Lgbq veteran care | veterans affairs

CARE WE PROVIDE AT VA WILKES-BARRE Our LGBQ Veteran care coordinators can answer your questions, advocate for your right to quality care, handle complaints or concerns you have about your

care, and help you get started with any of our services for LGBQ Veterans. These include: * Mental health services, including psychosocial assessments for hormone therapy and sex confirming

surgeries * Creative arts therapies * HIV and STI testing, counseling, and care, including PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) for Veterans at risk for HIV *

Other prevention, screening, wellness, and testing services POLICIES AND PRACTICES TO KNOW The care coordinator can help you get started with care or with navigating any of these issues.

VISITATION: A same-sex partner, family member, friend, or other individual can be present with the patient for emotional support during the course of the patient's stay. DEFINITION OF

FAMILY: "Family" may include individual(s) not legally related to the individual. Family members include spouses, domestic partners, different-sex and same-sex significant others.

ADVANCE DIRECTIVES: Veterans may designate any person as a decision-maker for care if they won't be able to make these decisions themselves. This includes same-sex partners. Advance

directive agents are chosen by the Veteran and do not need to be biologically related. DOCUMENTATION IN MEDICAL RECORDS: VA Wilkes-Barre maintains the confidentiality of information about

sexual orientation, sexual behavior, and sex identity, just like any other private health information. CHANGING NAME OR SEX IN RECORDS: Your name in your medical record will reflect your

legal name. The sex in your medical record should reflect your self-identified sex. You have the right to request that your name and sex are updated as appropriate. There are established

procedures for changing your name and sex with the VA Privacy Officer.