Center for Women Veterans (CWV)
Frequently Asked Questions - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Veterans
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- What health care does VA provide to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) women Veterans?
- What benefits does VA provide to LGBT Veterans?
1. What health care does VA provide to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) women Veterans?
The VA strives to be a national leader in the provision of health care to LGBT Veterans and assures that clinically appropriate, comprehensive, Veteran-centered care is provided with respect and dignity at VA facilities nationwide. A range of services are available, including support groups, counseling, treatment for trauma, and health screens. Every facility has on staff at least one LGBT Veteran Care Coordinator (LGBT VCC) who can help LGBT Veterans receive the care they deserve. Check out the website of the LGBT Program, Office of Patient Care Services, for more information on relevant policies for LGBT Veterans, to download Fact Sheets on lesbian and bisexual women Veteran health or transgender women Veteran health or to find an LGBT Program at a facility near you.
2. What benefits does VA provide to LGBT Veterans?
In 2015, the Supreme Court held in Obergefell v. Hodges that the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution requires a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex and to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state. Accordingly, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) may now recognize all same-sex marriages without regard to a Veteran’s state of residence. Veterans Application for Compensation and/or Pension.
VA is in the process of updating all forms that request marital status and dependent information in order to clarify that same-sex married couples and their dependents are eligible for benefits, including by replacing references to “husband” or “wife” with “spouse” and providing appropriate references to children of same-sex marriages. In the interim, you may use existing forms to apply for benefits. If you have questions regarding how to fill out a form, please call 1-800-827-1000. If you have additional questions about how these recent changes regarding same-sex marriage may affect your claim for benefits, please refer to the Office of Public Affair’s FAQs.
