The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has initiated the dismantling of its LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator program, a move that has sparked widespread condemnation from providers and advocates. This decision, outlined in an internal email obtained by The Advocate, marks a significant shift in the VA’s approach to caring for LGBTQ+ veterans.
The email, dated July 22, 2026, reveals that the VA is carrying out a broader directive issued last month to eliminate programs and positions focused on gender identity. This directive contradicts earlier assurances that employees received, which suggested that little would change beyond their job titles.
Dismantling the LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator Program
Mark A. Koeniger, the Veterans Health Administration’s acting assistant under secretary for Health for Patient Care Services, informed LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinators and regional LGBTQ+ leaders that the program’s specialized structure would begin winding down within a week. The email cites a June 12 memorandum titled “Re-iterating Executive Order Compliance Responsibilities,” which ordered the elimination of gender identity-based initiatives and the removal of the LGBTQ+ designation from the coordinator program.
The email details the practical implications of this transition. Monthly coordinator calls, regional leadership calls, new coordinator orientations, and the program’s community of practice will be discontinued. National communications, processes, and procedures specific to the LGBTQ+ VCC program will also be discontinued. Dedicated Microsoft Teams channels and LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator SharePoint materials will be archived. Employees were instructed to save any resources they wish to keep from the LGBTQ+ SharePoint.
Providers Express Shock and Betrayal
The changes have left coordinators across the country feeling “shock, anger, and betrayal,” according to a VA health care provider involved with the program. The provider, who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation, stated that VA leaders had repeatedly characterized the June directive as little more than a name change, assuring staff that their duties and the services offered to veterans would continue.
“Since the June 12 memo, leadership’s messaging has been that nothing is changing — no changes to our job scope or functions, just a title change, with Directive 1340 still in effect,” the provider told The Advocate. “I and others communicated this to our veterans, and now we have to go back and tell them that’s not true.”
The provider expressed feelings of moral injury, stating that the reversal had placed employees in the position of having reassured patients based on information they now believe was misleading. “It’s moral injury on top of moral injury, and it feels awful,” they said.
The Impact on LGBTQ+ Veterans
For more than a decade, LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinators have served as designated points of contact for veterans navigating the VA health system. Their work has included connecting patients with knowledgeable providers, helping resolve problems with care, offering staff education, and ensuring facilities understood policies affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer veterans.
The Wednesday email does not explicitly state that LGBTQ+ veterans will be denied care. However, the provider noted that dismantling the national network effectively eliminates the specialized infrastructure that supported LGBTQ+ veterans and the employees who served them. “This is a cruel erasure of LGBTQ services,” the provider said. “It was carried out in a way that lets the VA avoid explicitly saying they don’t provide LGBTQ veteran care — but that’s the reality of it.”
The provider also highlighted that other specialized coordinator programs remain intact, including Women Veteran Program Managers, Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program coordinators, and Caregiver Support coordinators. “No other specialty population coordinator or program has been singled out or dismantled this way,” the provider said.
The provider alleged that the LGBTQ+ program was targeted because of the population it serves. “The LGBTQ program was targeted specifically because leadership doesn’t like it,” the provider said. “This is the VA’s version of Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law — it’s blatant homophobia and an attack on LGBTQ veterans.”
Koeniger’s email struck a markedly different tone, thanking coordinators for their work without directly addressing what the changes would mean for LGBTQ+ veterans. “I want to express my sincere appreciation for your dedication, expertise, and service to improving the health of the Nation’s Veterans,” he wrote. “Your contributions have strengthened the care we provide to Veterans nationwide, and your impact has been significant and deeply valued.”
The dismantling follows the Trump administration’s broader effort to eliminate LGBTQ+-specific programs and initiatives across the federal government.
