Do we need a new autism diagnosis after a PCS move?

Usually not. The TRICARE Operations Manual says the navigator transfer includes moving your current ABA referral without a new appointment with an autism diagnosing provider. You will still need a new assessment and authorization from your new ABA provider, and you should confirm your two-year referral renewal date with your navigator.

When should we tell TRICARE about our move?

As early as you can. The manual has the outgoing and incoming navigators overlap for at least one month before and after a move between regions, but that depends on you or your provider telling the contractor. Tricare.mil also says to talk with your child's case manager and regional contractor before you move.

Does my child's outcome-measure schedule restart after a move?

No. The TRICARE Operations Manual says the outcome measures timeline does not change when you change regions or providers. It resets only if your family pauses ACD services for more than 180 days.

Will the Florida school follow my child's IEP from another state?

Under the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, which Florida adopted in s. 1000.36, the receiving school must first provide services comparable to the current IEP. Florida may then evaluate your child and write a new IEP.

PCS to Florida With an Autistic Child: ABA Checklist

A permanent change of station (PCS) move to Florida means a new home, a new school and, for many families, a new ABA team. TRICARE's rules are built to keep autism care going through a move, but only if the right people know early. This guide gives you a move timeline, the TRICARE and school rules behind each step and a plan for the first week in your new Florida home. It is based on tricare.mil, the TRICARE Operations Manual, Military OneSource and Florida law as of October 20, 2026. Example timelines are examples, not promises.

What does TRICARE do when an ACD family moves?

The TRICARE Operations Manual gives your Autism Services Navigator specific moving duties. When a child in the Autism Care Demonstration (ACD) moves:

Two navigators overlap. The outgoing and incoming navigators are assigned at the same time for at least one month before and after a move between regions or markets. This depends on you or your provider telling the contractor about the move.
Your referral travels with you. The case transfer includes "ensuring the current ABA referral transfer without requiring a new ASD diagnosing/referring provider appointment."
Documents move fast. The outgoing navigator sends the comprehensive care plan, outcome measures and other ACD documents within 10 calendar days of learning you are moving to another contractor's area, and the new contractor accepts verified documents.
Providers are lined up before arrival. The incoming navigator or outreach coordinator identifies providers in the new area before you move, and helps find appointments "no more than two weeks prior to arrival," because contractors cannot hold provider openings for long.
Your outcome-measure schedule stays the same. The manual says the timeline "does not change when changing regions, provider, or beneficiary category." See TRICARE's outcome measures.

What does change is your ABA provider, and with it the authorization. Humana Military's guide says a child can have only one main ABA supervisor and cannot have two treatment authorizations at once, so the new Florida provider will need its own assessment and authorization. The manual also anticipates shorter authorizations "as a result of a PCS transition."

Which TRICARE region is Florida in?

Florida is in the TRICARE East Region, run by Humana Military (800-444-5445). If you are coming from the West Region (TriWest), your contractor changes. If you are moving within the East Region, the contractor stays the same but your providers, and possibly your navigator, change. In the Tampa area, note that families using the ACD are not eligible for the TRICARE Prime Demo offered there through CareSource Military & Veterans.

Your PCS timeline, step by step

As soon as orders are likely

EFMP: if you are enrolled, EFMP staff review whether your child's needs can be met at the new location. If an assignment is not recommended, you have about 14 days from the notification to ask for a second review. See EFMP in Florida.
Tell your navigator and current BCBA the expected move date and Florida destination. This triggers the navigator overlap.
Ask your current BCBA for a transition packet: the latest assessment, treatment plan, progress report and graphs, behavior plan and any crisis or safety plan.

Two to three months before the move

Request copies of the diagnostic report, DSM-5 checklist, referral, authorization letters and all outcome measures.
Contact Florida ABA providers near your new home to ask about openings, settings and languages. Share your move window.
Call the school liaison at the new installation about schools and special education; see school liaison officers in Florida.
Ask your TRICARE primary care manager or Humana Military about new referrals you will need at the new station. Tricare.mil says you can request them before you move.

The last month

Ask the incoming navigator to help schedule the new provider's assessment for soon after arrival.
Get unofficial school records and the current IEP to hand-carry.
Refill prescriptions so they last through the move.
Do not disenroll from your TRICARE plan. Tricare.mil says you stay covered by your current plan on the way to your new location.

After you arrive

Update your address in DEERS. You have 90 days from the address change to change TRICARE plans, and you must confirm enrollment at the new duty station.
Check in with EFMP Family Support at the new installation, which should contact you for a warm handoff.
Start the new provider's assessment and treatment plan so Humana Military can authorize ABA.

Example only: a family that tells its navigator three months ahead, books an assessment for the first week after arrival and has outcome measures current may restart within a few weeks. A family that reports the move after arrival may wait longer for a new authorization. Your timeline depends on paperwork, provider openings and Humana Military's review.

What happens to the IEP when you move to Florida?

Florida belongs to the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children (s. 1000.36, Florida Statutes). Under the compact:

a receiving state "must initially provide comparable services to a student with disabilities based on his or her current individualized education program";
if official records are not ready, the sending school gives you unofficial records, and the Florida school must enroll and place your child based on them while it waits;
the sending school must send official records within 10 days of the request (or the time set by compact rules); and
you get 30 days from enrollment to obtain any immunizations Florida requires.

Florida may evaluate an out-of-state student before writing a new IEP. Timelines and what "comparable" means are in our guide to IEP transfers when moving to Florida.

What should the first week in your new Florida home look like?

Moves are hard on many autistic children because so much changes at once. These ABA-informed ideas are general; your BCBA can tailor them.

Preview the new place. Before the move, show photos or video of the house, the bedroom and the new school, and talk through what will happen each day.
Unpack the familiar first. Set up your child's bed, comfort items and a calm space on day one, in a layout close to the old room.
Keep the anchors. Hold wake-up, meal and bedtime routines as steady as you can, even when boxes are everywhere.
Use a visual schedule for the first weeks, with photos of new places; see visual schedules at home.
Check water and exits on the first day. Florida homes often have pools, canals or ponds nearby. Walk the property, secure doors and gates, and read drowning prevention for autistic children and wandering safety plans.
Plan for storm season. June through November is hurricane season in Florida; see hurricane preparedness for autism families.
Keep practicing skills. Strategies from parent training can bridge the gap between your old provider's last session and your new provider's first.

For non-military moving advice, see moving to Florida with an autistic child.

Which documents should travel in your carry-on?

Diagnostic report with DSM-5 checklist and validated assessment scores
Current ABA referral and every authorization letter
Latest ABA assessment, treatment plan, progress report and behavior or safety plans
All outcome measures, with dates
Navigator's name and contact details, and your comprehensive care plan
EFMP enrollment and ECHO registration paperwork (active duty)
Current IEP or IFSP, evaluations and unofficial school records
Medication list and prescriptions

How Hope Center helps families moving to Florida

Hope Center for Behavior Change accepts TRICARE East (Humana Military) and has no waitlist. If you are moving to the Tampa Bay or Jacksonville areas, our Temple Terrace and Jacksonville locations are closest to MacDill AFB, NAS Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport; see MacDill AFB families and NAS Jacksonville and Mayport families. We also have locations in West Palm Beach, Port Charlotte and Sebring, and we serve other areas in homes, schools and daycares; call to ask whether we can staff your area.

You can contact us before you arrive. We can verify benefits, review your transition packet and plan the assessment around your move date, and with your permission our BCBA can coordinate with your navigator and current provider. The usual steps are in our TRICARE ABA referral checklist. Visit our military families page, request a free consultation or call 561-337-8865.

This guide is general information for Florida families, not medical, legal or financial advice for your child. Laws, plan rules and program amounts change; check with your plan, the agency named, or a Florida attorney before you act.

PCS to Florida With an Autistic Child: Keeping ABA on Track