According to a Department of Defense memo from February 2023, transgender soldiers undergoing hormone therapy might avoid deployment for up to 300 days.
The memo, which was initially disclosed by The Dossier, outlines the treatment process at the Womack Army Medical Center (WAMC) located in Fort Liberty.
The memo reveals that most service members undergoing cross-sex hormone therapy will require around 300 days to achieve stabilization, during which they will remain non-deployable. However, the actual duration depends on their clinical stabilization.
DOD Memo Says Transgender Soldiers on Hormone Therapy Can Skip Deployments https://t.co/6i2xDliPl2 via @BreitbartNews
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The memo also outlines other treatments and surgeries available for transgender troops at WAMC, funded by taxpayers. After 12 months of hormone therapy, transgender service members can request surgical care, such as “upper” and “bottom” surgery.
Moreover, they have the option to request surgery without prior hormone therapy. While “upper” surgery is covered, “bottom” surgery and “voice feminization” surgery are not. The memo notes that transitioning service members will receive voice and communication therapy.
Facial/body contouring is permissible at WAMC but is considered cosmetic and thus not covered. Laser hair removal, however, is deemed medically necessary in the context of “bottom” surgery.
The gender transition process can take between 9 to 18 months, during which service members can request an exception to policy. This exception allows them to adhere to “self-identified gender standards” for uniform, grooming, fitness testing, and access to billeting, bathrooms, and shower facilities.
The memo emphasizes that transgender service members must coordinate the timeline of their medical treatment with their unit commanders.
While commanders cannot deny medically necessary care, they may adjust the treatment timeline to minimize its impact on readiness.
The memo is signed by Army Col. David Ross Zinnante, the commander of Womack Army Medical Center. It offers updated guidance to WAMC staff on treating transgender troops following the Biden Administration’s policy issued in April 2021, which permitted transgender individuals to serve in the military, reversing the Trump administration’s previous restrictions.
Breitbart News attempted to contact the Defense Health Agency for comment, but no response was received by the deadline.
The Army recently highlighted the story of Maj. Rachel Jones, a transgender soldier, who described her “coming out journey” as liberating, likening it to “taking off a very heavy rucksack.”
