Senators call for military healthcare program to cover autism therapy as a basic benefit

Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Eric Schmitt issued a letter Friday to Pentagon leadership calling for the military healthcare program to cover autism therapy as a basic benefit.

Less than 24 hours after NBC News reported on members of the military and retirees facing roadblocks in getting coverage for critical therapies for children with autism, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., issued a letter Friday to Pentagon leadership calling for changes.

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Gillibrand and Schmitt are members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which oversees the Defense Health Agency and TRICARE.

The letter calls on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to get rid of rules in the TRICARE program that are causing parents to be denied some applied behavior analysis, or ABA, therapies that are typically covered by most private and public insurance. ABA therapy is used to help children communicate and learn daily life skills.