BY VESTA ANDERSON
The Fight on Capitol Hill In 2007, retired U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Matt Keil was serving as an infantry squad leader during his second deployment to Iraq in support of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). Mid-deployment, Matt returned home for a two-week stint to marry his best friend, Tracy Keil, before returning back to Iraq. Just 43 days after saying his vows, a sniper’s bullet struck Matt in the neck. It severed his spine and left him a quadriplegic. Instantly, Matt’s and Tracy’s life together was forever changed. Although Matt was no longer in a combat zone, he and Tracy knew they were facing a new battle – recovery. Still, they never expected that fight to lead them to Capitol Hill. Since 9/11, 2.4 million brave service members have deployed around the world in support of GWOT. Improvements in military medicine and technology save warriors from potentially fatal injuries, only to return them home to America’s broken promise of providing the benefits they earned and deserve. Of the more than 52,000 service members who have been physically wounded in combat to date, it is estimated that between 1,800 and 2,000 veterans suffered an injury that makes it impossible for them to have children. The solution? Fertility treatment – specifically in vitro fertilization (IVF) – became the only option for many injured warriors to start a biological family.
IVF was initially covered in the health care offered by the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). But when the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 was signed into law, it removed IVF from approved treatments administered by the VA for separated veterans, leaving only active-duty service members covered under the DoD. Many would learn of this change too late. “We were just swallowing the fact that he was never going to go back to work,” Tracy says, explaining their early retirement decision was made without understanding they were losing the fertility care benefits they earned. “This is a direct result of a combat injury,” says Tracy. “Don’t tell me that his service wasn’t good enough for us to have a chance at a family. Because we’ve already lost so much. I just want to have a family with the man that I love.” According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the average cost for a single IVF treatment averages at $12,000 per cycle. However, according to the National Infertility Association, per-cycle success rates are based on a variety of medical factors—some of which can be further impacted by the type of combat injury sustained by the veteran—such as weight, sperm count, and ovarian reserve. If families need multiple cycles, IVF expenses can sometimes reach upwards of more than $50,000.
“Don’t tell me that his service wasn’t good enough for us to have a chance at a family. Because we’ve already lost so much. I just want to have a family with the man that I love.”
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HOMELAND / June 2016 9