The Comprehensive Autism Care Demonstration: Solutions for Military Families

Military families raising children with autism often face unique challenges in accessing consistent, high-quality care across frequent moves and deployments. Applied behavior analysis, or ABA, is widely recognized as an effective intervention for many autistic individuals, yet military families report barriers that delay or restrict their access to these services. The report The Comprehensive Autism Care Demonstration: Solutions for Military Families examines how the Department of Defense's autism care demonstration program is serving families and whether ABA should be covered as a TRICARE Basic benefit. Drawing on a careful review of the scientific literature, the report finds that ABA meets the Department's own standards for reliable medical evidence and should be formally authorized as a TRICARE Basic benefit. The report identifies key areas where current demonstration policies differ from clinical standards. These include restrictive rules around assessments, limited flexibility in treatment goals and settings, and administrative requirements that impose unnecessary burdens on both families and ABA providers.