- •TRICARE covers Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), including IVF, but only for service members whose infertility is caused by a qualifying service-connected injury or illness — not for general infertility.
- •A 2024 DoD policy change expanded ART eligibility to unmarried service members and same-sex couples, and now permits donated sperm, eggs, and embryos.
- •The VA covers IVF for eligible veterans with service-connected infertility — up to 6 embryo creation attempts and 3 completed transfer cycles.
- •Veterans with service-connected infertility may also receive up to $2,000 per child ($5,000/year) in adoption expense reimbursement.
- •Congress stripped a proposal to broadly expand TRICARE IVF coverage from the FY2026 NDAA — legislation to restore it has already been reintroduced in 2026.
- •Private fertility clinics offer military discounts and financial assistance programs if you don’t qualify for DoD or VA coverage.
Building a family is one of the most deeply personal decisions a service member or veteran can make — and military service can make it harder. Combat injuries, toxic exposures, stress, and repeated deployments can all affect fertility. Yet for most military families, the fertility benefit landscape is confusing, limited, and increasingly in the political spotlight.
This guide breaks down exactly what TRICARE and the VA currently cover, who qualifies, where treatment is available, and what legislative changes may be coming. USMilitary.org is an independent educational resource not affiliated with the Department of Defense, VA, or any government agency.
- What TRICARE Covers: ART for Active Duty
- Who Qualifies for TRICARE ART Benefits
- Where TRICARE ART Services Are Available
- What the VA Covers: IVF and Fertility Services for Veterans
- Who Qualifies for VA IVF Benefits
- VA Adoption Assistance
- The Coverage Gap: What TRICARE Still Doesn’t Cover
- Pending Legislation: What Could Change
- Private Fertility Clinics and Military Discounts
- Frequently Asked Questions
What TRICARE Covers: ART for Active Duty
TRICARE does not cover fertility treatment as a standard benefit for all beneficiaries. Instead, Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) — which includes IVF, intrauterine insemination (IUI), sperm and egg retrieval, and embryo transfer — is available through the Supplemental Health Care Program, and only under specific conditions tied to service-connected injury or illness.
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This distinction matters. A military spouse or service member dealing with run-of-the-mill infertility unrelated to their service will not qualify for TRICARE ART coverage. The program exists specifically to address fertility loss caused by military service itself — neurological, physiological, or anatomical injuries sustained while on active duty that prevent natural conception.
The ART services TRICARE covers for eligible service members include:
- In vitro fertilization (IVF)
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
- Sperm and egg (gamete) retrieval
- Embryo transfer
- Cryopreservation and storage of gametes and embryos (covered until separation from service)
- Use of donated sperm, eggs, or embryos (as of March 2024)
Prior authorization is required for every IUI, gamete retrieval, embryo transfer, and IVF cycle. Patients should expect to work closely with their military treatment facility’s reproductive endocrinology team to navigate the authorization process.
Who Qualifies for TRICARE ART Benefits
To receive TRICARE ART benefits, a service member must have incurred a serious or severe injury or illness while on active duty — classified as a Category II or Category III case — that directly caused their inability to conceive without medical assistance. The DoD policy language includes “neurological, physiological, or anatomical injuries” as qualifying conditions. Service members do not need to demonstrate they tried and failed to conceive naturally; what matters is the medical determination that their injury or illness caused the loss of reproductive function.
Following the March 2024 policy update, the following individuals may also receive ART services for the benefit of a qualifying service member:
- A TRICARE-enrolled spouse
- A TRICARE-enrolled unmarried partner
- A TRICARE-enrolled third-party gestational carrier (surrogate) — provided they are not being compensated, with a possible exception for travel expenses via waiver
The 2024 policy change was a meaningful expansion. Previously, benefits were limited to legally married service members who could produce their own gametes within that marriage — effectively barring unmarried service members and same-sex couples. The updated policy now allows donated sperm, eggs, and embryos, opening ART coverage to single service members and those in same-sex marriages for the first time.
Where TRICARE ART Services Are Available
ART services under TRICARE are delivered at military treatment facilities (MTFs) that operate obstetrics and gynecology reproductive endocrinology and infertility graduate medical education programs. These services are provided on a first-come, first-served basis at greatly reduced cost. There are currently eight such facilities:
| Facility | Location |
|---|---|
| Walter Reed National Military Medical Center | Bethesda, Maryland |
| Brooke Army Medical Center | San Antonio, Texas |
| Madigan Army Medical Center | Tacoma, Washington |
| Naval Medical Center San Diego | San Diego, California |
| Naval Medical Center Portsmouth | Portsmouth, Virginia |
| Womack Army Medical Center | Fort Liberty, North Carolina |
| Tripler Army Medical Center | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Mike O’Callaghan Military Medical Center | Nellis AFB, Nevada |
For service members stationed far from one of these eight locations, accessing ART services can be a significant logistical challenge. A December 2025 report from the Defense Health Agency specifically identified geographic distance as a barrier to care and called for expanded telehealth and remote support options.
To find your nearest MTF or confirm current ART program availability, use the official TRICARE Military Treatment Facility Locator or contact your installation’s medical center directly.
What the VA Covers: IVF and Fertility Services for Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs provides a broader base of fertility services to enrolled veterans, with IVF available under specific conditions tied to service-connected disability.
All veterans enrolled in VA health care are eligible for general reproductive health services, including:
- Fertility evaluation and consultation
- Management and select treatment for fertility conditions
- Maternity and gynecology care
- Contraception access
- Cervical cancer screening
- Menopause care
For veterans whose infertility is directly caused by a service-connected disability, the VA’s ART/IVF benefit covers a substantially more complete course of treatment — up to 6 attempts to create embryos and up to 3 completed embryo transfer cycles over the veteran’s lifetime.
Covered ART services for eligible veterans include IVF, sperm and egg retrieval, embryo creation and transfer, use of donated gametes and embryos, and associated medications and fertility treatment coordination. The VA does not cover the cost of purchasing donor eggs, sperm, or embryos, but will cover the medical procedures involved in using them.
For the most current information on VA fertility services, visit the VA Women’s Health fertility services page or call the Women Veterans Call Center at 855-VA-WOMEN (855-829-6636), available Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–10 p.m. ET and Saturday 8 a.m.–6:30 p.m. ET.
Who Qualifies for VA IVF Benefits
The VA’s IVF benefit has a clear eligibility threshold: a veteran must have a service-connected disability that results in the inability to procreate without the use of fertility treatment. That service-connected condition is the gateway to the full ART benefit.
The March 2024 policy expansion significantly broadened who can qualify within that threshold:
- Marital status is no longer a factor. Veterans do not need to be married to access VA IVF benefits.
- Same-sex couples are now eligible. The prior requirement that both partners produce their own gametes effectively excluded same-sex couples; donated material is now permitted.
- Unmarried partners are not covered. Unlike TRICARE, VA regulations only authorize treatment for the veteran and their legal spouse. An unmarried partner, regardless of relationship status, cannot receive VA-covered fertility treatment on behalf of the veteran.
- Surrogacy is excluded. VA law does not authorize coverage for gestational carriers.
Veterans who are unsure whether their infertility is service-connected should work with their VA primary care provider or a VA-accredited claims agent to explore whether a service connection can be established. Conditions such as traumatic injury to the reproductive system, certain toxic exposures, spinal cord injuries, and some cancers treated during service may qualify.
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VA Adoption Assistance
Veterans who are eligible for VA ART/IVF benefits are also eligible for an adoption reimbursement benefit — a meaningful option for those for whom fertility treatment is not viable or desired.
The benefit covers up to $2,000 per adopted child under age 18, with a maximum reimbursement of $5,000 in any single calendar year for adopting multiple children. Veterans apply using VA Form 10-10152: Reimbursement Request for Qualifying Adoption Expenses.
While the dollar amounts won’t cover the full cost of a domestic or international adoption, they represent a direct acknowledgment that service-connected infertility can lead families toward adoption — and that the VA has a role in supporting that path.
The Coverage Gap: What TRICARE Still Doesn’t Cover
The most significant limitation in military fertility benefits is straightforward: TRICARE does not cover IVF or ART for service members and military family members whose infertility is not caused by a qualifying service-connected injury.
This means a military spouse struggling with infertility unrelated to their partner’s service receives no ART coverage from TRICARE. It also means an active-duty service member who experiences infertility from causes unrelated to a specific qualifying injury — including conditions that may be worsened by service but not directly caused by a Category II or III event — falls outside the current benefit.
The contrast with civilian federal employees is stark. Starting in 2025, the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) Program began offering comprehensive fertility benefits, including IVF, to federal civilian employees — the same workforce category that includes members of Congress and their staffs. Military families, who by most measures sacrifice more and whose fertility challenges are often directly service-related, have a narrower benefit.
Advocacy organizations including the National Military Family Association (NMFA) and RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association have pressed Congress on this gap for years, arguing that equal access to reproductive health care is part of the overall quality-of-life equation that affects military recruitment and retention.
Pending Legislation: What Could Change
The legislative landscape shifted dramatically at the end of 2025. A proposal to broadly expand TRICARE IVF coverage — one that had bipartisan support and was expected to be included in the final FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act — was stripped from the bill at the last minute in December 2025. Advocacy organizations called it a significant setback.
Legislation to restore and expand coverage has already been reintroduced in 2026. The IVF for Military Families Act (S.1231, 119th Congress) would require the Secretary of Defense to ensure fertility-related care for active-duty service members and their dependents is covered under TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select, not just as a supplemental benefit at a handful of military hospitals. The bill would cover up to three completed oocyte retrievals and unlimited embryo transfers in accordance with American Society for Reproductive Medicine guidelines.
The Veterans and Families Health Services Act of 2025, introduced in August 2025, would permanently authorize and expand fertility treatment and counseling for veterans and service members, expand adoption assistance at VA, and require VA and DoD to facilitate research on long-term reproductive health needs of veterans.
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Neither bill has been enacted as of mid-2026. Military families who want to support these efforts can contact their Congressional representatives directly or follow updates from advocacy organizations like RESOLVE and the National Military Family Association.
Private Fertility Clinics and Military Discounts
For service members and veterans who don’t qualify for TRICARE ART or VA IVF coverage — or who need treatment beyond what those programs provide — private fertility clinics have increasingly stepped in with dedicated military discount programs.
RESOLVE maintains a directory of Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) member clinics participating in the “Serving Our Veterans” program, offering discounted IVF services to veterans. Discounts and eligibility criteria vary by clinic. Several pharmaceutical manufacturers also operate patient assistance programs specifically for medically separated veterans requiring ART medications.
When evaluating private options, ask fertility clinics specifically about:
- Active duty and veteran discount programs
- Financing and payment plan options
- Whether they accept TRICARE for any ancillary services
- Experience working with military families, including PCS-related care continuity
- Cryopreservation storage policies if you’re facing deployment
The RESOLVE military personnel resources page is the most comprehensive directory of clinic-level discounts and assistance programs for military families and is updated regularly.
This article is provided by USMilitary.org, an independent educational resource. We are not affiliated with the Department of Defense, the VA, or any government agency. For official benefit information, visit TRICARE.mil or VA.gov, or contact your local VA medical center.
Frequently Asked Questions
Only in limited circumstances. A TRICARE-enrolled spouse can receive IVF through the Supplemental Health Care Program if their service member partner has a qualifying service-connected injury or illness that caused the inability to conceive. TRICARE does not cover IVF for general infertility unrelated to a service-connected condition.
Yes. All VA-enrolled veterans — male and female — are eligible for fertility evaluation and general reproductive health services. Female veterans with service-connected infertility are eligible for IVF under the same eligibility rules as male veterans, including access to donated eggs or embryos if the service-connected condition prevents use of their own gametes.
If you believe a service-connected condition — including a toxic or environmental exposure — caused or contributed to your infertility, you may be able to establish a service connection through the VA disability claims process. A successful service-connection rating for a condition that causes infertility could open eligibility for VA IVF benefits. Consult a VA-accredited claims agent or Veterans Service Organization (VSO) for help building that claim.
National Guard and Reserve members are generally eligible for TRICARE coverage only when activated on qualifying orders. ART benefits under the Supplemental Health Care Program apply to active-duty service members who incurred their qualifying injury while on active duty. Guard and Reserve members should contact TRICARE directly to determine their benefit status based on their current activation and injury circumstances.
Yes. The DoD covers cryopreservation and storage of sperm and eggs (gametes) for service members facing a qualifying injury or illness at no cost until separation from service. Some private military-affiliated programs and fertility clinics also offer pre-deployment sperm or egg banking at discounted rates independent of the TRICARE benefit. This is worth planning ahead — contact your installation’s medical center or a fertility specialist before deployment if this is a concern.
