What Happened: More than 20 House Democrats are pressuring the Trump administration to rescind a new Department of Veterans Affairs policy that makes it harder for male veterans with breast cancer to get health insurance.
The request was made in a letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and follows a ProPublica article last week that revealed the change.
Previously, the VA included breast cancer in men on its list of diseases it presumes are related to a veteran’s military service. As we reported, the department removed the disease from its list in a memo signed by Collins in September. The order cites an order issued by President Donald Trump on his first day in office entitled “Protecting Women from Gender Ideological Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”
As a result, in order to receive coverage through the Veterans Administration, the approximately 100 male veterans diagnosed with breast cancer each year must prove that their disease is related to military service, a burden that is often difficult to meet.
Separately, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut and ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, introduced a bill Tuesday that would require the government to disclose when it changes benefits for veterans exposed to toxins.
What they’re saying: Democrats led by Rep. Mark Takano, ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, slammed the changes at the Veterans Administration.
“This decision makes clear that VA has callously prioritized political calculations and compliance with unscientific executive orders over its duty to provide care to veterans,” the representatives said in the letter.
Meanwhile, Blumenthal said in a statement that transparency in the process is outdated and what his bill provides. “This measure guarantees vital information to our veterans,” the senator said in a statement citing a ProPublica article. “This is especially important as the Department of Veterans Affairs is reportedly scaling back coverage of conditions for which there is no scientific evidence.”
The Veterans Administration defended the new policy. “Male breast cancer is a serious disease, and the VA will continue to provide treatment and benefits to veterans who can show a link to breast cancer service,” said Pete Kasperowitz, VA spokesman. “We also encourage male veterans with breast cancer who feel their health may have been affected by military service to file a disability claim.”
Background: But the process can be tedious. That fact was the impetus for Congress and the Biden administration to pass the Comprehensive Toxic Action Commitment Act (PACT), which streamlines the path to insurance coverage for veterans exposed to toxic substances such as Agent Orange.
Last year, the VA added breast cancer in men to its list of covered diseases. The law directs it to cover “all types of reproductive cancer.” The agency added male breast cancer to that category after a working group of experts reviewed the science. It was this decision that prompted the Trump administration to object as part of its efforts to eradicate “gender ideology” within the government.
“The Biden administration has misclassified male breasts as reproductive organs,” Kasperovich said in an earlier statement to ProPublica. On Wednesday, he reiterated that point. “While you may want to ignore the details of the PACT Act as it is written, the law simply states that the Veterans Administration must provide services for ‘reproductive cancers,’ and male breast cancer is not a reproductive cancer,” Democrats said.
Why it matters: Collins has long maintained that changes in administration at the Department of Veterans Affairs will not affect care. “Veterans benefits have not been cut,” he said in February. “In fact, we are actually delivering and improving the service.”
But experts say the new policy on male breast cancer could result in treatment being delayed or even missed for veterans. Research shows that breast cancer is particularly deadly for men, even though its incidence is increasing among men.
In addition to insisting that the VA reverse its decision, the House members also asked to know what evidence, if any, the agency relied on in their letter. “The PACT Act is a law, not a proposal,” the letter says. “And we expect the VA to follow the evidence, not executive orders that distort science for politics.”
Meanwhile, Blumenthal’s bill, the Presumptive Clear Legal Evaluation and Review of Illnesses Due to Toxic Exposure (CLARITY) Act, would require the Veterans Administration to create a website detailing its decisions regarding compensation for illnesses related to exposure to toxic substances.
