Military Parents Lose Portal Access at 13. Here’s How to Still Get Your Teen’s Records

Under a 2023 Defense Health Agency policy, military parents can’t see most of their teen’s medical records online. Once a dependent officially turns 13, the MHS Genesis Patient Portal, which hosts records from military hospitals and clinics, shows parents only appointments, messages, immunizations, and allergies.

State laws let teens get some care on their own without a parent’s consent, and the online portal can’t easily separate those visits from the rest. The portal isn’t the only option, though. Parents can still request much of the record on paper, and for many visits, they don’t need their teen’s signature.

Why Parents Lose Portal Access at 13

The rule is explained in DHA-Policy Memorandum 23-010, signed Oct. 5, 2023, by Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland as director of the Defense Health Agency.

Each state decides when a teen can agree to certain types of care without a parent, and DHA follows those rules. So when a teen consents on their own, military parents may not have the right to view that visit.

“Most electronic health record systems do not provide a means to reasonably segregate what the parent is entitled to see and what they are not,” said Adam Greene, a partner at Davis Wright Tremaine and former HHS Office for Civil Rights official.

He said it’s not unusual for civilian health systems to cut off parents’ portal access at 12 or 13.

There’s another catch, teens aren’t allowed to create their own portal account until they turn 18. That leaves a five-year gap when neither parents nor teens can view the full record online.

The rule covers only care at military hospitals and clinics, so if your teen sees a civilian TRICARE doctor, that office’s portal may have its own rules.

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How to Get the Records the Portal Won’t Show You

Old-fashioned paper records are still available for children 17 and under, according to TRICARE’s guide for parents of minors.

For routine visits you agreed to, like a yearly checkup or an ear infection, you don’t need your teen’s signature. Parents or legal guardians can go to the military hospital or clinic’s records department, show a valid DoD ID and ask for copies, DHA officials said.

Greene said parents still have a right to records for care they agreed to, even when those records aren’t in the portal.

“These records may not be available in real-time through the patient portal, but might be accessible by contacting the health care provider,” he said.

Visits your teen agreed to on their own are handled differently. For those, you’ll need your teen’s written permission on DD Form 2870, the military’s standard release form. But that form can’t be used to release substance abuse records or psychotherapy notes.

Picking Up Your Teen’s Prescriptions at a Military Pharmacy

Parents and legal guardians can pick up a teen’s medications at a military pharmacy, DHA officials said. For anyone 10 or older, you’ll need to bring the teen’s valid DoD ID card.

Some facilities may also require a release form on file with the patient’s records to protect confidentiality, DHA officials said. Some Army clinics use MEDDAC Form 757, an authorization to release prescriptions to someone other than the patient. Ask your pharmacy which form it uses before you go.

Prescriptions your teen can get without you work differently. Your teen has to give you a note saying you can pick them up. Pharmacy staff should not hand over those prescriptions without the teen’s written permission, DHA officials said.

Teens can sometimes handle it themselves. At some clinics, patients 16 and older can pick up their own non-controlled medications with a valid military ID. Controlled substances still require the patient to be 18.

Different Rules Overseas and for Teens With Special Needs

At military hospitals and clinics overseas, a provider can treat a teen 15 or older as a “mature minor” for reproductive health care, according to TRICARE. The teen can then get that care without a parent’s consent. Under DHA policy, providers may still notify parents if a teen has a life-threatening illness, needs care that could mean removing reproductive organs, or shows a change in behavior that could lead to harm.

The country where you’re stationed may define “minor” and “mature minor” differently, according to TRICARE. If you have questions, check with the TRICARE Overseas contractor or call your military hospital or clinic’s records department.

For teens with special health care needs, proxies may be granted portal access under DoD guidelines. Legal documentation is required, so ask your clinic’s records department what paperwork it needs.

When Your Kids Don’t Show Up in Your Portal Account

DHA planned to move the portal’s login from DS Logon to myAuth on Sept. 23. Two days later, it said DS Logon and the Common Access Card still work.

The switch has caused problems for families. Sponsors have to grant portal access to their spouses and dependents, and Military Times reported that in some cases, children aren’t showing up on either parent’s account.

In October, DHA said it was working with the Defense Manpower Data Center on fixes. For login help, make sure to call DMDC at 800-368-3665.

Lawmakers Pushed Back, but the Rule Still Stands

In August 2024, 10 House members asked the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs to reconsider the policy. The issue came up again this year in public comments to DoD. In an Oct. 14 Federal Register notice, DoD acknowledged the feedback but said that request was seeking other policy ideas.

The Army’s top medical officer has acknowledged the problem.

“We share your concern,” Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Mary K. Izaguirre told families at the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting in October, Military Times reported.

She said the Army is working to address it. Until a new policy is announced, the 2023 rule stays in place.

Steps to Take This Week to Get Your Teen’s Records

Start by calling your clinic’s records department. For routine visits, bring your DoD ID and ask for copies of your teen’s records.

For visits your teen agreed to on their own, ask them to sign DD Form 2870. Make sure kids 10 and older have their own ID card, and bring it when you pick up their prescriptions.

Look up your state’s rules on when teens can consent to care. If your kids are missing from your portal account, call DMDC at 800-368-3665.