Tom Vanden Brook and Kevin Johnson

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Parts of the government, including the Veterans Affairs Department and Bureau of Prisons, pay for treatment of transgender veterans and inmates who qualify due to a diagnosis.

The VA won't pay for veterans to have sexual reassignment surgery, but it will provide for hormone treatment and counseling for those who qualify.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons 2014 legal guidelines, inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria "will receive a proposed treatment plan to promote the physical and mental stability of the patient.''

"The treatment plan may include elements or services that were, or were not, provided prior to incarceration,'' the document states. "Treatment plans will be reviewed regularly and updated as necessary … and hormone therapy may be a consideration.''

From 2001 to 2011, there were 3,177 veterans diagnosed with gender identity disorder, according to the VA. The number is increasing annually, it says. About one in 11,000 male babies and one in 30,000 female babies are born with gender identity disorder, according to the Veterans Health Administration.

Several troops have told USA TODAY that they have taken hormone injections, paying for the treatment themselves. One soldier earlier this week spoke of taking male hormones and undergoing surgery for breast removal to transition to becoming a man.

The Pentagon discharges troops who identify as transgender, and the military offers no treatment or counseling for men or women transitioning to the opposite gender. The military regards them as having a medical condition that disqualifies them from service. There are an estimated 15,000 transgender troops, according to a study this spring supported by an advocacy organization.

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