Pentagon Reinstates IVF Travel Coverage for Military Families

The Pentagon has made it clear that service members will still be able to get reimbursement for out-of-state travel costs for in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments, even though it was said earlier that this program had been ended.

Concerns were raised when the Department of Defense said in late January that it was ending a policy from the Biden administration that paid travel costs for reproductive health care that wasn't covered by military insurance. This clarification addresses those concerns.

A separate strategy that lets service members take administrative leave without losing pay or being charged for time off has stayed in place, and a defense official says it has been used 711 times since September. The Department of Defense had said that it would no longer pay for travel related to abortions in general. However, the new Joint Travel Regulations Change, which went into effect on February 4, makes it clear that IVF-related procedures can still be covered by travel insurance.

Some of these treatments are stimulating the ovaries, retrieving eggs, collecting sperm, insemination inside the uterus, and freezing the embryos. Family members of active duty members have used the program 25 times since September 30, 2024, to travel for IVF activities.

The clarification makes sure that service members and their families can continue to get necessary reproductive treatments no matter where they are stationed.

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