The Pentagon is covering care related to gender transitions for transgender individuals, despite failing to codify the change in federal law.
The head of the Defense Health Agency Medical Corps for the U.S. Navy told Military.com last week that Tricare is providing hormone therapy and mental health counseling for troops, civilian personnel, and retirees with "gender dysphoria."
The U.S. military's Tricare health care system now covers transgender military family members and retirees, despite the official policy not yet going live, a top official said.
"I'm not going to wait for the final policy," Navy Vice Adm. Raquel Bono, head of the Defense Health Agency, said in a wide-ranging interview with Military.com on Thursday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
"We're going to go ahead and do that because that's what our patients need," she said.
The Department of Defense is moving forward despite a pending regulation dealing with the issue. The proposed rule to change the military’s health care policy for transgender individuals was published in February.
"It is no longer justifiable to categorically exclude and not cover currently accepted medically and psychologically necessary treatments for gender dysphoria (such as psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and hormone replacement therapy) that are not otherwise excluded by statute," the proposed rule states.
The proposed regulation does not allow for mammary augmentation, face lifts, or sex change operations, which cannot be covered by Tricare under federal law.
The rule, which also expands opioid treatment programs and substance abuse treatment, is expected to increase Tricare costs by roughly $16.8 million.