Reproductive Health Services

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Veterans Affairs 38 CFR Part 17 [Docket No. VA-2025-VHA-0073] RIN 2900-AS31 AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) adopts as final, without changes, a proposed rule to reinstate the exclusions on abortions and abortion counseling from the medical benefits package, which were removed in 2022. Before 2022, these exclusions had been firmly in place since the medical benefits package was first established in 1999. VA is also adopting as final, without changes, the reinstatement of exclusions on abortion and abortion counseling for the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) that were also removed in 2022. VA takes this action to ensure that VA provides only needed and medically necessary and appropriate care to our nation's heroes and CHAMPVA beneficiaries. DATES: Effective Date: This rule is effective January 30, 2026. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Figueroa, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs performing the duties of Under Secretary for Health, (202) 461-0373. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Today, VA finalizes its proposed rule published in the Federal Register (FR) on August 4, 2025. 90 FR 36415 . In that proposed rule, VA proposed to return VA's medical benefits package and CHAMPVA coverage to where they were on September 8, 2022, before VA issued an interim final rule (IFR) that removed long-standing restrictions against abortion…