H.R. 4289: TRICARE Travel Improvement Act

This legislation, known as the TRICARE Travel Improvement Act, aims to amend existing laws regarding travel expense reimbursements for military personnel and their families who seek specialty medical care. The key components of the bill can be summarized as follows:

Reimbursement Changes

The bill proposes changes to the distance requirement for the Secretary of Defense to reimburse travel expenses related to specialty care. Currently, service members and their dependents are reimbursed for travel expenses if the specialty care provider is located more than 100 miles from their home. The proposed amendment would reduce this distance threshold from 100 miles to 50 miles.

Additional Provisions for Retirees and Dependents

The bill includes specific provisions for military retirees and their dependents. It states that the Secretary of Defense must administer the reimbursement rules for this group by applying the same reduced distance of 50 miles for accessing specialty care.

Sections of the Bill

• The short title of the bill is the "TRICARE Travel Improvement Act".
• It amends Section 1074i of title 10, United States Code, to include the new distance requirement and to clarify how this applies to retirees and their dependents.

Impact on Military Families

This legislation is designed to make it easier for active-duty military personnel, retirees, and their families to access necessary medical care without the financial burden of significant travel costs. By lowering the mileage requirement for reimbursement, the bill seeks to enhance healthcare access for these individuals.

Implementation Timeline

No specific timeline for implementation is provided in the bill text, as it has just been introduced and will need to go through legislative processes for approval.

Relevant Companies

None found.