Robby,
I think you might have some misconceptions about the VA.
All of my healthcare is through the VA, including all of my transitioning. Mental Health Eval, HRT, voice training, and hair removal are all covered, but I have no one in the area who does electrolysis. My mental health eval was in 2019 and I started HRT in Jan 2020. All through the VA.
The VA covers all pre-op care, including hair removal, pre-op physical exams, surgeon letters, etc. They also cover all post-op aftercare. The only thing they will not do is the actual surgery. But everything the surgeon requires before and after surgery is covered. If there is a problem post-op and a revision is needed to correct the problem, revision surgery is covered.
The lawsuit mentioned above was filed by TAVA (Transgender American Veterans Association) to force the VA to change its regulations concerning Gender Affirming Surgery. The Secretary of the VA has been promising that he would since 2016.
The lawsuit was filed in Jan 2024. In March 2024, the VA Secretary denied the petition saying he is "not ready to change the regulations at this time". TAVA then filed a second lawsuit against the VA charging them with discrimination against transgender veterans. That lawsuit is still pending.