Procedure for medical care when home on leave.

Mikeandcris

Parents of 2014 Grad and F-15 Pilot
10-Year Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2009
Messages
366
What's the procedure for getting medical attention when home on leave? Our DS says he's pretty sure there's a number to call for Tricare authorization. Says it's on their leave papers, but I don't have them in front of me & need to give advice to another parent.
 
Your cadet should have their leave orders with them.
Also, they probably have a business card with tricare information.
 
If it's an emergency just go to the emergency room. Make sure they use their AFA address and military ID when going and don't even mention any other type of insurance. For emergency care you don't need prior authorization.

If it is routine/non-emergent care then I would delay it until he returns to the Academy otherwise you're going to run into all sorts of paperwork issues and probable denial of claim by Tricare because something will get messed up.
 
I have my daughter's orders in front of me. The following is the text of paragraph 9 Medical and Emergency Care:

a) Whenever you require routine medical care, use the nearest U.S. Government facility available. Emergency Rooms should be used for Emergent/Urgent Care. Present your military identification card as your insurance card and report the use of civilian care with 24 hours to the Beneficiary Services Office at (719)333-5281. If hospitalized, notify the Cadet Operations Command Center immediately at 719-333-2910.

b. Cadets must have prior approval/authorization to receive care in the civilian community and Urgent Care Clinics. Routine care is not covered. The care and treatment of injuries/diseases that exited prior to departure on leave are not considered emergencies. Please contact the Cadet Clinic at (719) 333-5183, to receive approvals/authorizations for civilian care.

c. Refer billing questions to Mrs. Glanda Phillips (Beneficiary Counseling and Assistance Counselor) at (719) 333-5281. Cadet Clinic providers need to see the cadet within three days of their return if they received any medical treatment while away from USAFA.

Hope this helps!
 
Sorry there was a mispelling in that last post: the name of the Beneficiary Counseling and Assistance Coordinator is Glenda Phillips. (719) 333-5281.
 
Thanks dohdean. Exactly what I was looking for. I'll pass it on.
 
Our son is is still on our medical coverage and we did not plan to remove him.

Is there any reason he would be REQUIRED to go to a military clinic for care while home? Can he still go see his regular dermatologist/eye doctor/dentist for normal care?
 
Our son is is still on our medical coverage and we did not plan to remove him.

Is there any reason he would be REQUIRED to go to a military clinic for care while home? Can he still go see his regular dermatologist/eye doctor/dentist for normal care?

I would not recommend that anyone receive any care outside of the military system unless they are referred from a military hospital to the outside.

There are many, many reasons for this but one big one is that the military will not cover care that is required if something goes wrong/bad with care that was not authorized. In other words, say your son/daughter goes to a doc and gets a prescription for an antibiotic. They take it when they get back to school and all the sudden develop a very serious allergic reaction that requires ICU care. Guess who's on the hook for that???? (okay, that's a bit extreme)

There are other issues, refills of medication not carried on the military formulary (acne meds for instance), military issues related to certain meds that a civilian doc may not think of (some antibiotics causing increased sun sensitivity in those in the military who spend a lot of time outdoors, etc).

Anyway, there really is no need for a person on active duty to seek care outside the military system. I have searched for AFI's in the past that state whether it is allowed or not and have come up empty handed so far. So could you? Yes. Would I recommend it, absolutely not.
 
Agree with kp2001. Aside from the reasons he listed, why would you WANT to pay unnecessary insurance premiums? We removed our DS from our plan as soon as he completed BCT and we knew he wouldn't be turned back for medical reasons. Should he not stay past commitment, he would be able to go back on our plan after the first of the following year, with COBRA kicking in until that time (if we're not mistaken).
 
Parent of cadets . . . your child is now in the military. The military is responsible for his/her medical care -- not you. Most people who have served in the military will tell you that the care they received while on Active Duty was, in most cases, better than they received as a civilian.

Trust me (as I wait literally 3 months to get a routine appt with my MD) that it's true. Military doctors are extremely well trained. Access to medical care is immediate, even for non-emergencies. No co-pays, insurance forms, etc. are required.

There is no reason to keep your child on your insurance and no reason to seek civilian medical care other than for an emergency. Your child knows this -- don't put him/her in an awkward situation by insisting he/she see a civilian MD or dentist for routine care.
 
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