WATCH: Insurance Will Cover Trans Frat Brother's Top Surgery

After initially rejecting a request for transition-related surgery, Aetna has reversed its decision and decided to cover transgender student Donnie Collins' breast removal.

Sunnivie Brydum

Sunnivie is the managing editor of The Advocate, and an award-winning journalist whose passion is covering the politics of equality and elevating the unheard stories of our community. Originally from Colorado, she and her spouse now live in Los Angeles, along with their three fur-children: dogs Luna and Cassie Doodle, and "Meow Button" Tilly.

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Sunnivie Brydum

March 08 2013 4:12 PM EST

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After Donnie Collins's fraternity brothers at Emerson College in Boston launched a fundraiser to help the transgender student raise money for transition-related surgery, the insurance company reversed its decision and decided to cover a double mastectomy for the 19-year-old.

Brothers in Collins's professional arts fraternity, who raised more than $20,000 to help fund Collins's surgery, will donate the excess to a nonprofit that provides gender-affirming surgeries for transgender people who cannot afford them.

Officials at Emerson told ABC News that the university contacted Aetna insurance to clarify that transition-related procedures are generally covered by the school's insurance plan.

"After the rejection of his initial request, the college contacted Aetna for clarification -- knowing that transgender benefits have been part of its insurance policy with Aetna since 2006," the college said in a statement.

The initial rejection evidently stemmed from a discrepancy between Emerson's inclusive insurance plan and the written policy.

"All documentation has been quickly revised, and this week Donnie has confirmed with his surgeon's office that insurance will cover the procedure," members of Phi Alpha Tau wrote on the IndieGogo page Wednesday. "This is very surprising news, and means that he only needs to pay copay instead of the full $8125. As promised, all excess funds have been pledged to the Jim Collins Foundation."