TRICARE Hospice Coverage: 2026 Guide to End-of-Life Care | TRICARE.com

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## Quick answer TRICARE covers hospice care for terminally ill beneficiaries with a life expectancy of six months or less. This benefit provides end-of-life medical care, pain management, and emotional support focused on comfort (palliative) rather than curative treatment.

Details

The TRICARE hospice benefit is modeled after the Medicare hospice program and is designed to provide dignity and comfort during the final stages of life. Once a beneficiary elects the hospice benefit, they waive their rights to standard TRICARE benefits for the curative treatment of the terminal illness.

### Core Services Covered TRICARE covers the following under the hospice benefit at 100% of the negotiated rate: * Physical and occupational therapy. * Speech-language pathology services. * Nursing care (periodically or 24/7 during crisis periods). * Medical social services and counseling for the patient and family. * Home health aide and homemaker services. * Medical supplies, including drugs for pain relief and symptom management. * Short-term inpatient care for pain control or symptom management.

### Respite Care TRICARE provides "respite care" to give the primary caregiver a break. This allows for up to five consecutive days of inpatient care for the patient at a TRICARE-certified facility (such as a hospital or nursing home) to allow the family members time to rest.

### Costs and Copays (2026 Rates) Hospice care is generally provided at **no cost** to the beneficiary. * **Active Duty Service Members (ADSMs):** $0 out-of-pocket. * **Retirees and Family Members:** No cost for hospice services when using a TRICARE-authorized hospice provider. There may be small copayments for certain outpatient drugs or for respite care, though these often align with Medicare's minimal rates (roughly 5% of the TRICARE-allowed amount, up to a cap).

*Note: For 2026, many Select and Prime plans maintain a $0 copay for hospice-specific care to ensure zero barriers to end-of-life support.*

### Eligibility and Election To use this benefit, a physician must certify that the beneficiary has a life expectancy of six months or less if the disease runs its normal course. The beneficiary (or their legal representative) must formally "elect" hospice care by signing a statement. This can be canceled ("revoked") at any time if the patient wishes to return to curative treatment.

### Regional Contractors As of 2026, hospice authorizations and claims are managed by: * **East Region:** Humana Military. * **West Region:** TriWest Healthcare Alliance. * **Overseas:** International SOS.

## Who this affects * **Active Duty Service Members:** Full coverage; coordinated through military medical channels. * **Active Duty Family Members:** Covered under Prime and Select. * **Retirees and Families:** Covered, including those on TRICARE For Life (TFL). For TFL, Medicare acts as the primary payer and TRICARE pays second. * **TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS) / Retired Reserve (TRRR):** Standard hospice benefits apply. * **Survivors:** Coverage continues for eligible survivors of deceased service members.

## Sources * **TRICARE.mil:** [Hospice Care Overview](https://www.tricare.mil/hospice) * **Humana Military (East):** [End of Life Care Resources](https://www.humanamilitary.com) * **TriWest Healthcare Alliance (West):** [Provider and Beneficiary Services](https://www.triwest.com) * **Defense Health Agency (DHA):** [TRICARE Policy Manual Chapter 9, Section 1](https://manuals.health.mil)