Transwoman Denied Access to VA Hospitals

http://www.unicornriot.ninja/?p=2038

Unicorn Riot/September 15, 2015

"Lucrecia Luciana Belmont served in the US Army for a little over five years from 2003-2008. It was before she was discharged that she began exploring her gender in 2007. She started experimenting off-duty with wearing women's clothing. "Nobody knew, but I was more comfortable in that," she said."

The va will not treat gender dysphoria if you are not currently in the va system..  it took over a year, but my primary care dr at the va will start prescribing me my hormones and other meds from my civilian endocrinologist treating my dysphoria..  the psychologists at the va in El paso know nothing about dysphoria,  but they are willing to contract out for help for me.  If you are 100% disabled through the va, you automatically qualify for medicare, and it is much easier to use this when seeking gender type mental health..

As for the card, same issue, just change your ss card first, and they will change the va card to your new name if court ordered..  I saw in that article that she has not done that yet.. 

There are some bad apples in government positions blocking our interests, but the va usually tries to help.  If not, goto patient advocate, and people will jump through hoops..  I have been trying to get the va to help with some of my transition stuff, but I do give up my appointment spots to those vets who need it more with issues greater than my dysphoria..  I'm not saying dysphoria doesn't matter, but I found a better way to treat it through the system as a vet.. 

Hope this makes sense, if you need help with gender issues and the va, feel free to pm me with questions..  most va's should operate the same, but not always:(  my way is not the only way through the system, I'm sure others have had better luck and can post here too:)

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Sounds like she needs a good lawyer. The violations of law (and their own policy) may leave the VA open to monetary liability.

I dunno . . .something's missing in this story. I saw this happen frequently just about the time the policy was changed to provide care to trans vets, at a time when there were few in the VA who knew about the change. But the offenses here are so numerous and so grievous it's not passing the smell test. If this is going down just as written then she doesn't need a lawyer, she needs to go straight to her congress person.

I am wondering if she's even eligible for care. Based on this - "In the last 7 years since her discharge, she has experienced "repeated denial" at VA hospitals across Minnesota." I would say that this may be the problem. It seems to be a case of ineligibility rather than transphobia.

Sending her to compensation and claims sounds like they are trying  to make her dysphoria as a "service connected disability"..  that will never happen..  she has to have a service connected disability or claim a pension before she can get help..  I think she was going the pension way and they just got the communication mixed up..  she was then thinking that the va would treat her dysphoria as her main issue, which you know the va usually doesn't treat you unless you have a service connected disability and something like the dysphoria needs attention too..  otherwise they will put her in a lower category for treatment.. 
I'm basing this off my last few years with the el paso va, how this stuff was explained to me..  once I figured how the system works in the area, I have no problem working with them..  it was hell in the beginning like for most vets though..  I suggest to use the patient advocate office and vso office..  I signed up for the dav, but am very displeased with their actions..  they do good for other with other programs,  but their claims processing advisors in albq I would file a complaint against if I could!  I just found better representation and moved on..

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Cynobyte, I think you've hit the nail on the head. The VA gives me terrific treatment for my trans stuff (hormones, mental health, voice, pre-surgery labs), but those issues alone would not have qualified me if I weren't already a patient.

Interesting thing about VA that few people realize. A vet can register and receive and ID card without being treated, just to get into the system and become a paying patient just as they would with any other health care provider. If this person has done that and they aren't changing her documents she has a legitimate gripe. Otherwise, I think there may be details in this case that have been omitted from the story.