VARIATIONS IN ORIENTATION, IDENTITY, ADDICTION, AND COMPULSION (E COLEMAN AND J VENCILL, SECTION EDITOR) Transgender Health Care in the U.S. Military and Veterans Health Administration Facilities Michael R. Kauth 1,2,3,4,5 & John R. Blosnich 6,7 & Janelle Marra 8 & Zander Keig 8 & Jillian C. Shipherd 2,9,10,11 # The Author(s) 2017. This article is an open access publication Abstract Purpose of the Review Health care for transgender veterans in the United States (U.S.) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is relatively new and for active duty service members (ADSMs) in the military is quite recent. Prevalence of trans- gender veterans and ADSMs, health conditions, and healthcare provision in VHA and military facilities are reviewed. Recent Findings There are approximately 134,300 transgen- der veterans and 15,000 ADSMs. Based on diagnostic codes, more than 5000 transgender veterans receive care in VHA. Transgender veterans experience higher rates of most mental and physical health conditions compared to non-transgender veterans. Comprehensive health care is provided at VHA fa- cilities, except surgical interventions for gender confirmation, and is beginning to be provided in military facilities. Summary While VHA and military facilities have increased access to health care for transgender veterans and ADSMs, determining outcomes of care is premature. Healthcare deliv- ery efforts alone are unlikely to erase health disparities expe- rienced by this group. Keywords Transgender . Veteran . Military . Healthcare . Active duty Introduction Until recently, individuals with “transgender conditions” were disqualified from joining or serving in the United States (U.S.) military [1]. In July 2015, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter charged a workgroup to study the policy and readiness impli- cations of allowing transgender persons to serve openly [2]. At the same time, Carter allowed for a relaxation of the policy to discharge current transgender military personnel. In This article is part of the Topical Collection on Variations in Orientation, Identity, Addiction, and Compulsion * Michael R. Kauth Michael.Kauth@va.gov 1 Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, 2002 Holcombe Blvd, ATTN: VA 152, Houston, TX 77030, USA 2 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Health Program, Veterans Health Administration, Washington, DC 20571, USA 3 VA South Central Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA 4 Houston VA Health Services Research & Development Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety, Houston, TX 77030, USA 5 Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA 6 VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA 7 Division of General Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA 8 Naval Medical Center San Diego, San Diego, CA 92134, USA 9 National Center for PTSD, Women’ s Health Sciences Division, Boston, MA 02130, USA 10 VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA 11 Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02130, USA Curr Sex Health Rep DOI 10.1007/s11930-017-0120-7