Federal Employees File Class Complaint Over End to Gender-Affirming Care Coverage

A group of U.S. federal government employees has filed a class action complaint against the Trump administration challenging a new policy that eliminates coverage for gender-affirming care under federal health insurance programs. The complaint, brought by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation on behalf of affected workers, targets the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) as the policy took effect with the start of the new year.

The OPM policy, first outlined in an August letter, states that beginning in 2026, “chemical and surgical modification of an individual’s sex traits through medical interventions” will no longer be covered for federal employees and U.S. postal workers. The complaint argues that the rule is discriminatory on the basis of sex and seeks to have it rescinded, while also requesting compensation for economic damages and other relief. OPM officials were not immediately available for comment.

If the dispute is not resolved through the agency process, the plaintiffs plan to pursue their claims before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and may later file a class action lawsuit in federal court. The challenge comes as Democratic state attorneys general and advocacy groups mount broader legal opposition to Trump-era efforts restricting gender-affirming care, including proposed federal rules advanced by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that would limit coverage for such care provided to children under Medicaid, Medicare, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

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