Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) Respite Care Update

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Beneficiaries eligible for ECHO benefits have access to a maximum of 16 hours per month of respite care, which provides time off for primary caregivers who care for eligible beneficiaries at home. Retroactive to Aug. 9, 2021, TRICARE has removed the prerequisite for beneficiaries registered in ECHO to receive other authorized non-respite care during the same month. Previously, ECHO respite care was only allowed within the same month that another ECHO benefit was authorized and rendered. 

What is ECHO?
ECHO is a supplemental benefit program that provides services and supplies beyond the basic TRICARE military health care program. ECHO is available to active duty family members (ADFMs) who meet the qualifications of a specific physical, developmental and/or mental disability. The program provides beneficiaries with coordinated ECHO services and supplies to reduce the disabling effects of the qualifying condition or disorder. 

Visit our Extended Health Care Option web page to learn more about the benefits available. You can also locate this information on TRICARE’s ECHO benefit page at www.tricare.mil/echo.  

For additional information on respite care, visit our Benefits A–Z web page.