The recorded count grew by about 11,000
VA data showed about 19,000 veterans with an infertility diagnosis in fiscal 2022 and about 30,000 in fiscal 2025, GAO reported. The increase was roughly 11,000, or 57.9%, over three years.
That is growth in recorded diagnoses, not proof that the underlying prevalence of infertility rose by the same rate. VA officials said expanded fertility-care eligibility in 2024 may be one reason more diagnoses appeared in the data.
| Measure | Record | Newsroom calculation/context |
|---|---|---|
| Infertility diagnoses, FY2022 | About 19,000 | Baseline |
| Infertility diagnoses, FY2025 | About 30,000 | About 58% higher |
| VHA users, FY2022–FY2025 | About 8 million | Four-year user population, not annual |
| Recommendations | 2 | Both open at publication |
Information routed through women’s health may miss men
VA’s Office of Women’s Health provides the fertility webpage and brochures. Stakeholders told GAO that male veterans may not look there or may struggle to find eligibility information, even though infertility can affect men and women.
GAO found VA had not set quantitative goals, time frames and performance measures needed to test whether outreach reached the veterans who needed it. A communication effort existed; the missing piece was measurable effectiveness.
A decentralized decision changed the control environment
In October 2024, VA moved fertility-eligibility decisions from the national level to medical-center fertility teams. GAO found team composition and skill varied at four selected facilities, and teams at two facilities did not consistently issue required written decisions.
Because the facilities were selected rather than statistically sampled, two of four cannot be generalized as a nationwide failure rate. It does show the process was not working consistently in the places GAO examined. VA agreed to assess the process and improve outreach controls.
Records analysis and limits
The newsroom calculated the three-year change, checked the denominator and separated diagnosis data from service utilization. GAO reviewed VA records, four facilities and four networks and interviewed eight veterans and multiple organizations.
The public record does not show how many veterans were approved or denied, how long decisions took or whether inconsistent notices changed care. Those missing outcomes prevent a conclusion about nationwide access.