Veteran Fertility Memorial Clears the Senate

(KLIX) – A Joint Memorial from the Idaho House of Representatives cleared its final hurdle when it passed on the Senate floor on Monday.

House Joint Memorial No. 7, dubbed the Veteran Fertility Memorial, calls on the federal government to amend Veteran Affairs healthcare to include fertility treatments for veterans and their spouses when injury prohibits their ability to have children.

“When I found out that the VA was not covering fertility treatments for injured veterans, I was shocked and disappointed,” Boise lawmaker Rep. Brooke Green said in a prepared statement. “When a soldier goes to combat, they should expect to come home and be taken care of. They should be able to start a family.”

Fertility treatment for veterans is not currently covered by VA healthcare, according to information from Green’s office.  She said the policy has resulted in veterans all over the country being forced to spend thousands of dollars for fertility treatments or forego having children.

The memorial will now be sent to Idaho’s Congressional representatives to urge them to change federal policy.

“I am so glad that my colleagues in the House and Senate unanimously supported this resolution because it shows they value the service that these individuals have given us,” Green said. “This memorial was a necessary first step to get the federal government to change their discriminatory policy.”