WASHINGTON, DC — VA is eliminating its LGBTQ care coordinator positions, as well as all activities dealing with veterans’ gender identity, according to a leaked internal memo. The memo, sent by Under Secretary for Health John Bartrum, MBA, JD, to VISN and medical center directors, affirms the department’s intention to “ensure maximum adherence” to President Donald Trump’s executive orders directing the elimination of federal diversity initiatives and calling for federal agencies to recognize only two genders.
“[This memo] reminds personnel of the Congressionally established mechanisms to address the unique needs of certain veteran populations and prohibits the use of government resources, except as authorized by law, for class-specific expenditures, training, meetings, promotional activities, or any form of prioritization that diverts from merit-based, mission-focused operations,” Bartrum wrote in the memo. “VHA serves every veteran without regard to personal characteristics unrelated to medical need.”
The LGBTQ veteran care-coordinator program was developed in 2016, with every facility being required to have one such coordinator on staff. While some are full-time, the majority are part-time employees. Their role for the last decade has been to create a safe and affirming environment for veterans, train and educate staff and work to remove barriers to care for LGBTQ veterans.
The role was originally developed because LGBTQ veterans had historically been hesitant to seek out VA care. Those who had served during “don’t ask, don’t tell” and prior were especially reticent and reported being concerned about finding the kind of discrimination at VA that they experienced during service. A 2025 VA study found that the role has been especially beneficial for transgender veterans, who experience higher rates of depression and who have reported delaying mental healthcare for fear of discrimination.
Transgender care was one of the first VA casualties of Trump’s Executive Order 14168, “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” As a result of the order, in spring 2025 VA cut several therapies for transgender veterans, including hormone replacement therapy, voice and communication training, and gender-affirming prosthetic care. While VA has never covered gender-affirming surgery, it ceased the practice of providing letters of support encouraging non-VA providers to offer such surgery for transgender veterans.
At the time, VA said that the change would not affect the roles of LGBTQ veteran care coordinators. This most recent directive does away with the role entirely.
“LGBTQ veteran care coordinators will be designated as care coordinators dedicated to facilitating VA healthcare and benefits for all veterans, regardless of race, color, creed, religion, sex, or sexual orientation,” Bartrum’s memo stated. VA facilities have until July 14—one month from the date of the memo—to comply.
The memo also requires facilities to eliminate all “gender-identity based and gender-ideology based initiatives, and any activities, internal or external, that promote gender identity or gender ideology.”
While the philosophy behind the policy change is that recognition of a veteran’s gender and sexual identity is not pertinent to providing quality healthcare, veterans advocates argue that this is medically unsound.
“This creates fear around trying to get care at all,” said AFGE PRIDE Chair Tiffany McPherson in a statement. “Some will avoid treatment—especially mental health services—out of fear of being misgendered, stigmatized or treated with disrespect. For a community already facing higher rates of anxiety, depression and suicide, those consequences aren’t hypothetical—they’re real, and the agency knows it.”
A week after the memo was sent, VA’s LGBTQ-related language on its website remained unchanged, including an explanation of why the agency focuses on these veterans.
“[Research shows] that due to stigma, stress, and discrimination, LGBTQ+ veterans as a group experience higher rates of several health conditions compared to non-LGBTQ+ veterans, including higher risk for suicide,” the website stated. “Therefore, VA is working to provide respectful and dignified care to all veterans in order to affirm VA’s commitment to healthcare that addresses their needs.”