Does TRICARE cover a walker or rollator?
Walkers are durable medical equipment. One walker, chosen with the doctor.
Does TRICARE cover a walker or rollator?
TRICARE lists "mobility aids like walkers and wheelchairs" as examples of durable medical equipment, which it covers "when prescribed by a physician." A rollator is a walker with wheels, a seat and hand brakes, so the doctor's order should say which kind is needed. TRICARE doesn't pay for a second walker kept only as a backup.
A walker or rollator can be the difference between staying in one room and getting around the house. TRICARE names walkers as an example of the equipment it covers.
Steps
- Talk with the doctor or therapist. They decide which aid fits: a standard walker for the steadiest support, or a rollator for longer walks with a seat to rest on.
- Get the order. TRICARE covers equipment when a physician prescribes it. The order should name the kind of walker and why it's needed.
- Ask your military clinic first. If you're enrolled at a military hospital or clinic, ask them first. TRICARE doesn't cover equipment you can get from your military hospital or clinic.
- Approval from TriWest. In the West, TriWest reviews equipment before it's approved. Intake helps you gather what's needed.
- One aid for the job. A walker and a rollator do the same job, and TRICARE doesn't pay for a second one kept only as a backup. Choose the one that fits daily life.
- Extra features. Features that only add cost aren't covered. You may be able to pay the extra cost for them yourself.
- TRICARE For Life. If you have TRICARE For Life, Medicare's rules for equipment come first.
Checklist
- Doctor or therapist chose a walker or a rollator
- Order names the kind and the reason
- Asked our military clinic first (if enrolled at one)
- Handle height checked at the wrist crease
- Called intake or sent a request
Before sitting on a rollator, lock both brakes every time.
In TRICARE's words
Mobility aids like walkers and wheelchairs
Q&A: How TRICARE covers durable medical equipment — TRICARE Newsroom
TRICARE covers durable medical equipment when prescribed by a physician.
Duplicate items of otherwise allowable DME to be used solely as a back-up to currently owned or rented equipment
DME with deluxe, luxury, or immaterial features, which increase the cost of the item to the government relative to similar item without those features
Equipment in this guide
Follow the instructions from your doctor and the equipment maker.