H.R. 4289 — TRICARE Travel Improvement Act

This section lowers the distance threshold triggering Department of Defense reimbursement of travel and transportation allowances—from 100 miles to 50 miles—for covered beneficiaries (i.e., TRICARE-eligible individuals, including active duty members, retirees, and dependents) referred by a primary care provider to a specialty care provider. It further restructures subsection (b) as special rules to (1) authorize such allowances under exceptional circumstances for active duty members and dependents to providers not covered by subsection (a); and (2) require administering subsection (a) for military retirees and their dependents by using a 50-mile threshold (instead of 100 miles).