TRICARE, Your Military Health Plan

In This Section:

• Cancer Clinical Trials
• Questions to ask Your Doctor
• Costs
• Chiropractic Care
• Designated Locations
• Combat-Related Special Compensation Travel Benefit
• Before Traveling for Specialty Care
• Requesting Reimbursement
• Computer and Electronic Accomodations Program (CAP)
• Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP)
• Purchasing CHCBP Coverage
• Getting Care Through the CHCBP
• Filing CHCBP Claims
• Extended Care Health Option (ECHO)
• Who May Qualify
• Benefits
• Costs and Coverage Limits
• ECHO Home Health Care
• Autism Services Demonstration
• Foreign Force Member Health Care Option
• Line of Duty/Notice of Eligibility
• Pre-activation Benefit for National Guard and Reserve
• Medical Benefits
• Dental Benefits
• Transitional Assistance Management Program (TAMP)
• TRICARE Prime Options
• TRICARE Standard Options
• Dental Options
• Transitional Care for Service Related Conditions
• TRICARE Philippine Demonstration
• Philippine Demonstration Designated Areas
• Getting Care under the Demonstration
• Submitting a Waiver Request
• Health Care Costs under the Demonstration
• Filing Health Care Claims under the Demonstration
• TRICARE Plus
• Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Overseas
• Offices

Benefits

Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) benefits may include:

• Medical and rehabilitative services
• Training to use assistive technology devices
• Special education
• Institutional care when a residential environment is required
• Transportation for institutionalized beneficiaries to receive authorized ECHO benefits.
• Assistive services, such as those from a qualified interpreter or translator
• Durable equipment, including adaptation and maintenance
• In-home medical services through ECHO Home Health Care (EHHC)
• In-home respite care services
  • ECHO respite care:  16 hours per month when receiving other authorized ECHO benefits
  • EHHC respite care:  up to 40 hours per week (eight hours per day, five days per week) for those who qualify
  • Only one can be used in the same calendar month, they cannot be used together.
  • Only available in the 50 United States, The District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Educational Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorders (EIA) services through the Enhanced Access to Autism Services Demonstration

All ECHO benefits must be authorized in advance and received from a TRICARE-authorized provider. If you want to change health care providers while receiving ECHO benefits, you must obtain a new benefit authorization from your regional contractor or TRICARE Area Office.

Most providers will file claims on your behalf.  If you are required to file a claim for ECHO-authorized care, you or your sponsor should use Patient's Request for Medical Payment (DD Form 2642). Include a copy of the authorization with the claim form.

Public Funds and Facilities
Many communities offer public funds or programs for persons with disabilities.  You must use these resources first to the extent they are available and adequate for ECHO benefits related to training, rehabilitation, special education, assistive technology devices and institutional care in private nonprofit, public and state institutions/facilities and, if appropriate, transportation to and from such institutions and facilities

If adequate public assistance is not available, you must include a Public Facility Use Certificate from the proper public official explaining why public assistance is unavailable or insufficient with your request for ECHO benefits. 

Did you know?

Last Modified:June 15, 2012