July 14, 2025

Duckworth Secures IVF Coverage Expansion for Servicemembers and Military Families in Committee-Passed NDAA

The Senator’s NDAA provisions would ensure our servicemembers receive the same level of IVF coverage that Members of Congress and other federal workers already have

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and had both of her daughters through in vitro fertilization (IVF)—successfully secured a provision in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) approved last week which would require TRICARE coverage of fertility services, including IVF for servicemembers who rely on it to build their families. Duckworth’s provision—which mirrors her IVF for Military Families Act that she introduced earlier this year—would ensure servicemembers and their families have access to the same level of IVF coverage that Members of Congress and other federal workers already receive. The SASC-passed bill will soon be considered by the full Senate. 

“Even before I was wounded, I had made the difficult decision to delay building a family because I knew getting pregnant would impact my ability to be an Army aviator and to advance in the career I loved. Because of the miracle of IVF—and my access to reproductive healthcare through the VA—I’m now a mom to two beautiful girls. The reality is that members of the uniformed services face unique challenges when trying to start or build a family, and studies show that servicemembers and Veterans have higher rates of infertility compared to the general population. Given how much we ask of our heroes, we should do what we can to support them in building their families. 

“After successfully securing this provision in last year’s bill that passed through committee, I’m so proud my colleagues helped me build on this progress to include it in this year’s bill as well. It’s past time our nation provides uniformed servicemembers with the same access to IVF that all Members of Congress already have and ensure our heroes can access the fertility treatment they need to start the families they’ve dreamed of.”

This is the second time Duckworth secured this provision in an NDAA bill that passed through committee. Last year, Republicans blocked Duckworth’s IVF amendment from the final NDAA bill—after the same amendment was included in the committee-passed version.

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