New Veteran Families Act Mandates Fertility Coverage for Active Duty & Vets, Caps IVF at Three Cycles

The newly introduced Veteran Families Health Services Act of 2025 is the friend who shows up with a detailed plan to make sure military families can actually start a family. This bill focuses on expanding reproductive and fertility services for both active-duty personnel and veterans, making sure that service-related injuries or deployment risks don’t mean sacrificing the chance to have kids.

The New Deal for Active Duty: Fertility and Freezing

Title I of the Act requires the Department of Defense (DoD) to provide comprehensive fertility treatment and counseling to active-duty members, their spouses, partners, and even gestational surrogates (SEC. 102). Crucially, this access can’t be denied based on things like sex, gender identity, or marital status. For those needing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), the DoD will cover up to three completed egg retrievals, with no limit on the number of subsequent embryo transfers. This is a game-changer for military families who currently face huge out-of-pocket costs for these services.

Perhaps the most significant change for active service members is the mandatory preservation of reproductive material. The DoD must now offer to retrieve, freeze (cryopreserve), and store genetic material—sperm or eggs—before a service member is sent to a combat zone or given a hazardous assignment, which specifically includes exposure to PFAS chemicals (SEC. 104). This service is free while they are active duty and for one year after separation. For someone facing a risky deployment, this is a major piece of mind, protecting their future family options. However, be aware: after that one-year grace period post-service, the veteran must pay all future storage costs themselves if they want to keep the material banked at a military facility (SEC. 104).

VA Steps Up: Fertility Coverage for Veterans

Title II brings the VA into the 21st century by expanding what counts as “medical services” to include fertility treatment and counseling for covered veterans (SEC. 201). Similar to the active-duty benefit, the VA must now provide these services, including up to three completed IVF egg retrievals, to any enrolled veteran regardless of their sex, marital status, or sexual orientation (SEC. 202). This means a veteran who sustained an injury that affected their reproductive health, or simply struggles with infertility, finally has a clear path to care through the VA.

If a veteran needs to use donated sperm or eggs, the VA must allow it and even pay or reimburse the reasonable costs associated with acquiring that donated material (SEC. 202). This removes a massive financial hurdle. The catch for some veterans is that if they are normally required to pay a copayment for VA hospital care, they must agree to pay that same copayment for the new fertility treatments as well, which could still be a barrier for lower-income vets.

Making the Transition Seamless

This bill recognizes that military life involves constant movement. For both active-duty members (SEC. 105) and veterans (SEC. 204), the respective departments must provide assistance to ensure continuity of care. If a service member gets a Permanent Change of Station (PCS), or if an active-duty member transitions to veteran status, the DoD and VA are required to coordinate via a formal agreement to prevent any break in fertility treatments or the storage of frozen material (SEC. 106). This is the policy equivalent of making sure your medical files actually follow you when you move across the country.

Finally, the Act creates a new adoption assistance program for covered veterans (SEC. 203). While the VA Secretary will set the exact dollar limit, the amount is tied to the cost of covering up to three adoptions. This provides a needed financial assist for veterans who choose to build their family through adoption instead of, or in addition to, fertility treatments. Both the VA and DoD have two years to write the official rules (SEC. 107, SEC. 206), so while the benefits are laid out, the actual start date for these programs is tied to that regulatory deadline.