic, but i will deffinatly ask them if they have any info. 

[Brooke777]

One thing they require for the surgery is that you have been FT for 1 year, and you have a letter from a mental health professional that has been seeing you regularly for at least 6 months.

[Sheala]

ok well i was planning on waiting atleast 2 years from HRT start befor i put any real thought into surgeries anyway so that is fine with me