Every child in TRICARE's Autism Care Demonstration (ACD) gets an Autism Services Navigator, often shortened to ASN. Many parents meet theirs in one phone call and never quite learn what the role covers. That is a missed opportunity, because the navigator is the person TRICARE puts in charge of coordinating your child's autism care, keeping track of deadlines and helping when something goes wrong. This guide explains what navigators do, what you agree to with yours, and how to use the navigator to solve problems, based on tricare.mil, the TRICARE Operations Manual and Humana Military's TRICARE East guide as of October 20, 2026.
What is an Autism Services Navigator?
Tricare.mil says: "TRICARE will assign your child an ASN. Your child's ASN acts as the primary care coordinator." The TRICARE Operations Manual describes the navigator as "an autism-specific care manager" who "serves as the primary clinical advocate for the beneficiary and family." In Florida, navigators work for Humana Military, the TRICARE East contractor.
Some key rules from the manual:
- The contractor must give you the navigator's name and contact information in writing.
- The navigator must contact your family to explain the service before any ABA is authorized.
- The navigator is your single point of contact for autism care questions and must be reachable by phone or email, as you prefer, during business hours in your time zone.
- The navigator is independent of your ABA provider. If the role is subcontracted, the navigator cannot serve families they treat, and the role "shall be external to any agency rendering services to the beneficiary."
Humana Military's guide also mentions an outreach coordinator, who may be your first contact while eligibility is being sorted out. Outreach coordinators help with paperwork for up to 180 days; you get a navigator once your child is eligible for the ACD.
What is the comprehensive care plan?
Your navigator's main tool is the comprehensive care plan (CCP). Tricare.mil says the CCP will set goals, track timelines for outcome measures and authorization dates, connect you with clinical and non-clinical resources, and provide discharge, moving or transition support.
The manual sets the rules:
- The navigator does an initial care management assessment with you and writes the CCP within 90 calendar days of being assigned to your family.
- The CCP includes the results of all outcome measures and addresses discharge and transition planning.
- It is updated at least every six months with new outcome measures, and shared with your providers and your primary care manager or referring provider.
Your part matters. If the CCP is not finished within 90 days because the family did not take part, the manual tells the contractor to suspend ABA services until it is done or the authorization ends. Humana Military's guide says working with your navigator "is important to remain in the ACD and to receive ABA services."
What does a navigator coordinate for you?
According to the manual, the navigator coordinates:
- medical and mental health services, including physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology;
- care at military hospitals and clinics, your network primary care manager and specialty providers;
- ABA services;
- ECHO services for active duty families, and EFMP coordinators;
- medical team conferences, where at least three professionals from different disciplines meet about your child; and
- local resources, including community services, respite options and support groups, plus education materials about autism and treatment options.
The navigator also makes sure parent-mediated programs and other therapy goals do not contradict each other, which helps when your child sees several providers.
What are parent-participation goals?
TRICARE expects parents to take an active part in ABA. Tricare.mil says your child's authorized ABA supervisor "helps you to develop goals. These goals are for your participation in your child's ABA treatment plan." The navigator records goals in the CCP and tracks them.
The manual's minimum requirements for parent training are:
- at least six parent or caregiver sessions every six months;
- the first session within 30 calendar days of each treatment authorization; and
- sessions at home or in a clinic or office, not at school (they can move to telehealth after the first six-month authorization with a provider).
If this requirement is not met for two authorization periods in a row, the contractor must deny the next authorization. If a parent cannot take part, for example because of deployment or a physical limitation, the treatment plan must document why and what was tried. Tell your navigator and BCBA early; see when a parent deploys.
How does the navigator help when you move, retire or lose a provider?
The manual says the navigator facilitates continuity of care "when a beneficiary in the ACD moves, their sponsor retires, or a provider becomes unavailable." For moves between regions, the old and new navigators overlap for at least a month before and after, your current ABA referral transfers, and documents move within 10 days. See PCS to Florida with ABA and ABA for retiree, Guard and Reserve families.
Humana Military's guide adds that you can change your ABA supervisor after the first visit, or later, by contacting your navigator.
Who does not get a navigator?
Tricare.mil says you will not have a navigator if you are enrolled in the US Family Health Plan or live overseas. The manual also lists TRICARE For Life among those excluded from navigator services. The manual says other case management under the contracts is not affected, so ask your plan what support is available.
There is one more rule to know. If you decline the navigator for any reason, the manual says you are "no longer eligible for the ACD," which ends ABA under the demonstration. You can ask to rejoin later if all criteria are met, and declining does not affect other TRICARE benefits.
How do you raise a problem through your navigator?
Common reasons to call: an authorization is stuck, an outcome measure is due and no one has scheduled it, you cannot find a provider within TRICARE's 28-day access standard, services are not matching the plan, or you want to change providers. A simple approach:
- Write down the facts: your child's name and DoD ID, the dates, who you spoke with and what you need.
- Call or email your navigator first and ask for a specific next step and date.
- If you cannot reach your navigator or the issue is not resolved, contact Humana Military's ACD team on the ABA line, 866-323-7155, or send a secure message through your East Region self-service account. General TRICARE East customer service is 800-444-5445.
- Keep copies of messages and letters in your ABA folder.
Sample message: "Hello, this is the parent of [child], DoD ID [number]. Our ABA authorization ends on [date] and the reauthorization has not been approved. The BCBA says the PDDBI and PSI were sent on [date]. Can you check what is missing and tell me by [date] what we need to do?"
If you have concerns about your child's safety in any service, contact your navigator and the provider right away. The manual requires the contractor to report abuse allegations to the proper authorities.
How Hope Center works with your navigator
Hope Center for Behavior Change accepts TRICARE East (Humana Military). With your permission, our BCBAs coordinate with your navigator on treatment plans, outcome measure dates and transitions, while the navigator remains independent of us, as TRICARE requires. We offer parent training every week and can help you prepare for CCP updates. Parent training and BCBA supervision can be done by telehealth, though we prefer in person; RBT sessions are always in person. For the steps to get started, see our TRICARE ABA referral checklist, outcome measures guide and Autism Care Demonstration overview.
Visit our TRICARE ABA page, request a free consultation or call 561-337-8865.