S.Amdt. 4637

The Veteran Families Health Services Act of 2026 is an amendment proposed by Mrs. Murray to be added to bill S. 1383. Its purpose is to provide reproductive, fertility preservation, and adoption assistance to members of the Armed Forces and veterans.

The amendment aims to add the following to the bill:

Assistance for Members of the Armed Forces

• Requires the Secretary of Defense to provide fertility treatment and counseling to members of the Armed Forces, spouses, partners, and gestational surrogates regardless of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or marital status.
• Allows for up to three completed oocyte retrievals and unlimited embryo transfers for in vitro fertilization.
• Provides for the reimbursement of costs for donated reproductive genetic material if a member cannot provide their own.
• Establishes procedures for retrieving reproductive genetic material if a member's fertility is jeopardized by injury or illness while on active duty.
• Offers the opportunity for retrieval, testing, cryopreservation, shipping, and storage of genetic material prior to combat zones or hazardous assignments (such as exposure to perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances) at no cost until one year after the member leaves the service.

Assistance for Veterans

• Amends the law to include fertility treatment and counseling as a medical service for covered veterans and their spouses, partners, gamete donors, or gestational surrogates.
• Provides for the reimbursement of reasonable costs for procuring donated reproductive genetic material and associated travel/incidental expenses.
• Authorizes the Secretary to provide adoption assistance to covered veterans for up to three adoptions.

Administrative and Research Requirements

• Directs the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs to coordinate care, share best practices, and ensure continuity of care during transitions or moves.
• Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to facilitate collaborative research with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to improve long-term reproductive health care for veterans.
• Mandates the creation of regulations to carry out these services within two years of the Act's enactment.