US Code
CHAPTER 55— MEDICAL AND DENTAL CARE
§ 1074. Medical and dental care for members and certain former members

(a)(1) Under joint regulations to be prescribed by the administering Secretaries, a member of a uniformed service described in paragraph (2) is entitled to medical and dental care in any facility of any uniformed service.
(2) Members of the uniformed services referred to in paragraph (1) are as follows:(A) A member of a uniformed service on active duty.
(B) A member of a reserve component of a uniformed service who has been commissioned as an officer if—(i) the member has requested orders to active duty for the member’s initial period of active duty following the commissioning of the member as an officer;
(ii) the request for orders has been approved;
(iii) the orders are to be issued but have not been issued or the orders have been issued but the member has not entered active duty; and
(iv) the member does not have health care insurance and is not covered by any other health benefits plan.
(b)(1) Under joint regulations to be prescribed by the administering Secretaries, a member or former member of a uniformed service who is entitled to retired or retainer pay, or equivalent pay may, upon request, be given medical and dental care in any facility of any uniformed service, subject to the availability of space and facilities and the capabilities of the medical and dental staff. The administering Secretaries may, with the agreement of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, provide care to persons covered by this subsection in facilities operated by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and determined by him to be available for this purpose on a reimbursable basis at rates approved by the President.
(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply to a member or former member entitled to retired pay for non-regular service under chapter 1223 of this title who is under 60 years of age.
(c)(1) Funds appropriated to a military department, the Department of Homeland Security (with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy), or the Department of Health and Human Services (with respect to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Public Health Service) may be used to provide medical and dental care to persons entitled to such care by law or regulations, including the provision of such care (other than elective private treatment) in private facilities for members of the uniformed services. If a private facility or health care provider providing care under this subsection is a health care provider under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services, the Secretary of Defense, after consultation with the other administering Secretaries, may by regulation require the private facility or health care provider to provide such care in accordance with the same payment rules (subject to any modifications considered appropriate by the Secretary) as apply under that program.
(2)(A) Subject to such exceptions as the Secretary of Defense considers necessary, coverage for medical care for members of the uniformed services under this subsection, and standards with respect to timely access to such care, shall be comparable to coverage for medical care and standards for timely access to such care under the managed care option of the TRICARE program known as TRICARE Prime.
(B) The Secretary of Defense shall enter into arrangements with contractors under the TRICARE program or with other appropriate contractors for the timely and efficient processing of claims under this subsection.
(C) The Secretary of Defense shall consult with the other administering Secretaries in the administration of this paragraph.
(3)(A) A member of the uniformed services described in subparagraph (B) may not be required to receive routine primary medical care at a military medical treatment facility.
(B) A member referred to in subparagraph (A) is a member of the uniformed services on active duty who is entitled to medical care under this subsection and who—(i) receives a duty assignment described in subparagraph (C); and
(ii) pursuant to the assignment of such duty, resides at a location that is more than 50 miles, or approximately one hour of driving time, from the nearest military medical treatment facility adequate to provide the needed care.
(C) A duty assignment referred to in subparagraph (B) means any of the following:(i) Permanent duty as a recruiter.
(ii) Permanent duty at an educational institution to instruct, administer a program of instruction, or provide administrative services in support of a program of instruction for the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.
(iii) Permanent duty as a full-time adviser to a unit of a reserve component.
(iv) Any other permanent duty designated by the Secretary concerned for purposes of this paragraph.
(4)(A) Subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary of Defense considers appropriate, coverage comparable to that provided by the Secretary under subsections (d) and (e) of section 1079 of this title shall be provided under this subsection to members of the uniformed services who incur a serious injury or illness on active duty as defined by regulations prescribed by the Secretary.
(B) The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe in regulations—(i) the individuals who shall be treated as the primary caregivers of a member of the uniformed services for purposes of this paragraph; and
(ii) the definition of serious injury or illness for the purposes of this paragraph.
(d)(1) For the purposes of this chapter, a member of a reserve component of the armed forces who is issued a delayed-effective-date active-duty order, or is covered by such an order, shall be treated as being on active duty for a period of more than 30 days beginning on the later of the date that is—(A) the date of the issuance of such order; or
(B) 180 days before the date on which the period of active duty is to commence under such order for that member.
(2) In this subsection, the term “delayed-effective-date active-duty order” means an order to active duty for a period of more than 30 days under section 12304b of this title or a provision of law referred to in section 101(a)(13)(B) of this title that provides for active-duty service to begin under such order on a date after the date of the issuance of the order.

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