TRICARE Travel Improvement Act

This bill lowers how far you have to travel to get reimbursed for specialty medical care under TRICARE. For most service members and their families, the travel distance threshold would drop from 100 miles to 50 miles. That means if you need to see a specialist more than 50 miles away, the Department of Defense could pay you back for travel costs. However, military retirees and their dependents would keep the current 100-mile threshold.

Key points:

• Who is affected: Most TRICARE users; retirees and their dependents are treated differently.
• What changes: Reimbursement distance for specialty care drops from 100 miles to 50 miles, except it stays 100 miles for retirees and their dependents.
• Why it matters: More families could get help with travel costs to reach needed specialists.