A group of federal government employees filed a class action complaint on Thursday against President Donald Trump's administration over a new policy that will eliminate coverage for gender-affirming care in federal health insurance programs.
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation filed a complaint against the US Office of Personnel Management on behalf of the federal employees, as the new policy took effect at the start of the new year.
In a released statement, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation called the policy "the latest attack from a Trump administration obsessed with undermining the rights and freedoms of transgender people."
OPM, in an August letter, stated that in 2026, “chemical and surgical modification of an individual's sex traits through medical interventions” will no longer be covered under health insurance programs for federal employees and US postal workers. However, counseling services for "possible or diagnosed gender dysphoria" will still be covered, including from providers "who provide faith-based counseling."
OPM officials could not be reached for immediate comment.
Complaint claims policy discriminates based on sex
The complaint argues that the policy is discriminatory on the basis of sex. It asks that the policy be rescinded and seeks payment for economic damages and other relief.
“Starting today, untold numbers of federal employees and their families will be left out to dry at the hands of a shameless administration hell-bent on targeting the transgender community," Human Rights Campaign Foundation President Kelley Robinson said.
“These federal employees will now be forced into an impossible situation that pits them between their jobs and access to the care they need. That is discrimination, plain and simple."
If the issue is not resolved with the OPM, the foundation said plaintiffs will file class claims with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and potentially pursue a class action in federal court.
A group of Democratic state attorneys general last month sued the Trump administration to block proposed rules that would cut children’s access to gender-affirming care, the latest court battle over Trump’s efforts to eliminate legal protections for transgender people.
US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has proposed rules that would bar hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to children from receiving Medicaid and Medicare payments and prohibit the Children's Health Insurance Program from covering it.