Combating the challenges of living as a wounded veteran following service has long been a difficult process, and one that many groups and government agencies have been working hard to push in the right direction. The Wounded Warrior Project estimates that 52,430 veterans have been wounded in the post-Sept. 11 battlefront, while 400,000 are living with post-traumatic stress disorder and 320,000 with traumatic brain injuries.
One particular area of this conversation that has been discussed in many circles of late is the community of veterans who were injured in such a way that prevents them from having children. This February, NPR reported that wounded veterans were being forced to pay for their own fertility tests, which meant many who were incapable of reproducing as a result of their injuries would not be able to afford treatment. However, the tide might be shifting in this conversation.
Senate speaks out
Stars and Stripes reported that the Senate Appropriations Committee had been weighing a bill that would inject roughly $88 million into programs that help veterans foot the costs of reproductive treatments and other procedures such as in vitro fertilization. Introduced by Senator Patty Murray of Washington, the source explained that the money would pass through the Department of Veterans Affairs and give individuals payments of roughly $20,000 for relevant needs.
"The amendment I am offering today fulfills the promise to those military families we are asking to sacrifice and serve, and gives them real peace of mind by ensuring that we cover these services in the event of these tragic injuries," Murray explained, according to the news provider.
Stars and Stripes noted that while the bill did indeed pass in the Senate Appropriations Committee vote, the full Senate will need to vote in favor of the initiative to keep it moving along in the right direction.
Assistance available today
This bill would make a big difference in many veterans' lives, and there are other assistance programs that have already been made available to wounded servicemen and women. For example, Military.com explained that special monthly compensation programs, which come through the VA, are available for veterans who have either lost or lost use of a range of appendages while on active duty in the military.