Health Care/Special Needs

Whether this is your first move, or you’re a seasoned professional, moving can be a challenge. A little planning and preparation can help make your move as easy as possible. Try the following Defense Department resources to help you get organized:

• PCS & Military Moves on Military OneSource.mil provides comprehensive moving resources, information and services all in one simple location
• Plan My Move, an online tool that helps break down the moving process into clear, customizable steps, with checklists to help keep you organized and on track
• EFMP & Me, an online tool to help you plan for transition and continuity of support services for your family member(s) with special needs

Make sure your transition is as smooth as possible by visiting Moving on the TRICARE website. Talk to your medical case manager before you move. They can help you find a new doctor and other resources to avoid any interruptions in coverage.

On arrival at your new duty location, you or your sponsor can contact the Beneficiary Counseling and Assistance Coordinator at the military treatment facility. They can help if you have questions or need assistance with authorizations for TRICARE Extended Care Health Option, or ECHO, services.

All TRICARE regional offices and most military treatment facilities are staffed with beneficiary counseling and assistance coordinators who educate beneficiaries and help with TRICARE-related eligibility, enrollment, referrals/authorizations and claims processing questions. If you or your family has more complex needs, contact your TRICARE case manager.

TRICARE debt collection assistance officers are assigned to regional offices and military treatment facilities worldwide. DCAOs assist with confirmed debt collection due to unpaid TRICARE claims. Please note, the debt must be in collections or listed on your credit report.

Medicaid provides health coverage for eligible individuals and families with low incomes or with special needs. The department of social services or the department of medical assistance may administer the Medicaid program in your state. Supplemental Security Income is a cash assistance program intended to assist adults and children with special needs who have limited resources. Families must reapply after moving to a new state.

Medicaid waivers are state-specific Medicaid programs that provide funding for long-term care services to be provided in the community instead of in nursing homes or hospitals. There may be waitlists for waivers, however many states have agreed to the policy of allowing active-duty military families to enroll in their state of legal residence to get on the wait list.

Learn more about Benefits for Families With Special Needs, or review the Government Assistance Programs course on MilLife Learning.

The TRICARE Extended Care Health Option provides supplemental services to:

• Family members of active-duty service personnel (this includes activated National Guard and reserve service personnel)
• Family members who are covered under the Transitional Assistance Management Program
• Children or spouses of former service members who are victims of abuse and qualify for the Transitional Compensation Program
• Family members of deceased active-duty sponsors while they are considered transitional survivors.

The qualifying family member’s disability must be entered properly in the Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System to have access to TRICARE ECHO services.

For qualifying medical and/or educational special needs, TRICARE ECHO offers integrated services and supplies beyond those offered by your TRICARE program option (such as TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select). See this TRICARE ECHO factsheet for more information, or listen to this TRICARE ECHO webinar on Military OneSource.

Military hospitals and clinics are found at military bases and posts around the world. They are also referred to as military treatment facilities. Before you move, find out your new military treatment facility and contact them for local information.

Medical case management involves a team of health care professionals who help you and your family find solutions to complex health problems. It is important to let your medical case manager know if you are moving. They can help you connect with a medical case manager at your new location. Learn more about TRICARE case management services.

If your family member has special transportation needs for the move, such as oxygen or a special bed or wheelchair, contact your TRICARE medical case manager. They can advise you on equipment and transportation.

You can also contact your current installation’s household goods/transportation office (outbound) for information on special procedures for transporting medical equipment.

The mission of the 319th Medical Group is to promote healthy lifestyles and optimize mission performance through quality care for all Warriors of the North. They are committed to operational readiness, outstanding customer service, and always delivering world-class health care.

The Grand Forks AFB Clinic serves a local patient population of more than 3,800 active duty and retired members and their families. The clinic is located at 1599 Jones Street, Building 109. Active duty members and other beneficiaries enrolled in TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Plus have priority. All others can get care on a "space available" basis.

The Grand Forks AFB Clinic provides routine and acute care Monday through Friday. For appointments, call 701-747-5601, Option 1.

Services provided are as follows:

• Dental
• Family Health
• Flight Medicine
• Mental Health
• Military Medicine
• Optometry
• Pediatrics
• Physical Therapy
• Public Health

Appointments can be made through the patient portal at https://my.mhsgenesis.health.mil.  Prescription refills can be requested by sending a message to the 319^th Medical Group’s pharmacy using the MHS Genesis Patient Portal or by calling 701-747-3025.

There is no emergency room at Grand Forks AFB. For medical emergencies, call 911 (let the dispatcher know that your emergency is on Grand Forks AFB) or proceed directly to your nearest emergency room. The clinic provides 24 hour on-base ambulance service, providing transportation if needed, to the Altru Hospital Emergency Room in Grand Forks. Patients are asked to contact their Primary Care Manager within one duty day to report any care received at an emergency room to ensure proper follow-up. To report, call the Appointment Call Center at 701-747-5601 and choose option No. 1.  Please note: All Active Duty require referrals for all civilian healthcare except for emergency situations.

Days and Hours of Operation

For clinic closures, capabilities, MDG events, please follow us on Facebook - @GrandForksAFBMDG

Clinic: Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; closed Saturday & Sunday, and Federal Holidays. Family/Training Days: The clinic is open 8 to 10 a.m. for acute/urgent care, please call appointment desk to schedule. Training Day is the first Thursday of each month.

Pharmacy: The pharmacy has a Med Safe drug return box. Please feel free to bring any unused medications to the pharmacy and drop into the Med Safe box for safe disposal. The Pharmacy can be reached via phone at 701-747-5382. For prescription refills, call 701-747-3025. Make sure you have your prescription number available when you call.  Also, please call the pharmacy ahead of time to activate new prescriptions from the doctor's office.  If you have medications you need to transfer to GFAFB, stop by the pharmacy waiting room and complete a prescription transfer form. Please allow 72 hours for transfer to be complete.

At least 30 days prior to your move:

• Notify the school or early intervention agency of your impending move and request a copy of your child's educational records.
• Obtain your child's most recent transcripts, grade reports and all pertinent medical records, including inoculation records, prescriptions and dosages.
• Contact the new school district or early intervention agency for specific information about programs on or near the installation where you will be living. Use the State, School District and Installation Information sections of the Education Directory for Children With Special Needs to identify the districts in your new location and find information about early intervention agencies. The directory provides helpful tools to assist families with infants and toddlers and school-age children transitioning to a new educational program.

If your child is receiving early intervention or special education services, request a copy of the following information:

• Latest individualized education program or individualized family service plan, including the most recent progress report
• The child's most recent eligibility determination report for special education services, including early intervention
• The names of textbooks or other materials that have been effective for your child
• Adaptive equipment and assistive technology such as communication devices or modified keyboards that your child uses in school

As you leave your duty station, it is highly suggested for you to you to:

• Keep contact information for your child's current teacher or early intervention specialist in case there are questions at your new school or early intervention agency.
• Provide the staff at your child's current school with the contact information for the special education staff at your child's new school to speed the transfer of your child's information.
• Hand carry a copy of your child's inoculation records and the information you collected about your child's educational program.
• Take any special equipment, medication refills and supplies (for example, hearing aid batteries) that your child may need in the next two months.

When you arrive at your new duty station it is suggested that you:

• Take the hand-carried educational information, including immunization records, with you to enroll your child in the local school.
• Notify the new school that your child has special needs. Sign appropriate releases so the new school can request official copies of your child's records.
• Request copies of any publications about the school's special education services.

It is easier for the receiving school to start the appropriate special education or early intervention services for your child when you hand-carry important information about your child. Each state’s Special education and Early Intervention Programs policies, policies and or procedures may differ, however you should expect that every effort will be made to meet your child's needs. The current individualized education program will be recognized by the school's special education committee and interim services should be provided in a timely manner.

Special Needs

Enrollment in the Exceptional Family Member Program is mandatory once a special need is identified.

The FMRC Coordinator at the Medical Treatment Facility will review all forms and advise sponsor as to any additional documentation needed to authorize travel as well as procedures for geographically separated families.

A Q-coded family, otherwise known as a family member identified with special needs will have completed a facility determination to come to Grand Forks Air Force Base. Services and support groups will be referred by their specialty doctor or their primary care manager.

Some common methods of identifying special needs are: family member screening or clearance packages, assignment deferment process, the birth of a special needs child, self-referral and through agencies such as doctors, social workers, Commanders/First Sergeants and school officials.

Once the need is identified, an interview is conducted with the family by the Family Advocacy office to assess the extent of the special needs. This interview will identify the type of care that must be maintained or continued; ensure services are available and are being met through the base or within the local community; and to establish enrollment. Appropriate documentation such as family member medical summaries, Individualized Education Plans or Individualized Family Service Plans must be submitted that clearly identify the need for enrollment. The sponsor is responsible for gathering and submitting these documents. Members will be assigned an Assignment Code of "Q" alerting the AF military personnel center at Randolph of the possible need for special consideration in the assignment process. This does not prevent the member from getting an assignment. It can however, provide for an initial deferment or reassignment. This will allow the member time to set up a medical treatment or special educational program.

Special needs fall into four main categories:

• General Medical Services - A variety of physiological or psychological conditions of a chronic (duration of 6 months or longer) nature that have been medically diagnosed and require specialized treatment. Potentially life-threatening conditions requiring one of the following frequent follow ups with PCM or specialty care. Examples include: hemophilia, leukemia, diabetes, asthma and mental health disorders.
• Mental Health Needs - Inpatient or intensive outpatient mental health services within the last 5 years . Intensive is defined as greater than one visit monthly for more than 6 months. A diagnosis of attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder that involves one or more of the following:
  • Co-morbid psychological diagnosis
  • Requiring multiple meds, psycho-pharmaceuticals (other than stimulants) or does not respond to normal doses of medication
  • Requiring the involvement of a specialty consultant, other than a primary care manager, more than twice a year on a chronic basis
• Educational Needs
  • Special Educational Services - A special instruction designed to meet the unique educational needs of the child. This includes education provided in school, at home, in a hospital or institution. These services are typically documented in the Individualized Education Plan and are developed by the school and parents to ensure the program has been tailored to meet the particular needs of the child.
  • Medically Related Services - Medically related services are required and listed in the Individualized Education Plan or the Individualized Family Service Plan. These services may include speech, occupational therapy and physical therapy. Audiology, social work, community health nursing and dietary assistance are also considered specialty services.
• Assertive Medical Needs - A chronic condition that requires but not limited to;
  • Adaptive equipment (i.e. apnea home monitor, home nebulizer, wheelchair, custom-fit orthotics, hearing aids, etc.
  • Assistive technology devices (such as communication devices) or services
  • Environmental or architectural considerations (such as medically required limited steps, wheelchair accessibility, or housing modifications and air conditioning)

Changes in any medical/educational circumstance, including disenrollment request for enrolled member will require updated family member medical summaries forms to be completed. An updated of "Q" alert memo (i.e. For removal) will be sent to the AF military personnel center for the necessary action to be taken.

Special Assignment Considerations

All Air Force personnel must remain unencumbered and be able to respond to any contingency whenever called upon to do so. However, special assignment considerations are necessary when a care plan is being established. Air Force personnel are expected to establish their care plan and revert back to worldwide assignment status as soon as possible.

A SNIACP deferment or reassignment is usually appropriate when the special need has been identified or a previously existing condition has developed new issues. A SNIACP Deferment from reassignment is typically requested to allow for initial establishment of a treatment program. Typically a SNIACP Reassignment is requested to be relocated to a location that can meet the needs of the dependent or when the projected assignment does not have adequate services. These assignment actions are not to be considered a base of preference program. Alternate assignment locations are based on both the current projected personnel requirements and the availability of care at military facilities or local civilian facilities utilizing a cost share arrangement.

Special assignment consideration is designed to ensure the availability of services and will continue as long as the need exists. A permanent or prolonged deferment from reassignment cannot be provided. The member must revert to worldwide assignment status once the care plan is in place.