TRICARE Health Care Program

This telephone-based, instructor-led teleclass allows participants to receive course information from a health professional without leaving home. The Making Healthy Changes for Life class teaches you how to determine your readiness for change, prepare for change and make your healthy change last, get back on track when you have a slip, and use tools and resources to help you move forward with improving your health.

TRICARE Overseas is the Defense Department’s health care program for active-duty service members and their families who are stationed OCONUS.

Respite care provides a temporary break for caregivers. Primary caregivers for service members injured in the line of duty may qualify for TRICARE respite care.

TRICARE covers Applied Behavior Analysis for beneficiaries with autism spectrum disorder. Applied behavior analysis can help people with autism develop language and social skills. A goal is to increase positive behaviors while decreasing negative ones.

Family members of active-duty service members may be eligible for the TRICARE Dental Program. Reserve and National Guard members when activated are covered by active-duty dental benefits. When not activated, they can enroll in the TRICARE Dental Program.

The Extended Care Health Option provides financial assistance to TRICARE beneficiaries with special needs. ECHO provides additional financial assistance to help cover the cost of services and supplies beyond what TRICARE plans offer. To register for TRICARE ECHO, active-duty families need to be enrolled in their service’s Exceptional Family Member Program and register with their TRICARE regional contractor.

TRICARE may provide additional benefits beyond basic coverage to service members who were injured while on active duty, including reserve and Guard members. TRICARE benefits for injured service members do not require any out-of-pocket costs, have no benefit cap and include:

• Diagnosis
• Home health care supplies and services
• Training and special education
• Assistive technology devices
• Rehabilitation
• Customized hand-crank bikes
• Institutional care in private nonprofit, public and state facilities
• Transportation to and from the facilities above if you need it
• Custodial care in conjunction with authorized home health services

Some reproductive services may be available.

Use the TRICARE Find a Doctor website to find care in your area and visit the TRICARE Home Health Care page for more information.

This benefit covers care for a range of mental health and substance use disorders. TRICARE offers a variety of SUD options including opioid treatment programs and office-based opioid treatment, as well as emergency inpatient hospital services. With TRICARE, there are lower copays and cost shares for non-active beneficiaries and more TRICARE-authorized provider options for mental health and SUD. Office visits with qualified TRICARE-authorized providers may include coverage of medications for opioid addiction.

For more information on services and treatment options for mental health and SUD, you can visit the Mental Health Care section of the TRICARE website. If you need extra assistance or are unsure of which services you or a family member may qualify for, don’t hesitate to reach out to Military OneSource for clarity and context – we’re here to help, however and whenever you need assistance.

The TRICARE Pharmacy Program provides prescription drugs for eligible beneficiaries in a safe, easy and affordable way. TRICARE has four pharmacy options: Military pharmacies, home delivery, network pharmacies and non-network pharmacies. Each option is available worldwide, but there are some limits overseas.

TRICARE Reserve Select is a premium-based health plan for selected reserve members (and their families) who qualify. Purchasing TRICARE Reserve Select is a two-step process. Individual Ready Reserve members, including Navy Reserve Voluntary Training Units, do not qualify.

Children enrolled in TRICARE under a parent’s plan may purchase TRICARE Young Adult when their coverage ends at age 21 (or 23 if enrolled in college) if they meet certain eligibility requirements.

TRICARE will cover durable medical equipment when prescribed by a doctor.  Examples of durable equipment include oxygen equipment, a wheelchair, crutches or blood testing strips for diabetics.

TRICARE offers medical case management services at extra cost to those being treated for chronic, high-risk, high-cost, catastrophic or terminal illnesses. Medical case management involves a team of health care professionals who help find solutions to complex health problems. If service members and families move, TRICARE can connect them with a medical case manager at your new location. Learn more about TRICARE case management services.

 TRICARE medical case managers can advise service members and families on equipment and transportation if they have a family member with special transportation needs for their move, such as oxygen or a special bed or wheelchair.

You can also contact your current installation’s household goods/transportation office (outbound) for information on special procedures for transporting medical equipment.

TRICARE also fills prescriptions for beneficiaries while traveling. Those traveling domestically can have their prescriptions filled at a military pharmacy or TRICARE network pharmacy, get home delivery or go to a non-network pharmacy and file a claim for partial reimbursement. If traveling overseas, beneficiaries can have their prescriptions filled at a military pharmacy or go to an overseas retail pharmacy and file a claim for reimbursement. It’s recommended to fill prescriptions ahead of traveling, but if you run out of a prescription drug while traveling, visit TRICARE Filling Prescriptions When Traveling.