WASHINGTON, D.C. — Women Veterans can now schedule appointments directly with Department of Veterans Affairs gynecology providers without first obtaining a referral, a major procedural change the agency said Friday will improve access and streamline care for more than one million women enrolled in VA health services.
The new policy, effective immediately, eliminates the requirement that a primary care provider initiate referrals before specialty gynecological care can be scheduled. Instead, women Veterans may book visits directly with a VA gynecology specialist whenever they determine it is needed.
“This is what it looks like when VA is focused on putting Veterans first,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said. He described the shift as part of a broader effort to prioritize convenience and customer service across the agency. “By relentlessly focusing on customer service and convenience, we are building a department that works better for the men and women we are charged with serving.”
Thursday’s announcement comes amid a series of changes the department says reflect an accelerated push to modernize operations and clear longstanding bottlenecks in care and benefits processing. VA officials highlighted a sharp reduction in the disability claims backlog, which they say has fallen 57% during the second Trump Administration after climbing 24% under the previous administration. The agency also reported eliminating the backlog of Veteran families awaiting VA health care and processing a record three million disability claims in the last fiscal year.
The department said it has opened 20 new health clinics nationwide since January 20, expanded early-morning, evening and weekend appointment options, and significantly increased the number of Veterans housed permanently — more than 51,900 in fiscal 2025, the highest total in seven years.
Infrastructure spending has also grown, with an additional $800 million redirected from reform-driven savings to facility improvements. Officials noted expanded access to community care, accelerated deployment of the VA’s electronic health record system, and a partnership with Medicare and Medicaid services that identified $106 million in duplicate billing.
Other internal reforms cited by the department include returning tens of thousands of employees to in-person work, terminating most union contracts, ending DEI programs, and phasing out treatment for gender dysphoria. VA leaders said these actions reflect an overarching strategy to refocus resources on direct services for Veterans.
The department emphasized that Friday’s policy shift is designed to address a critical access gap as the number of women Veterans continues to grow. Direct scheduling, officials said, will help reduce delays in specialty care, increase patient autonomy, and support more efficient care coordination across the VA health system.
VA medical centers nationwide will begin implementing the new scheduling process immediately.
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