This act modifies TRICARE travel reimbursement rules for specialty care, generally lowering the distance threshold to 50 miles, but maintaining a 100-mile threshold specifically for military retirees and their dependents.
Martin Heinrich
Senator
NM
The TRICARE Travel Improvement Act modifies the reimbursement rules for military beneficiaries traveling for specialty medical care. Generally, the Department of Defense will now reimburse travel expenses for care received over 50 miles away. However, a specific exception maintains the 100-mile travel threshold for military retirees and their dependents seeking reimbursement.
TRICARE Lowers Specialty Care Travel Reimbursement to 50 Miles—But Not for Retirees
The TRICARE Travel Improvement Act is making a significant change to how the Department of Defense (DoD) reimburses military families for travel expenses when they need to see a specialist doctor. Currently, you generally have to travel over 100 miles to qualify for that travel reimbursement. This bill lowers that general threshold to 50 miles.
The New 50-Mile Rule: Good News for Active Duty Families
This change (found in Section 2) is a big deal for active duty service members and their dependents. If you live in a rural area or a place where specialty care isn't close by, this bill makes it easier to get reimbursed for gas, tolls, and other travel costs. For example, if a military spouse needs to take their child to a specialist 60 miles away, they would now qualify for reimbursement, whereas under the old rules, they wouldn't have met the 100-mile minimum. This effectively cuts the barrier to access in half for many families, helping with the rising costs of healthcare travel.
The Catch: Retirees Are Left Behind
Here’s where the policy gets complicated and potentially frustrating. While the bill lowers the general reimbursement rule to 50 miles, it carves out a specific exception for military retirees and their dependents. For this group, the DoD must still use the 100-mile threshold to determine eligibility for travel reimbursement. Essentially, the bill improves access for active duty families but explicitly excludes the retiree community from the same benefit expansion.
Two Tiers of TRICARE
This creates a two-tiered system for travel reimbursement within TRICARE. If you are an active duty dependent, you qualify for help traveling 51 miles to see a specialist. If you are a military retiree who served 20 years, you still have to travel 101 miles to get the same help. The cost of fuel and time doesn't change based on service status, making this exclusion a potential challenge for retirees and their families, many of whom rely on these benefits and often face higher healthcare needs as they age. It's a clear instance where the benefit is expanded, but not equally across all beneficiaries.