Latest news with #VA
Newsweek
4 hours ago
- Health
- Newsweek
Transgender Veterans Barred From Fertility Treatment Under New Rules
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Transgender veterans eligible for Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) health benefits will no longer receive financial coverage for egg- and sperm-freezing fertility treatments, new guidance shows. According to a leaked email from a person at the VA's Women Veterans Health Care department, transgender veterans preparing for gender dysphoria treatment and seeking cryopreservation—the process in which eggs or sperm (gametes) are frozen and stored to be thawed for later use—will no longer see the costs of this process covered by the department. Treatment for gender dysphoria or gender identity disorder can affect an individual's ovaries or testes and thus fertility. Individuals sometimes freeze their eggs to mitigate against this prior to treatment. The email indicates a shift from previous policy. As it stands, everyone eligible for VA health care benefits (i.e. those who previously served in the military, navy or air service) can access these fertility preservation treatments, including transgender veterans, according to a Women Veterans Health Care document, published in October 2023. There are more than 134,000 transgender veterans in the U.S., according to the Williams Institute, a research center at UCLA School of Law that focuses on sexual orientation and gender identity. Newsweek contacted the VA by email to comment. A laboratory assistant shows a sperm sample in a cryopreservation container at minus-170 degrees Celsius at the Centre for Reproductive Medicine in Muenster, Germany, on February 6, 2013. A laboratory assistant shows a sperm sample in a cryopreservation container at minus-170 degrees Celsius at the Centre for Reproductive Medicine in Muenster, Germany, on February 6, 2013. Photo by: Friso Gentsch/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images Since taking office for the second time, President Donald Trump has made a plethora of actions regarding transgender people, including signing an executive order stating that there are only two unchangeable sexes and another attempting to ban transgender women from competing in women's sports. He also signed an order aimed at restricting access to puberty blockers and other gender care for people under age 19. Some of the actions have sparked ongoing legal challenges. On February 18, he also signed an executive order expanding access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and making it more affordable for patients. While IVF does not always require cryopreservation, it is often used to store excess embryos or to enable people to delay embryo transfer until a time of their choosing. The White House directed Newsweek to the VA after a request for comment. In the VA specifically, in March it was announced that the department was phasing out treatment for gender dysphoria in response to Trump's executive order recognizing two sexes. The VA said trans veterans would still continue to receive VA health care. The VA email, viewed by Newsweek said: "On yesterday's (6/16/2025) National Fertility Interdisciplinary Teams Office Hours call, it was announced that VA will no longer pay for cryopreservation of gametes for a medical indication if it involves transgender veterans seeking cryopreservation in preparation for treatment of Gender Dysphoria or Gender Identity Disorder. This will reportedly affect new authorizations and will not disrupt cryopreservation that has already been initiated." It added that according to another senior official in the Veterans Health Administration "the change is reportedly already in effect and an official announcement will be forthcoming" and advised the department to "hold on authorizing any new cryopreservation for medical indications related to gender dysphoria/gender identity disorder" while waiting for further guidance. "We want to avoid a situation where veterans could be told they are approved for cryo, only to find out after the fact that VA cannot pay for care they received," the email read. Newsweek chose not to name the person who sent the email as well as the senior official named in the correspondence to protect their privacy. According to the October 2023 Women Veterans Health Care document, fertility preservation of eggs and sperm, but not embryos, is covered by the VA for medical reasons. "If your VA health care provider determines there is a medical indication, VA can cover the cost of retrieving and freezing your eggs or sperm to preserve your fertility preservation," it said. It listed examples of medical indications that would be covered, including "veterans who are undergoing gender-affirming care that can affect their ovaries or testes." Roz Keith, the founder and executive director of the Michigan-based transgender charity Stand With Trans, said the policy was "discrimination." "Clearly, the rights of the trans community are the target of attack," she told Newsweek. "It doesn't matter whether someone is an adult, a minor, a veteran, a professional, or other, if one is trans identified, they are seeing rights being taken away one by one. It is deplorable. If one class of people can receive treatment paid for with their benefits, then other classes of people should receive the same. This is why we have the equal protection clause in our Constitution. "No one should be excluded from a particular treatment because they are transgender. This is the very definition of discrimination."
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mortgage and refinance interest rates today, June 20, 2025: Rates trending lower
Mortgage rates sank slightly lower this week. According to Freddie Mac, the one-week average for the 30-year fixed interest rate slipped three basis points from last week to 6.81%. It's the fourth week of a falling trend. The 15-year fixed rate stepped down one basis point over the past week to an average of 5.96%. With the Federal Reserve leaving short-term interest rates unchanged Wednesday, the market is focusing on the Middle East. With markets closed for Juneteenth on Thursday, today's Wall Street trading will provide a clue to the momentum for the upcoming week. Dig deeper: 2025 housing market — Is it a good time to buy a house? Here are the current mortgage rates, according to the latest Zillow data: 30-year fixed: 6.75% 20-year fixed: 6.43% 15-year fixed: 5.97% 5/1 ARM: 7.00% 7/1 ARM: 7.24% 30-year VA: 6.25% 15-year VA: 5.84% 5/1 VA: 6.37% Remember, these are the national averages and rounded to the nearest hundredth. Learn more: Should you lock in a mortgage rate? These are today's mortgage refinance rates, according to the latest Zillow data: 30-year fixed: 6.79% 20-year fixed: 6.51% 15-year fixed: 6.02% 5/1 ARM: 7.08% 7/1 ARM: 7.15% 30-year VA: 6.30% 15-year VA: 6.00% 5/1 VA: 6.23% Again, the numbers provided are national averages rounded to the nearest hundredth. Mortgage refinance rates are often higher than rates when you buy a house, although that's not always the case. Learn more: Want to refinance your mortgage? Here are 7 home refinance options. Your mortgage rate plays a large role in how much your monthly payment will be. Use this mortgage calculator to see how your mortgage amount, rate, and term length will impact your monthly payments: To get an even more detailed look at your potential monthly payment, use our Yahoo Finance mortgage calculator. It also factors in your homeowners insurance, property taxes, mortgage insurance, and HOA fees. A mortgage interest rate is a fee for borrowing money from your lender, expressed as a percentage. You can choose from two types of rates: fixed or adjustable. A fixed-rate mortgage locks in your rate for the entire life of your loan. For example, if you get a 30-year mortgage with a 6% interest rate, your rate will stay at 6% for the entire 30 years unless you refinance or sell. An adjustable-rate mortgage locks in your rate for a predetermined amount of time and then changes it periodically. Let's say you get a 7/1 ARM with an introductory rate of 6%. Your rate would be 6% for the first seven years, then the rate would increase or decrease once per year for the last 23 years of your term. Whether your rate goes up or down depends on several factors, such as the economy and housing market. At the beginning of your mortgage term, most of your monthly payment goes toward interest. Your monthly payment toward mortgage principal and interest stays the same throughout the years — however, less and less of your payment goes toward interest, and more goes toward the mortgage principal or the amount you originally borrowed. Learn more: Adjustable-rate vs. fixed-rate mortgages A 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is a good choice if you want a lower mortgage payment and the predictability that comes with having a fixed rate. Just know that your rate will be higher than if you choose a shorter term, and will result in paying significantly more in interest over the years. You might like a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage if you want to pay off your home loan quickly and save money on interest. These shorter terms come with lower interest rates, and since you're cutting your repayment time in half, you'll save a lot in interest in the long run. But you'll need to be sure you can comfortably afford the higher monthly payments that come with 15-year terms. Read more: How to decide between a 15-year and 30-year fixed-rate mortgage Typically, an adjustable-rate mortgage could be good if you plan to sell before the introductory rate period ends. Adjustable rates usually start lower than fixed rates, then your rate will change after a predetermined amount of time. However, 5/1 and 7/1 ARM rates have similar to (or even higher than) 30-year fixed rates recently. Before getting an ARM just for a lower rate, compare your rate options from term to term and lender to lender. Mortgage rates have been moving in a tight range for the past few weeks. Still, they are slightly lower than this week in 2024. Even though mortgage rates have fallen over the last year, they probably won't plummet in the short term. So, when will mortgage rates go down enough to lower your monthly payment significantly? It could be months, if not well over a year. If you are ready to buy a house but holding out for lower rates, it might not be worth the wait. According to Freddie Mac, the national average 30-year mortgage rate is down three basis points to 6.81%, and the average 15-year mortgage rate has fallen by one basis point to 5.96%. According to its May forecast, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) expects the 30-year mortgage rate to be 6.7% in Q3 2025 and 6.6% by the end of the year. Fannie Mae's May forecast is a little more optimistic, predicting the 30-year loan rate to be 6.1% by the end of the year — and 5.8% by the end of 2026. Mortgage rates are likely to remain mostly unchanged through the third quarter of 2025, with a chance that they may slip slightly lower by the end of the year.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
VA secretary calls out California officials after LA anti-ICE riots shutter clinic serving veterans
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins called out California officials for ignoring the impact the Los Angeles anti-ICE riots have had on displaced veterans after an ambulatory clinic was forced to suddenly shutter its doors earlier this month. "They're not peaceful. We see what they're doing. They're throwing stuff at us. They're taking it out on the police," he said of the protesters on "Fox & Friends," Wednesday. "What Gavin Newsom and… the mayor, don't want to talk about is the impact on the people who are just trying to live their lives… we have a large homeless population of veterans [in Los Angeles]… which we're working on fixing… but we've got a lot who just need that basic care." Exclusive: Va Dept Says La Riots Forced Community Center Closures Impacting More Than 600 Veterans Collins said the local benefits office is also closed, meaning veterans are struggling to receive the help they need in multiple ways. He also said workers have been displaced as a result of the chaos. Read On The Fox News App "Nobody talks about that… the governor out there and the mayor – why don't they actually talk about the real issue, and that's that we can't get services to the people that need it?" The now-closed Los Angeles VA clinic provided cancer care, suicide prevention, pain management, amputation care and traumatic brain injury services. Maxine Waters Taunts Armed Agents After Feds Slam Door On Her During La Riots: 'You Better Shoot Straight' Collins said the VA has transferred as many patients as possible to telehealth services to continue their care, but says there's little substitute for traditional treatment. "I'm tired of this idea that we're trying to help our veterans, help Americans, but yet we're letting the folks in L.A. run wild and graffiti our buildings and do the things that stop us from actually taking care of our veterans," he said. Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass for a prior report on this issue. Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz contributed to this article source: VA secretary calls out California officials after LA anti-ICE riots shutter clinic serving veterans
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mortgage and refinance interest rates today, June 19, 2025: Rates fall to a 4-week low
Today, mortgage interest rates fell to a four-week low. According to Freddie Mac, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate slipped three basis points to 6.81%. One year ago, it was 6.87%. The 15-year fixed rate ticked down one basis point, to 5.96%. Last year on this day, it was 6.13% 'Mortgage rates moved lower, with the average 30-year fixed rate reaching a four-week low,' Sam Khater, Freddie Mac's chief economist, said in a release. 'More available inventory to choose from, coupled with this week's decline in mortgage rates, could be the spark to get potential homebuyers off the sidelines." Dig deeper: What the latest CPI report means for mortgage rates Here are the current mortgage rates, according to the latest Zillow data: 30-year fixed: 6.72% 20-year fixed: 6.32% 15-year fixed: 5.90% 5/1 ARM: 6.83% 7/1 ARM: 6.90% 30-year VA: 6.27% 15-year VA: 5.66% 5/1 VA: 6.29% Remember, these are the national averages and rounded to the nearest hundredth. Learn more: How to get the lowest mortgage rate possible Here are today's mortgage refinance interest rates, according to the latest Zillow data: 30-year fixed: 6.81% 20-year fixed: 6.37% 15-year fixed: 6.01% 5/1 ARM: 7.14% 7/1 ARM: 7.01% 30-year VA: 6.25% 15-year VA: 5.94% 5/1 VA: 6.15% As with the purchase mortgage rates, these are national averages we've rounded to the nearest hundredth. Refinance rates can be higher than purchase mortgage rates, but that isn't always the case. Use the mortgage calculator below to see how various mortgage rates will impact your monthly payments. The free Yahoo Finance mortgage payment calculator goes even deeper by including factors like homeowners insurance and property taxes in your calculation. You can even add private mortgage insurance costs and HOA dues if they apply to you. These monthly expenses, along with your mortgage principal and interest rate, will give you a realistic idea of what your monthly payment could be. A mortgage interest rate is a fee for borrowing money from your lender, expressed as a percentage. There are two basic types of mortgage rates: fixed and adjustable rates. A fixed-rate mortgage locks in your rate for the entire life of your loan. For example, if you get a 30-year mortgage with a 6% interest rate, your rate will stay at 6% for the entire 30 years. (Unless you refinance or sell the home.) An adjustable-rate mortgage keeps your rate the same for the first few years, then changes it periodically. Let's say you get a 5/1 ARM with an introductory rate of 6%. Your rate would be 6% for the first five years and then the rate would increase or decrease once per year for the last 25 years of your term. Whether your rate goes up or down depends on several factors, such as the economy and U.S. housing market. At the beginning of your mortgage term, most of your monthly payment goes toward interest. As time passes, less of your payment goes toward interest, and more goes toward the mortgage principal or the amount you originally borrowed. Dig deeper: Adjustable-rate vs. fixed-rate mortgage — Which should you choose? Two categories determine mortgage rates: ones you can control and ones you cannot control. What factors can you control? First, you can compare the best mortgage lenders to find the one that gives you the lowest rate and fees. Second, lenders typically extend lower rates to people with higher credit scores, lower debt-to-income (DTI) ratios, and considerable down payments. If you can save more or pay down debt before securing a mortgage, a lender will probably give you a better interest rate. What factors can you not control? In short, the economy. The list of ways the economy impacts mortgage rates is long, but here are the basic details. If the economy — think employment rates, for example — is struggling, mortgage rates go down to encourage borrowing, which helps boost the economy. If the economy is strong, mortgage rates go up to temper spending. With all other things being equal, mortgage refinance rates are usually a little higher than purchase rates. So don't be surprised if your refinance rate is higher than you may have expected. Two of the most common mortgage terms are 30-year and 15-year fixed-rate mortgages. Both lock in your rate for the entire loan term. A 30-year mortgage is popular because it has relatively low monthly payments. But it comes with a higher interest rate than shorter terms, and because you're accumulating interest for three decades, you'll pay a lot of interest in the long run. A 15-year mortgage can be great because it has a lower rate than you'll get with longer terms, so you'll pay less in interest over the years. You'll also pay off your mortgage much faster. But your monthly payments will be higher because you're paying off the same loan amount in half the time. Basically, 30-year mortgages are more affordable from month to month, while 15-year mortgages are cheaper in the long run. According to 2024 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data, some of the banks with the lowest median mortgage rates are Bank of America and Citibank. However, it's a good idea to shop around for the best rate with not just banks, but also credit unions and companies specializing in mortgage lending. Yes, 2.75% is a fantastic mortgage rate. You're unlikely to get a 2.75% rate in today's market unless you take on an assumable mortgage from a seller who locked in this rate in 2020 or 2021, when rates were at all-time lows. According to Freddie Mac, the lowest-ever 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 2.65%. This was the national average in January 2021. It is extremely unlikely that rates will dip below 3% again anytime soon. Some experts say it's worth refinancing when you can lock in a rate that's 2% less than your current mortgage rate. Others say 1% is the magic number. It all depends on what your financial goals are when refinancing and when your break-even point would be after paying refinance closing costs.
Fox News
2 days ago
- Health
- Fox News
VA secretary calls out California officials after LA anti-ICE riots shutter clinic serving veterans
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins called out California officials for ignoring the impact the Los Angeles anti-ICE riots have had on displaced veterans after an ambulatory clinic was forced to suddenly shutter its doors earlier this month. "They're not peaceful. We see what they're doing. They're throwing stuff at us. They're taking it out on the police," he said of the protesters on "Fox & Friends," Wednesday. "What Gavin Newsom and… the mayor, don't want to talk about is the impact on the people who are just trying to live their lives… we have a large homeless population of veterans [in Los Angeles]… which we're working on fixing… but we've got a lot who just need that basic care." Collins said the local benefits office is also closed, meaning veterans are struggling to receive the help they need in multiple ways. He also said workers have been displaced as a result of the chaos. "Nobody talks about that… the governor out there and the mayor – why don't they actually talk about the real issue, and that's that we can't get services to the people that need it?" The now-closed Los Angeles VA clinic provided cancer care, suicide prevention, pain management, amputation care and traumatic brain injury services. Collins said the VA has transferred as many patients as possible to telehealth services to continue their care, but says there's little substitute for traditional treatment. "I'm tired of this idea that we're trying to help our veterans, help Americans, but yet we're letting the folks in L.A. run wild and graffiti our buildings and do the things that stop us from actually taking care of our veterans," he said. Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass for a prior report on this issue.
