Veteran Families Health Services Act of 2025

This bill expands family-building care for service members and veterans. It requires the Defense Department and the VA to provide fertility treatment and counseling to eligible people and their spouses, partners, and gestational surrogates, no matter their sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or marital status . IVF coverage can include up to three egg retrievals and unlimited embryo transfers, and people may use donated sperm, eggs, or embryos with reasonable donor costs covered .

For active-duty troops, the bill sets up fertility preservation. Before combat deployments or certain hazardous assignments (including those with PFAS exposure), the Defense Department must offer retrieval, testing, freezing, shipping, and storage of sperm or eggs at no cost through one year after separation. After that, people can keep storing at their own cost or transfer to a private facility, and must complete forms that say how their stored material should be used if they die or cannot consent . If a service member’s fertility is at risk because of an injury or illness on active duty, the Department must set up quick retrieval to preserve options. The Department will help members find providers, keep care going during moves, and coordinate with the VA so coverage continues after leaving service.

For veterans, the VA must cover fertility treatment and counseling (with normal copays if they apply), allow use of donor material and reimburse related costs (including some donor travel), offer adoption assistance up to a cap set by VA (based on the cost of up to three adoptions), and help veterans navigate care and keep it going if they move. The VA will also support research with the Defense Department and Health and Human Services to improve long‑term reproductive care . Neither department has to find a surrogate or donor for someone, and for VA benefits, the Department will not take ownership of stored sperm, eggs, or embryos or handle disputes about them .

• Who is affected: Active-duty service members; veterans enrolled in VA care; their spouses, partners, and gestational surrogates .
• What changes: Broader access to fertility treatment and counseling; IVF with up to three egg retrievals and unlimited embryo transfers; use of donor sperm/eggs/embryos with costs covered; fertility preservation before deployments or hazardous work; adoption help through VA; navigation support; and research to improve care .
• When: The Defense Department and the VA have up to two years after enactment to issue rules to carry this out .