Getting out, military health issues

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Current and former service members and their families use the Defense Department and Department of Veterans Affairs health care systems to handle their care needs. In this section, you’ll find information on the various Tricare programs, including the Tricare for Life system, as well as information on ongoing health care concerns such as Agent Orange and Gulf War illness, along with general information on navigating the health care system bureaucracy.

Board to reassess disability ratings for some service members
Service members given a disability rating of 20 percent or lower during their medical evaluation boards since Sept. 11, 2001, may have their cases reviewed by a new Defense Department board.
VA officials grilled on PTSD e-mail
A Senate hearing called to determine if the Veterans Affairs Department is systemically denying veterans’ post-traumatic stress disorder claims in favor of less-costly diagnoses devolved into a...
Vets’ group: Link between TBI, blindness needs more attention
A few days after the blast from a mortar round almost threw him off the Hadithah Dam in Iraq three years ago, Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Glenn Minney reported to sick call with a headache and...
Disability ratings improving, critics say
A year after Walter Reed Army Medical Center emerged as a symbol of what is wrong with the administrative end of the military medical retirement system, much has changed for the better, critics say.
Automation could speed VA claims
Artificial intelligence — already used to process private-sector insurance claims, handle banking transactions and double-check medical procedures — might be the solution to help veterans...
On the mend
When Lt. Col. Chip Pierce served as troop commander at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii, he said, he was “frustrated” by some of the issues he saw his injured soldiers face as they...
Study: Returning soldiers wait to seek mental health help
A new Army study finds that soldiers returning from Iraq are more likely to report mental health problems several months later rather than immediately after their return — and reserve component...
Lawmaker: Be patient over wounded benefits
The Democratic point man for veterans’ issues in the House of Representatives is asking wounded service members and their families to be patient while they wait for radical reform of the...
Disability fight over Agent Orange revisited
Jonathan Haas says that he often saw large, billowing clouds of the defoliant Agent Orange drift from the shore and engulf his ship, the Mount Katmai, in 1968.
Vets urge more action on Gulf War syndrome
A group of Persian Gulf War veterans told House lawmakers they feel overlooked with all of the focus on benefits and treatment for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Specialists, patients critical of PTSD care
Experts told the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee that reliable methods exist to immediately diagnose and treat post-traumatic stress disorder — but they’re not used.
Studies identify faults in disability benefits system
As members of the Veterans’ Disability Benefits Commission wrestle with simplifying the disability benefits systems of the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, they have found they...
Lawyer: Disability system unfair to injured
The Army disability retirement system stacks the deck against injured soldiers by forcing them to prove they have post-traumatic stress disorder, demanding physical evidence for traumatic brain...

Tricare

Tricare Glossary
Authorized health care providers who do not participate in Tricare still are limited in what they can charge military patients for services. Under federal law, authorized health care providers can...
Tricare: Supplemental Insurance
Supplemental insurance plans are available to pick up expenses that remain after Tricare pays its share of covered benefits.
Tricare: Pharmacy Program
Military beneficiaries can get prescription drugs free at military clinics or hospital pharmacies. For a fee of $3 for a generic and $9 for a brand name, they can get a 30-day supply at participating...
Tricare: Mental Health
Each of the services has psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers to help those with mental health and emotional issues. Therapy programs at military installations range from individual,...
Tricare: Maternity
Tricare covers maternity care, including prenatal care, delivery costs, inpatient care of the newborn and mother, and care of the baby immediately after birth. Inpatient and outpatient delivery is...
Tricare: Home Health
Tricare offers home health care benefits, including coverage of medical equipment, supplies, certain therapies and nursing care to homebound patients whose conditions make home visits necessary.
Tricare: Disabled Family Members
The Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs have programs that are available to military family members with disabilities. A Tricare initiative called the Extended Care Health...
Tricare: Dental — Retirees
Military retirees and their families are eligible to join the Tricare Retiree Dental Program. In addition to those entitled to retired pay, those eligible include “gray area” reservists...
Tricare: Dental — Active Duty and Reserve
Active-duty dependents and members of the Selected Reserve and Individual Ready Reserve and their family members worldwide are eligible for Tricare Dental Program coverage. United Concordia Companies...
Tricare Plus
Tricare Plus allows military beneficiaries who are not in an HMO to enroll at a military clinic or hospital for primary care only. They do not pay a fee and cannot be guaranteed specialty care, but...
Tricare Reserve Select
Members of the Selected Reserve can buy Tricare coverage when they are in drilling status — not mobilized — provided they meet specific criteria under a program called Tricare Reserve...
Tricare For Life
Medicare and Tricare both play a role in health coverage for older retirees. Medicare Part A covers hospitalization and sometimes nursing home and at-home care. Medicare Part B is an enrollment...
Tricare Standard
Standard is modeled after a traditional fee-for-service health plan. Authorized doctors, hospitals and other providers are paid a specific amount for each service performed. Individuals may choose...
Tricare Extra
Extra is a preferred-provider option. It is a variation of Tricare Standard that allows Standard/non-Prime enrollees to lower their costs by using a contracted Prime provider in the Tricare network.
Tricare prime remote
Tricare Prime Remote is an option for service members who live and work more than 50 miles from the nearest military treatment facility. Family members are eligible if they live with the member in a...
Tricare Prime
Prime is a Tricare option similar to a health maintenance organization, which has lower out-of-pocket costs but requires enrollees to use network providers and coordinate their care through a Primary...
Choose a health care plan that meets your needs
One of the first things on a new retiree’s checklist after leaving active duty is getting health care.
Alcohol
The military offers inpatient or outpatient alcohol treatment at almost every installation.
Privacy Act
As a rule, the services must comply with federal laws regarding the confidentiality of medical records. Under the Privacy Act, patients have the right to see and obtain a copy of their health care...
Tobacco
Since the early 1980s, the Defense Department’s tobacco-cessation crusade has succeeded in reducing the number of smokers and those who use smokeless tobacco (although the military’s...