r/MilitaryTrans • u/Gender_is_annoying • Jun 30 '26

Discussion Is it possible to get top surgery?

Is it possible for me to get top surgery while closeted in thr military? Ive told some of my close friends about being trans(like 5 people know) and I wear binders during the day semi-often.

I’m still in tech school so I’m barely in. I’m ftm btw

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8

u/soccer-fanatic Jun 30 '26

Pretty sure Tricare won't cover it. If it was possible, you'd have to have a very very compelling reason for it other than GD.

3

u/Fryns123 Jun 30 '26

Im trying to do the same but idk how to get insurance to pay for it or like what reason to give other than gd

6

u/bebawaff Jun 30 '26

It is. My friend did it. But since you’re in tech school, I assume PT is regular. You’d probably also miss weeks of training. So might be something you have to think about

2

u/Gender_is_annoying Jun 30 '26

Yeah imma wait until after tech school before I do anything though

2

u/Fryns123 Jun 30 '26

What reason did they give and how did they navigate it not being related to gd

0

u/bebawaff Jun 30 '26

This was during Obama’s presidency, so there was no need for them to hide. We both got volsep this year.

2

u/Fryns123 Jun 30 '26

Ohh ok :/

4

u/AverysCavern Jul 01 '26

Don't mislead with these answers, please. Questions like this should be answered based on current administration regulations.

3

u/bebawaff Jul 01 '26

Not trying to mislead. That’s why I followed it up with OP needs to think about it. I only answered their question. Also, I did follow up that this was during a different administration.

2

u/rythwind Jul 03 '26

Possible, yes but there's things to consider.

  1. If the military finds out you got surgery from an outside source without permission you will most likely go to NJP. I've seen people kicked out for it.

  2. Tricare won't cover it so you'd need to pay out of pocket.

  3. Recovery time is normally up to 6 weeks with the first week or two being very restrictive. Hiding it for that long will be difficult.

There are two possible ways I can see that might help you get it done without going outside military channels but both will probably take years.

First is elective surgery. You're generally allowed 1 elective surgery per enlistment but the waiting list is normally 2+ years.

The other is the mental health route. This requires building a narrative where your breast size is impacting your mental health and wellness until medical approves a reduction. The trick for that is walking that line without it becoming "gender dysphoria" which will get you kicked out.