Many of the nation’s fertility clinics plan\u00a0to offer discounts on in-vitro fertilization services to\u00a0veterans with service-related injuries, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and the Society for Assisted Reproduction Technology\u00a0announced Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Describing\u00a0the law that bars the Veterans Affairs Department from providing\u00a0reproductive services for injured veterans as “antiquated and unconscionable,” society officials implored Congress to overturn the 1990s-era ban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Bradley Van Voorhis, SART\u00a0president,\u00a0said ASRM and SART\u00a0members\u00a0are\u00a0“frustrated by congressional gridlock” and believe the government is obligated to help veterans whose infertility is related to their military service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“While we wait for Congress to act, our member clinics have chosen to try to improve the situation. Our government should do better by our veterans,” Van Voorhis\u00a0said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since 2012, at least three bills have been introduced in Congress to broaden veterans fertility services through the VA. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a strong proponent of the legislation, estimates that 2,300 veterans with spinal cord injuries or wounds to their reproductive and urinary tract systems would qualify for the benefit, at a\u00a0cost of about $568 million over five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But efforts to change the VA\u00a0regulations have been opposed by lawmakers who object to proposals to\u00a0fund the initiative, and question\u00a0whether the VA should expand its health services at a time when it is struggling to care for veterans already in the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For retired Army Sgt. Kevin Jaye, 28, and wife Lauren, 27, of Hagerstown, Maryland, the legislation would give them hope that they could expand their family in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jaye was wounded in Afghanistan on June 24, 2012, making IVF the only way he will ever father a baby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Jayes have started fertility treatment at Shady Grove Fertility in Frederick, Maryland, paid for by Lauren’s health insurance. She has a lifetime cap for fertility services of $30,000, and after one failed round of IVF, the couple already has used more than half the benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“It quickly adds up. The medicine for the first cycle alone was\u00a0more than $8,000,” Lauren Jaye said. “All Kevin\u00a0and I want is to try to resume a normal life like\u00a0other couples have.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tricare, the military health program that pays for private care, covers diagnoses of illnesses that can cause fertility and correction of any medical issues that might be the source of the problem, but does not cover IVF or artificial insemination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Services such as as sperm extraction, preservation of embryos, IVF, artificial insemination and other fertility services are available at no charge to severely wounded personnel and their spouses as long as the member is on active duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But for many troops facing recovery and medical retirement from the military after a severe injury, starting a family is the furthest thing from their minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Kevin was living at Walter Reed and undergoing multiple surgeries. I was working in Hagerstown. Our\u00a0whole life would have had to change to have a baby when he was still recovering,” Lauren Jaye said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With\u00a0SART’s\u00a0“Service to Veterans” program, individual\u00a0infertility clinics will set their rates to help alleviate the financial strain of\u00a0IVF services for injured veterans. Details will vary from clinic to clinic, but\u00a0most will be offering at least\u00a050 percent\u00a0off to veterans with service-related infertility issues, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SART clinics will use\u00a0the criteria developed by the Defense Department for active-duty personnel to decide who will be eligible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Jason Bromer, the Jayes’ doctor at Shady Grove, said he has counseled\u00a0veterans who need fertility services but weren’t able to pursue treatment because they couldn’t afford the price tag, which can range\u00a0from $15,000 to $35,000, depending on services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shady Grove has not yet set a price for its discounted IVF services, but Bromer described it as “deep” and said that to date, 103 fertility clinics also have signed on to support the Service to Veterans program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The nation’s fertility doctors feel very strongly that infertility is a disease just\u00a0like other diseases and we feel very strongly that our government has an obligation to take\u00a0care of our veterans for all medical ramifications of their service, which includes this,” Bromer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said efforts also are underway to raise funds to cover even the discounted cost for qualified veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Veterans advocacy groups\u00a0have pressed Congress to change the law, and on Wednesday, four voiced support for\u00a0ASRM’s program \u2014 Wounded Warrior Project,\u00a0Veterans of Foreign Wars, Paralyzed Veterans of America and Vietnam Veterans of America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Congress refuses to care for the needs of these veterans by continuing to prohibit the VA from providing in-vitro fertilization services to these catastrophically disabled veterans. PVA thanks ASRM and the participating clinics for caring for these veterans when Congress has not,” said Carl Blake,\u00a0PVA associate executive director for government relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“<\/strong>The VFW hopes that this act of generosity by participating infertility clinics will motivate Congress to finally authorize coverage of IVF treatments,” said\u00a0VFW Legislative Director Raymond Kelley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lauren Jaye said she and her husband will continue to speak out on veterans health issues including infertility, and expressed gratitude that they will have access to discounts if their next try at having a baby fails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, she said, Congress needs to change the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The VA needs to recognize what is happening. This is a service-related injury,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Service to Veterans program will expire when the ban is lifted or at the end of the\u00a02016 congressional calendar year,\u00a0according to an ASRM release.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many of the nation\u2019s fertility clinics plan\u00a0to offer discounts on in-vitro fertilization services to\u00a0veterans with service-related injuries, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and the Society for Assisted Reproduction Teannounced Wednesday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":45887,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":21,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3120],"class_list":["post-63378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"VAXR4MSF4BD3HPLLQFJWSHTX7A","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/2015\/11\/12\/fertility-clinics-to-offer-discounts-to-wounded-veterans\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n