WILLIAM BRANGHAM:

In order to conceive a child, the Halletts have to go through lengthy in vitro fertilization treatments. In vitro is an expensive process. It typically costs about $12,000 to $13,000 per try, and the first try often doesn't work, nor does the second.

So the bills can stack up. But, unlike all the other medical treatment related to Jason's injuries, the VA doesn't cover IVF treatment for wounded vets, and so the young couple are paying for this themselves.

Congress passed a law in 1992 that led to the Veterans Administration banning coverage of any in vitro fertilization services. That means that for an estimated 1,800 veterans like Jason, they will also have to spend tens of thousands of dollars to get pregnant and start a family.

Sen. Patty Murray wants that to change. This Democrat from Washington state sits on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, and she wrote a bill that would lift the VA's IVF ban. But for six years, her efforts have been blocked.