The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's (NASEM’s) Independent Analysis of the Autism Care Demonstration was released on September 9, 2025. This independent analysis and subsequent report were requested by Congress as part of the NDAA passed in late 2021. It took four years for the analysis to be finalized and the report to be released, but it validates what military families and autism service providers have been saying for years. It is time to end the long 10+ year demonstration program and cover ABA as a TRICARE Basic benefit.

Key Findings include:
ABA Services Are Effective and Meet Medical Evidence Standards
TRICARE ACD Policies Impose Excessive Burden on Military Families
ABA Providers Face Challenges in Providing Care to ACD Clients
Required Assessment Tools Are Misaligned with Clinical and Evaluation Goals

 Key Recommendations in the report for the Defense Health Agency include:

1. Discontinue the Autism Care Demonstration and cover ABA as a TRICARE Basic benefit.
2. Eliminate mandatory assessments that do not support treatment planning.
3. Reduce administrative barriers that limit access to ABA services.
4. Align TRICARE ABA coverage with clinical best practices.
5. Establish an independent advisory council to guide the ABA transition.

 

To read the full report: 

Contact your members of Congress and ask them to:

• Hold TRICARE accountable for following through and making applied behavior analysis (ABA) a permanent Basic benefit consistent with NASEM Committee recommendations.
• Contact their leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committee and express their desire to see this prioritized.
• Contact Sean O'Keefe, Deputy Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness, requesting an update on the implementation plan.

 

The science and the facts are clear. The time for demonstrations and delays is over. Our military service members and their families cannot wait another four years for access to ABA services, administered according to accepted standards of care, which are already available to civilians, federal employees, and Medicaid beneficiaries.
Covering ABA as a Basic benefit helps the military family and helps address barriers to recruitment and retention. An investment in military members and their families is an investment in America.