DHA Announces New TRICARE Prime Drive Time Waiver Policy for PCM Access

Falls Church, Va. (April 8, 2025) — The Defense Health Agency (DHA) has announced a new drive time waiver policy for its TRICARE Prime beneficiaries.

The new policy allows Prime plan beneficiaries living more than 30 minutes but less than 100 miles from their Primary Care Manager (PCM) to keep seeing their provider without completing a drive time waiver.

According to DHA, the change makes it simpler for beneficiaries meeting the new policy requirements to continue seeing their PCM without taking additional action.

Previously, all Prime beneficiaries who moved or lived more than 30 minutes from their PCM were required to complete a drive time waiver to retain their coverage and access to their provider.

With the policy change, Prime beneficiaries who move or live more than 100 miles from their PCM will now need to take action to ensure continued coverage and access through their regional contractor, according to DHA.

Now, if a Prime beneficiary’s TRICARE regional contractor learns, based on information on file, that they have moved beyond 30 minutes from their PCM, the contractor will contact all family beneficiaries with their coverage options.

TRICARE West Region Prime beneficiaries can learn more details about DHA’s announced drive time waiver policy in this recent TRICARE Newsroom article.