PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Congresswoman Jen Kiggans has put herself at the forefront on leading the discussion to improve reimbursement distributions for TRICARE patients, calling the current delays “failures.”

Kiggans, along with other representatives, sent a letter to Director of the Defense Health Agency Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland to inquire about these concerns. Constituents and health care providers have reported issues to Kiggans’ office regarding TRICARE compensation and delays in reimbursement for services.

The representatives gave a deadline of March 1 for Crosland to respond to their questions. Four questions were posed in the letter:

• When do you anticipate the current reimbursement delays will be resolved?
• When should providers who have not yet received payment for their services expect to be reimbursed by TRICARE?
• What specific assurances have you received from your TRICARE East contract holders regarding a concrete plan to resolve these delays?
• What proactive steps are being taken to ensure that we do not face this critical payment issue again in the future?

“We have heard directly from many concerned providers and military families, stating that the new T-5 contract has resulted in severe challenges with providers across the nation reporting millions of dollars in claims going unpaid or unprocessed,” said the lawmakers. “Some have not received any payment since the beginning of the year, while others have received checks that were placed on hold by their banks. This cash flow crisis puts smaller practices at immediate risk of closure, jeopardizing access to care for thousands of military families across the country.”