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Gender-affirming care in West Virginia

Change detected, under review. An official source this page relies on changed recently. Part of this page may be out of date until we review it.

  • Page changed: W. Va. Code 30-3-20, Prohibited practice (2026-10-12) · #305
  • Page changed: W. Va. Code 30-14-17, Prohibited practice (2026-10-12) · #304
  • Page changed: W. Va. Code 30-1-26, Telehealth practice (2026-10-12) · #303
  • Page changed: W. Va. Code 30-3-20, Prohibited practice (2026-09-28) · #93
  • Page changed: W. Va. Code 30-14-17, Prohibited practice (2026-09-28) · #92
  • Page changed: W. Va. Code 30-1-26, Telehealth practice (2026-09-28) · #91
Care for adults
Allowed
Care for people under 18
Banned
West Virginia Medicaid pays for hormones
Covered
West Virginia Medicaid pays for surgery
Unclear
Private plans must cover care
No state rule

Adults can get hormone therapy in West Virginia, including by informed consent in Charleston and by telehealth. Hormones, puberty blockers, and surgery for gender transition are banned for anyone under 18, with no exception for gender dysphoria. West Virginia Medicaid covers hormones, but a 2026 federal appeals ruling lets the state refuse to pay for surgery.

Draft from official sources, September 24, 2026. Not yet checked by a person. How we verify

On this page
  1. If you are under 18, or a parent
  2. Health centers near you
  3. Hormones by telehealth
  4. Clinics, programs, and funds
  5. Paying for care
  6. Rules for adults
  7. Laws and court cases
  8. Sources

If you are under 18, or a parent

Physicians (MDs and DOs), physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses may not provide puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or gender-transition surgery to anyone under 18. The ban took effect January 1, 2024 (HB 2007, 2023). The 2023 law allowed medication for severe gender dysphoria with parental consent and two doctors' approval; SB 299 (2025) removed that exception effective August 1, 2025.

  • Exceptions: only for intersex conditions (disorders of sex development), treating complications of earlier transition care, and physical conditions that put the minor in imminent danger of death.
  • Penalties: the licensing board must immediately revoke the provider's license; the Attorney General can sue; the patient can sue until age 38 (20 years after turning 18).
  • Not enjoined. We found no active lawsuit against the ban.
  • The law covers medical care only. Talk therapy, social transition, and name or document changes are not banned.
[1][2][4][5]

Community health centers near you

These federally funded centers must see you whether or not you have insurance, and charge based on income. Many, but not all, prescribe hormone therapy. Call and ask for "gender-affirming care" or "hormone therapy."

Sorting by distance uses your location only on this device. It is never sent anywhere.

Hormones by telehealth

These services prescribe hormones through video visits for people in this state. Point of Pride pays for a year and a half of care with several of them each spring.

  • Plume

    PaidNo Medicaid18+

    Trans-led telehealth service providing informed-consent hormone therapy, lab orders, prescriptions, and letters for surgery and documents, by app and video visit. Self-pay only since January 2026. A Point of Pride HRT Access Fund partner.

    About $99 per month ($90 in NY and NJ), which includes visits, messaging, prescriptions, and document letters. Labs and medications are billed separately and are often cheap with GoodRx or at a community pharmacy. Free for 18 months if you win a Point of Pride HRT Access Fund grant.

  • Planned Parenthood

    Sliding scaleTakes insurance

    Many Planned Parenthood affiliates provide informed-consent gender-affirming hormone therapy alongside sexual and reproductive health care, on a sliding scale and with Medicaid. Most affiliates see adults 18 and older; a few see 16- and 17-year-olds with parental consent and a readiness letter. Many start hormone care by telehealth. Self-pay initial consults typically run about $120 to $250 before sliding-scale discounts.

Clinics, programs, and funds

  • Women's Health Center of West Virginia[10][11]

    Charleston nonprofit clinic offering informed-consent gender-affirming hormone therapy (no referral or therapist letter), PrEP, HIV and STI testing, help with prior authorizations, and name and gender marker change support. Adults only under state law.

    • Cost varies
    304-344-9834510 W. Washington St., Charleston, WV 25302

  • QueerMed[12]

    Telehealth gender-affirming care practice that lists West Virginia among the states it serves. $25 booking fee applied to the visit.

    • Cost varies
    • Telehealth
    404-445-0350

  • West Virginia Health Right[13]

    Free clinic in Charleston for uninsured and underinsured adults; PrEP, STI testing, behavioral health, and a pharmacy. We did not find a stated gender-affirming care program.

    • Free
    • Sees uninsured patients
    304-414-59301520 Washington St E, Charleston, WV 25311

  • Find a community health center (HRSA)[14]

    Official locator for federally funded health centers, which charge on a sliding scale regardless of insurance. Call and ask whether they prescribe gender-affirming hormones for adults.

    • Sliding scale
    • Accepts Medicaid
    • Sees uninsured patients

  • Point of Pride funds[15]

    National funds including the HRT Access Fund (free telehealth hormone therapy) and a surgery fund.

    • Free

  • Genderbands grants[16]

    Small national grants for surgery and other transition costs, 18 and older.

    • Free

  • Trans Health Project (Advocates for Trans Equality)[17]

    Free templates and guides for appealing insurance denials of gender-affirming care.

    • Free

  • Lambda Legal Help Desk[7]

    Free legal information for LGBTQ+ people, including Medicaid and insurance denials. Lambda Legal litigated Anderson v. Crouch.

    • Free
    • Community reported

Paying for care

Medicaid (West Virginia Medicaid)[6][7][8]

West Virginia Medicaid's exclusion applied to surgery, not hormones. After a 2022 federal court order in Anderson v. Crouch, Medicaid adopted Policy 519.24, which covers listed gender-affirmation surgeries for members 21 and older with prior authorization, letters from two unaffiliated mental health professionals, 8 psychotherapy visits in 12 months, and 12 months of hormone therapy.

In June 2025 the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the Fourth Circuit's ruling for the plaintiffs, and on March 10, 2026 the Fourth Circuit reversed, allowing the state to exclude surgery; rehearing was denied May 29, 2026. Policy 519.24 is still posted, but coverage for new surgery requests may be denied. Ask your plan in writing and contact Lambda Legal if you are denied.

Apply for coverage

Private insurance[8][9]

West Virginia has no law barring insurers from excluding transition-related care. Check your plan documents. If a state-regulated plan denies a claim, you can appeal and file a complaint with the Offices of the Insurance Commissioner; employer self-funded plans are regulated federally.

File an insurance complaint

The rules in detail

Rules for adultsNo West Virginia law limits gender-affirming care for adults 18 and older.

No West Virginia law limits gender-affirming care for adults 18 and older. Informed-consent hormone therapy (no therapist letter) is offered at the Women's Health Center of West Virginia in Charleston, and telehealth providers such as Plume and QueerMed serve the state. Out-of-state telehealth prescribers registered in West Virginia may not prescribe gender-transition hormones to anyone under 18, but adults are not affected.

[1][3][10][12]
Laws and court cases1 court case, 3 laws

Anderson v. Crouch (consolidated with Kadel v. Folwell)

West Virginia Medicaid is no longer under a court order to cover surgery. Hormone coverage is not affected.[7]

Class action by transgender West Virginia Medicaid members challenging the exclusion of gender-affirming surgery. Won in district court (2022) and at the en banc Fourth Circuit (2024); the Supreme Court vacated that ruling in June 2025 after Skrmetti. On March 10, 2026 the Fourth Circuit reversed, and rehearing was denied May 29, 2026. Last update 2026-05-29.

Sources

17 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. W. Va. Code 30-3-20, Prohibited practiceWest Virginia Legislature, Law. accessed
    “A physician may not provide gender reassignment surgery or gender altering medication to a person who is under 18 years of age.”
  2. W. Va. Code 30-14-17, Prohibited practiceWest Virginia Legislature, Law. accessed
  3. W. Va. Code 30-1-26, Telehealth practiceWest Virginia Legislature, Law. accessed
    “A prohibition of prescribing or dispensing gender altering medication to a person who is under 18 years of age.”
  4. SB 299 (2025), prohibiting certain medical practicesWest Virginia Legislature, Law. accessed
    “removing an exemption to prohibited practices ... applying the prohibited practices to allopathic physicians, osteopathic, physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses”
  5. HB 2007 (2023)West Virginia Legislature, Law. accessed
  6. Policy 519.24 Gender Affirmation Surgery (effective 8/1/23)West Virginia Bureau for Medical Services, Official page. accessed
    “West Virginia Medicaid covers surgical procedures for Gender Affirmation for Gender Dysphoria when certain criteria are met, and prior authorization is obtained.”
  7. Anderson v. CrouchLambda Legal, Organization. accessed
    “March 10, 2026: The Fourth Circuit reverses its previous decision, allowing West Virginia's Medicaid exclusion to stand. ... May 29, 2026: Request for full Fourth Circuit to hear the case again is denied.”
  8. West Virginia Equality ProfileMovement Advancement Project, Organization. accessed
  9. Consumer ServicesWest Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner, Official page. accessed
  10. Gender Affirming TherapyWomen's Health Center of West Virginia, Organization. accessed
    “No letter from a mental health provider is required.”
  11. LGBTQIA+ HealthWomen's Health Center of West Virginia, Organization. accessed
  12. LocationsQueerMed, Organization. accessed
  13. HIV PreventionWest Virginia Health Right, Organization. accessed
  14. Find a Health CenterHRSA, Official page. accessed
  15. Point of PrideOrganization. accessed
  16. GenderbandsOrganization. accessed
  17. Trans Health ProjectOrganization. accessed