Under a coverage applied final yr, service members and eligible dependents could also be licensed journey and transportation allowances to entry noncovered reproductive well being care providers when well timed entry to these providers shouldn’t be accessible close to a member’s everlasting obligation station.

“For example, this could entail a service member traveling from their home station in one state or overseas location to a state where they can access noncovered reproductive health care services, and then returning home to that home station,” mentioned Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh throughout a briefing as we speak. 

Between June and December 2023, the coverage was used 12 occasions throughout the navy providers, Singh mentioned, including that the whole price to the division throughout that point was about $45,000. 

Singh additionally famous that whereas the coverage was used 12 occasions, this doesn’t suggest the coverage was utilized by 12 people. Instead, she mentioned, a person could have used the coverage greater than as soon as. 

Also applied final yr is a separate coverage underneath which service members could also be granted an administrative absence from their regular obligation station, with out being charged go away, for a interval of as much as 21 days, to obtain or to accompany a dual-military partner or dependent who receives noncovered reproductive well being care.

Such noncovered reproductive well being care would possibly embrace issues corresponding to egg retrieval, ovarian stimulations, intrauterine insemination, in vitro fertilization and noncovered abortion. 

While the division could pay journey prices to permit service members to entry these sorts of noncovered reproductive well being care providers, the service members pay for the precise well being care providers themselves. 

“These policies ensure that service members and their families are afforded the time and flexibility to make private health care decisions, as well as supporting access to noncovered reproductive health care regardless of where they are stationed,” Singh mentioned.