VA Health Care: Action Needed to Improve Fertility Care Communications and Eligibility Determination Process

What GAO Found Within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is responsible for providing enrolled veterans access to reproductive health care, including fertility care. From fiscal years 2022 through 2025, VHA data show that approximately 8 million veterans used some type of VHA health care. Around 30,000 veterans had an infertility diagnosis in fiscal year 2025, an increase from the approximately 19,000 veterans with an infertility diagnosis in fiscal year 2022. VHA officials said there may be several reasons for the increase, such as expansions VHA made to eligibility for fertility care in 2024. Number of Veterans with an Infertility Diagnosis, Fiscal Years 2022-2025 VHA’s Office of Women’s Health communicates about available fertility care through various methods, such as a fertility webpage and brochures. GAO found some interested veterans may be unaware of VHA’s fertility care. For example, stakeholders said male veterans may not seek out or may find it difficult to seek out eligibility information because it comes from Office of Women’s Health. GAO determined that VHA has not implemented key performance practices related to its c...