Is the TRICARE Autism Demonstration Ending? What 2028 Means for Florida Families

If your child gets ABA through TRICARE, you may have heard that the Autism Care Demonstration "ends in 2028." That date is real, but it is an authorization date, not an announced shutdown. This guide explains what the date means, what the 2025 National Academies report recommended, what has happened since, and what Florida military families can do now so their child's care stays steady whatever the Department of Defense decides. For the step-by-step rules of the program itself, see our TRICARE Autism Care Demonstration guide.

What does "authorized through 2028" actually mean?

TRICARE does not cover ABA as a regular medical benefit. It covers ABA through the TRICARE Comprehensive Autism Care Demonstration (ACD), which runs under special demonstration authority. TRICARE's own page puts it plainly: "ABA services are a benefit covered under the ACD. This is separate from the TRICARE medical benefit."

A demonstration has an end date unless it is extended. The ACD began on July 25, 2014. tricare.mil (last updated September 21, 2026) says it is "currently authorized to run through Dec. 31, 2028."

This has happened before. The demonstration was once set to expire on December 31, 2023. In August 2022 the Department of Defense published a notice in the Federal Register giving it a "five-year extension," with the line: "The Demonstration will continue through December 31, 2028." The notice said more data was needed "to determine the appropriate structure of implementing ABA services as either a medical treatment or other modality" under TRICARE.

So the 2028 date is the current end of the authority. The Department could extend it again, change it, make ABA part of the regular TRICARE benefit, or let it lapse. As of October 20, 2026, it has not announced any of these.

Why is ABA a "demonstration" and not a regular benefit?

The demonstration was set up to test how ABA should be delivered and paid for under TRICARE. The 2022 notice says its purpose is "to analyze and evaluate the appropriateness of the ABA services tiered delivery model." In a tiered model, a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) designs the plan and behavior technicians, such as registered behavior technicians (RBTs), deliver much of the direct therapy under supervision.

Other autism-related care is already part of the regular TRICARE medical benefit. tricare.mil lists occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, psychological services, psychological testing and prescription drugs as covered under the medical benefit when clinically necessary and appropriate. Those services do not depend on the demonstration's end date.

What did the National Academies report say?

Congress required an independent review of the program by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). The consensus report, The Comprehensive Autism Care Demonstration: Solutions for Military Families, was published in September 2025 (the date the Defense Health Agency gives for it). Its sponsor was the Department of Defense.

The National Academies' publication page says the report finds that ABA "should be formally authorized as a TRICARE Basic benefit." "Basic benefit" means regular TRICARE coverage rather than coverage under a time-limited demonstration.

A June 26, 2026 press release from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand summarizes other recommendations in the report as:

• ending "redundant, mandatory testing and parenting stress assessments";
• giving clinicians flexibility in choosing assessment tools and making care navigation services optional; and
• updating Defense Health Agency coverage policies to match standard industry guidelines, including approving all standard ABA billing codes and allowing ABA in schools and community settings.

These are recommendations, not rules. Nothing in the report changes your child's coverage by itself. Until the Department of Defense acts, TRICARE's current requirements still apply, including the four outcome measures described in our outcome measures guide.

What has happened since the report?

The Defense Health Agency's April 2026 report to Congress

The Defense Health Agency (DHA) sends Congress an annual report on the ACD. The April 2026 report says the ACD "is currently authorized through December 31, 2028." It says the National Academies report "provides valuable insights into the delivery of ABA services." It does not announce a change to the program. It also reports that at the end of fiscal year 2024 there were 17,603 ACD participants, with a median age of 7.

The June 2026 Senate letter

On June 26, 2026, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Eric Schmitt, both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote to the Department of Defense. According to the senators' release, they urged the Department to "take immediate action to adopt all these recommendations, especially the recommendation to make ABA a Basic benefit under the TRICARE program." A letter from senators is a request. It does not change TRICARE policy.

What tricare.mil says today

As of October 20, 2026, tricare.mil's ACD page (updated September 21, 2026) describes the same program: a referral and pre-authorization for all ABA, six-month authorizations, a new referral every two years, four baseline outcome measures, an Autism Services Navigator, one copayment for all ABA on the same day, and no yearly or lifetime caps. We found no notice of a structural change.

Could my child lose ABA coverage in 2029?

Nobody outside the Department of Defense can say yet. Here is what is known:

• The authority runs through December 31, 2028.
• The last time the end date approached, the Department extended it, and it announced the extension in the Federal Register more than a year before the old end date.
• The independent review Congress asked for recommends making ABA a regular benefit.
• No decision has been published.

Be careful with anything you read online that states a decision as fact. If the program is changed, extended or ended, expect to see it on tricare.mil and in an official notice. You can also ask your child's Autism Services Navigator or call Humana Military, the TRICARE East contractor for Florida, at 1-800-444-5445.

What should Florida families do now?

The most useful thing is to keep your child's current coverage in good order. A lapse in paperwork is a more immediate risk to services than the 2028 date.

1. Keep authorizations current. Each ABA authorization covers six months, and the provider requests reauthorization before it ends. Ask your BCBA when the current period ends.
2. Track the two-year referral. TRICARE requires a new referral and DSM-5 checklist documentation every 24 months. Our referral renewal checklist shows how to plan it.
3. Complete outcome measures on time. They are still required for authorization.
4. Keep copies. Save the diagnosis, referrals, authorization letters, treatment plans and progress reports. If coverage rules change, these records help any new plan or program review your child's needs quickly.
5. Know your other options. Speech, occupational and physical therapy are under the regular TRICARE medical benefit. Active duty families may also use ECHO; see our TRICARE ECHO guide. If you also have a civilian plan through an employer, read TRICARE plus an employer plan.
6. Check official pages a few times a year. tricare.mil/autism shows its "last updated" date at the bottom of the page.

If you want to share your family's experience with lawmakers, that is your choice. Your member of Congress's office can tell you how to do that.

How Hope Center supports TRICARE families

Hope Center for Behavior Change is in network with TRICARE East (Humana Military). Our BCBAs write each treatment plan, our clinical director reviews every plan before it goes to TRICARE, and we offer weekly parent training. We serve families in homes, schools, daycares and our centers in West Palm Beach, Temple Terrace (Tampa), Jacksonville, Port Charlotte and Sebring. We will keep this guide updated as TRICARE publishes changes. Learn more on our TRICARE ABA page and military families page, or request a free consultation and benefits check or call 561-337-8865.