TRICARE Travel Improvement Act

The TRICARE Travel Improvement Act, introduced in the Senate by Senator Martin Heinrich, would modify the rules that determine when the Department of Defense (via TRICARE) must reimburse travel expenses for beneficiaries seeking specialty care. Specifically, it lowers the distance threshold from 100 miles to 50 miles for the general rule, meaning more people could qualify for travel reimbursement for specialty care. The bill also creates a special provision for military retirees and their dependents, who would continue to be subject to a 100-mile threshold instead of the 50 miles. The changes are codified in 10 U.S.C. 1074i and are framed under a revised subsection structure that references exceptional circumstances. In short, the bill aims to make it easier for most TRICARE beneficiaries to get reimbursed for travel to obtain specialty care, while maintaining a higher threshold for retirees and their dependents.