In solidarity with military families across the country, The National Coalition for Access to Autism Services (NCAAS) stands in opposition to the continuing limitation on access to evidence-based treatment services for autism spectrum disorder by the DoD. It is unfair and cannot be justified.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), the gold-standard of autism therapy is still not covered as a standard benefit under the Department of Defense’s (DoD) TRICARE health plan. Military families face significant hurdles to access this treatment including restrictions on where therapy can take place and excessive bureaucratic red-tape to maintain continuous treatment. In comparison, civilian families enjoy open access to treatment through their private insurance, VA healthcare or state Medicaid plan (including CHIP). For the last 9 years families across the country have seen improved access to care, while TRICARE’s Autism Care Demonstration program has done the opposite and reduced access to care – change is overdue.
NCAAS stands with the thousands of military families that have their care disrupted over the last several years, potentially causing irreparable harm to their children. Moreover, these service members are asked to protect and defend our country, yet their children’s ABA treatment continues to be neglected. It is vital to restore access to ABA therapy in schools and other community settings and reduce other barriers to quality care.
The CDC now finds that approximately one in 36 children is diagnosed with autism, making it increasingly important for TRICARE to expand this benefit through less red-tape and improved reimbursement to ensure families who need access to therapy can find it.
Military families battle enough challenges- access to Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy for their children should not be one of them.
Help our community spread this message on behalf of NCAAS as we continue to advocate for critical continuous access to mental health services for individuals with autism. Call your elected representatives in Congress here and encourage them to protect military families and their children.
More discourse on behalf of NCAAS detailing ABA therapy TRICARE benefits is below.