HR6796-119

What This Bill Does

The Military CARE Act directs the Secretary of Defense to establish, within 18 months, a digital access-assistance system for military medical treatment facilities. Covered TRICARE beneficiaries must be able to file complaints electronically about access to care and view the status of interim or final actions at any time. Each complaint must be promptly transmitted to an appropriate Department of Defense patient advocate, and facility complaints may be aggregated quarterly for the Director of the Defense Health Agency. Beginning each March 1 after the system is established, DoD must report to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees on complaint totals and facility-level patterns, including specialty versus primary care access, pediatric versus non-pediatric care, administrative hurdles versus other issues, and steps taken to reduce complaints.

Who Benefits and How

TRICARE beneficiaries, service members, military families, and other eligible patients benefit by gaining a formal digital channel to document access-to-care problems and track responses. DoD patient advocates benefit from structured complaint information. The Defense Health Agency and congressional Armed Services Committees benefit from facility-level data that can reveal recurring access problems across military medical treatment facilities.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The Department of Defense and Defense Health Agency must build, maintain, and monitor the digital system. Military medical treatment facilities must respond to complaint trends and summarize steps to reduce access problems. Patient advocates must receive and act on complaint records. DoD reporting staff must prepare annual reports with detailed comparisons by facility and category.

Key Provisions

• Requires a digital system for covered TRICARE beneficiaries to file access-to-care complaints at military medical treatment facilities.
• Requires beneficiaries to view the status of interim or final action on their complaints at any time.
• Directs complaints to Department of Defense patient advocates and allows quarterly aggregation for the Defense Health Agency Director.
• Mandates annual reports to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees on complaint volume, complaint categories, and facility actions.