DoD Clarifies Policy: Military Families Can Receive IVF Travel Coverage

The Pentagon has clarified that military members and their families will not have to pay for their trips to IVF treatments. This confirms a benefit that was thought to have been taken away. 

The update from the Department of Defense (DoD), which went into action on February 4, makes sure that military members can go out of state for IVF and other forms of assisted reproduction that aren't covered by their military insurance.

The policy change comes after a more considerable effort during Biden's time that let service members take administrative vacations (without losing pay) to get reproductive health care, such as abortions and fertility treatments. According to a DoD source, that rule has been used 711 times since September. But in late January, the DoD took back the more general travel policy that had initially covered travel tied to abortion and other reproductive services like IVF that weren't covered.

Even though the change was rolled back, a new update to the Joint Travel Regulations Change clarifies that IVF-related travel will still be paid for. The policy covers operations like stimulating the ovaries, retrieving eggs, collecting sperm, insemination inside the uterus, and cryopreservation. The trip rule has been used 25 times for IVF treatments since September 30, 2024.

Concerns had been raised that the policy change might have made it harder for military families to get fertility care, especially those stationed in states where assisted reproductive methods aren't legal.

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