VA Makes Male Breast Cancer Harder to Qualify For

Lawmakers are calling out the VA after it changed how it covers breast‐cancer treatment for male veterans. Previously, male breast cancer was part of a list of diseases that the VA automatically presumed were linked to military service. That meant veterans did not have to prove a service connection to get benefits. According to ProPublica, the VA removed male breast cancer from that list in a memo signed by Secretary Doug Collins in September, citing an executive order issued by Donald Trump about “restoring biological truth.”
ProPublica

As a result, roughly 100 male veterans diagnosed each year with breast cancer now face the burden that they must prove that their cancer was connected to their military service in order to receive coverage.

More than two dozen House Democrats, led by Mark Takano, have demanded the VA reverse this decision. They argue the change prioritizes political calculations and vague executive orders over veterans’ care.

Meanwhile, Senator Richard Blumenthal introduced legislation called the CLARITY Act that would force the VA to publicly disclose when it changes veterans’ benefit coverage related to toxin exposure.

The VA states that male breast cancer remains a serious condition, and that it will continue providing care for any veteran who can show a service connection.

But the process to prove service connection is often complicated and time-consuming, which experts say could lead to delays or missed chances for care.