Report: VA will pay for 'gender reassignment surgery' while over 35,000 veterans remain homeless

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Report: VA will pay for ‘gender reassignment surgery’ while over 35,000 veterans remain homeless

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WASHINGTON, DC- It’s apparently all a matter of priorities.

The Biden administration feels it’s important to pay for veterans’ sex changes while over 35,000 of our American heroes—our veterans—remain homeless, according to Gateway Pundit.

The outlet reports that the Department of Veterans affairs is in the preliminary stages of implementing a new policy whereby transgendered veterans would have their sex reassignment surgery paid for by the American people, i.e. taxpayers.

Meanwhile, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, over 35,000 remain homeless. That organization reported that as of January 2020, just over 22,000 veterans were sheltered, while over 15,000 veterans were on the streets. These statistics covered a single night in that month.

Last Saturday, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough, speaking at a pride month event in Florida told the audience that the VA was “taking the first necessary steps to expand VA’s care to include gender ‘confirmation’ surgery.”

According to McDonough, having the American taxpayer on the hook for such surgeries, which are extremely expensive, will allow “transgender vets to go through the full gender confirmation process with VA at their side.”

“There are several steps to take, which will take time. But we are moving ahead, methodically, because we want this important change in policy to be implemented in a manner that has been thoroughly considered to ensure that the services made available to Veterans meet VA’s rigorous standards for quality health care,” he said.

McDonough claimed that “due in part to minority stress, LGBTQ+ [and the rest of the alphabet] veterans experience mental illness and suicidal thoughts at far higher rates than those outside their community, but they are significantly less likely to seek routine care, largely because they fear discrimination.”

According to The Hill, current benefits available under VA health benefits include mental health services, as well as hormone therapy.

Mere moments after being installed into office, Joe Biden signed an executive order which lifted the ban on most transgenders serving in the military.

“President Biden believes gender identity should not be a bar to military service and that America’s strength is found in its diversity,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at the time. “America is stronger around the world when it’s inclusive.”

Tell that to China and Russia.

In 2016, a study conducted by RAND found that there were between 1,320 and 6,630 transgender service members in the active military, while estimates range between 830 and 4,160 in the reserves.

So while the VA will spend an untold amount of money on gender reassignment surgery for the military, innumerable veterans are on the streets of America.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, research shows that those who served in the late Vietnam and post-Vietnam eras are more likely to become homeless, however veterans of the current war on terror are also affected.

The Alliance notes that veterans returning from deployments in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq often suffer from “invisible wounds of war, including traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” both of which have a strong correlation to homelessness, they say.

While some progress has been made, with some states (Connecticut, Delaware and Virginia) having effectively ended veteran homelessness, there is still work to be done. Yet the VA believes it is a priority to fund gender reassignment surgery while tens of thousands of our veterans, men and women who honorably served our country to protect our freedoms are on the streets. It’s shameful.

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In April, Law Enforcement Today reported on a program in the state of New York, which would provide stimulus checks to illegal aliens but not to homeless veterans. For more on that, we invite you to:

DIG DEEPER

NEW YORK — Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) and state Democrats have struck a budget deal that includes $2.1 billion in taxpayer funding to provide unemployment benefits and generous stimulus checks to New York’s 187,000 illegal migrants.

Illegal migrants who are eligible for the one-time stimulus check could receive up to $15,600, the equivalent of about $300 a week for one year, according to a report by Breitbart News.

However, homeless veterans are not eligible for the stimulus check according to Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), causing some to wonder whether homeless lives matter.

On April 8, Cotton tweeted:

“New York’s 1,200+ homeless veterans are ineligible for these $15,600 payments.”

The aid to illegal migrants is $1.1 billion more in funding than tax credits and grants authorized for New York small businesses in the budget, according to Breitbart’s report.

On Twitter, the idea that homeless veterans are ineligible for a huge check intended solely for illegal migrants did not sit well for many.

One user, @gmc5561, posted:

“The American tax payer received roughly $3k in stimulus and a non-citizen, who came her[e] illegally, will receive roughly 5x more in NY?!! What am I missing here? I’d be more ok with this if it was going to homeless vets or the poor, but this doesn’t make sense.”

Another Twitter user, @CrescenziRay, wrote:

“@CBSNewYork nice interview with the illegal worker who will get a stimulus payment under the new NYS budget. While she’s paid no taxes, she may get up to $15,600. Please explain how this is ok with you while we have homeless vets living on the street. I’ll wait.”

User @vivapower posted:

“Can someone please explain to me about the evil NY is plan[n]ing to give stimulus checks to illegal immigrants, while our own homeless people get nothing? There can be no worse slap in the face to our homeless Veterans!”

Is there a crisis of homeless veterans in New York?

A June 2020 report conducted by New York State officials revealed in 2019, there were 1,270 homeless veterans in the state with the overwhelming majority living in shelters. Of these, more than half of the homeless veterans were located in New York City.

In a 2015 press release, the federal government announced New York City had ended chronic veteran homelessness and gave credit to Mayor Bill de Blasio for his two-year effort in helping this population.

Chronic homelessness is defined as an individual with a disability who has been homeless for a period of at least one year or has experienced four separate episodes of homelessness in the past three years, according to the press release.

In a Dec. 29, 2015 letter written to the mayor by Executive Director Matthew Doherty of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, it acknowledged, along with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs, that New York City had ended chronic homelessness among veterans:

“Thank you for your commitment to ending Veteran homelessness. Your leadership—and that of your colleagues in the City of New York—has been instrumental as we work together to ensure that every Veteran in our country has a home.

“The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Department of Veterans Affairs are pleased to confirm that the City of New York has achieved the milestone of effectively ending chronic homelessness among Veterans.

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“We are confident that the infrastructure and systems you have built will ensure that any Veteran experiencing chronic homelessness in the City of New York will get the support they need to quickly obtain a permanent home. We also appreciate your continued focus on ending homelessness for all Veterans in New York City.

“On behalf of USICH and our Federal partners, thank you for answering the First Lady’s call to action through the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness. We recognize and appreciate your extraordinary team, and look forward to continuing our collaboration as we work to end homelessness for all Americans.”

In March of 2020, news outlet City & State New York reported that the city was successful in getting homeless veterans off the streets and claimed only six homeless veterans were in New York City at one point:

“It’s rare to hear about New York City’s successes on homelessness. But five years ago, the federal government declared that New York City had ended chronic veteran homelessness, a major milestone.

“Since 2011, the city government’s statistics show veteran street homelessness has declined by more than 98%. The latest figures from the city’s most recent point-in-time count show only six homeless veterans remaining in the five boroughs.”

With the reported success of getting homeless veterans off the streets, the news outlet questioned why the city was not using the same strategies to eliminate general homelessness for all New Yorkers. According to its report, the same resources aren’t available for the homeless who are not veterans:

“Much of the city’s progress on veteran homelessness was spurred by a federal initiative introduced 10 years ago by the Obama administration.

“Mayors across the country were encouraged to take on the challenge to end veteran homelessness, and both Mayors Michael Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio signed on to the effort.

“In 2016, de Blasio created the Department of Veterans’ Services, which came out of an earlier task force and benefited from federal resources for homeless veterans.”

The combined effort of federal and local action with targeted resources helped the city reduce homelessness for veterans, according to the report:

“Targeting smaller populations like veterans may also be more manageable than trying to tackle the larger homelessness problem.

“When veteran homelessness peaked in 2011, veterans made up only 9% of the homeless population in New York City.

“Similar strategies could be useful for targeting other smaller populations, such as homeless youth. And the city’s approach has led to more progress compared with the rest of the country.

“New York City has reduced overall veteran homelessness by 85% since 2011, while veteran homelessness has decreased by 43% nationally.”

However, while there appeared to be a temporary reduction in the number of homeless veterans, there are still plenty in New York.

James Fitzgerald, deputy director of NYC Veterans Alliance, an advocacy group for veterans, told City & State New York that the issue of homeless veterans still exists:

“It gives a slight misdirection in efforts when someone is given the kind of outlook that it’s been defeated.”

While homeless veterans may not receive the stimulus check intended for illegal migrants, they should be receiving housing assistance.

In January, Gov. Cuomo announced in a press release that $5 million of the FY 2021 Executive Budget would be allocated to expand permanent supportive housing for homeless veterans:

“Veterans are more likely to experience homelessness than non-veterans, and many veterans who are at risk for homelessness are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder or substance use disorder, complicating efforts to get them into stable housing.

“The FY 2021 Executive Budget directs $5 million to expanding permanent supportive housing for homeless veterans through HHAP.

“HCR will also designate housing opportunities within their affordable housing developments so that homeless veterans in receipt of rental subsidies and Federal vouchers can more readily access affordable housing.

“Additionally, OTDA will work with DVS and localities to ensure temporary housing and services are provided to veterans experiencing homelessness and help provide them with permanent housing within 90 days of becoming homeless.”

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About The Author

Joseph Patrick is a retired police officer and a long-time law enforcement professional who is passionate about law enforcement and politics.

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