Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves are a normal part of military life. Families plan months ahead for housing, schools, pets, and household goods. But one critical area often receives less attention until something breaks: healthcare continuity.

Every year, military families experience gaps in care during PCS moves. Prescriptions are delayed. Medical equipment support pauses. Referrals expire. Appointments fall through the cracks. Most of the time, it is not because anyone failed. It is because PCS timelines move faster than healthcare systems were originally designed to handle.

The good news: most of these disruptions are preventable.

Why PCS Moves Disrupt Healthcare

Military families typically relocate every two to three years, and each move increases the risk of interrupted care. New duty stations often mean new clinics, new providers, new rules, and new paperwork.

Adding to the complexity, military healthcare providers and clinical staff often rotate on similar timelines. Primary care managers, specialists, nurses, and clinic staff may PCS, deploy, or change roles even when the patient remains at the same installation.

As a result, families may establish care with a new provider shortly after arrival, only to experience another provider change months later. Different clinic staff may handle referrals, authorizations, or follow-up each time. When both the patient and the care team change repeatedly, important details can be lost, and delays become more likely.

Healthcare needs do not pause during a move, but transitions on both sides make continuity harder without intentional planning.

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These Disruptions Hit Close to Home

I have seen the impact of disrupted care firsthand.

My wife has celiac disease, and over the years, PCS moves have often meant restarting care with new providers. In some cases, this has led to repeating invasive procedures, including colonoscopies, simply because new care teams needed to re-establish medical history and documentation.

It is frustrating. It is exhausting. And it adds stress to an already demanding season of life.

I see the same pattern regularly with CPAP therapy. Service members get diagnosed, start treatment, and finally begin sleeping better, only to PCS and find themselves starting over.

New providers. New referrals. New authorizations. Delayed resupply. In some cases, therapy pauses entirely while paperwork catches up.

These are not isolated situations. They are common experiences for military families navigating a system that was not built for constant relocation.

Common PCS Healthcare Challenges Families Face

Across installations, the same issues appear again and again:

• Referrals or authorizations expiring during the move
• Delays in medical equipment resupply, especially CPAP therapy
• Medical records not transferring completely
• Specialty care restarting at the new duty station
• Missed compliance documentation that affects readiness or long-term benefits

Surveys of military families show that up to 40 percent experience specialty care delays of more than two months after a PCS move. That is long enough for medications, supplies, or CPAP therapy to lapse, often before anyone realizes there is a problem.

Continuity Is Improving, and Families Can Use It

The encouraging news is that continuity of care during PCS moves is improving.

More providers now design their processes around the reality of military life. Instead of tying care to a single installation, they focus on allowing care to follow the patient across duty stations and TRICARE regions.

This may include:

• Centralized records and standardized processes
• Coordination across regions without restarting care
• Early referral and authorization planning
• Streamlined resupply and follow-up during transitions

Initiatives like the Quality DME Military Healthcare Initiative reflect this shift. The program is CPAP-specific and built to support military families using their services through education, continuity, and consistent follow-up during PCS moves.

When providers understand PCS cycles, TRICARE processes, and compliance requirements, interruptions in therapy become far less likely.

What Service Members and Families Can Do Before a PCS

Strong healthcare transitions start early, ideally 60 to 90 days before reporting.

Before the move:

• Make a list of ongoing conditions, medications, referrals, and medical equipment
• Ask which referrals can be transferred or modified
• Ensure all labs, studies, orders, and documentation are complete
• Understand how your TRICARE region may change

If it is important now, it will be important after the move.

What to Do After You Arrive

As soon as possible:

• Enroll or update your Primary Care Manager (PCM)
• Establish care at all specialty clinics. Your PCM will typically need to write a new referral for each
• Confirm referrals and authorizations by contacting your TRICARE regional contractor (Humana, TriWest, or TRICARE Overseas)
• Verify and update prescriptions as needed
• Identify points of contact at your new clinic. Try to obtain direct phone numbers or email addresses

Waiting until supplies run out often means starting over. Waiting for someone to contact you sometimes means starting over as well. It is imperative that you are an active participant in your healthcare.

Resources That Can Help Before and After a PCS

You do not have to navigate this alone. Several trusted resources exist specifically to support military families through transitions:

Military OneSource

A 24/7 Department of Defense resource offering PCS planning tools, healthcare navigation, and confidential counseling.

Installation Relocation Assistance Programs

Available through Military and Family Support Centers to provide newcomer orientations and connections to medical and community resources.

TRICARE PCS Guidance (Moving With You)

PCS-specific guidance to maintain coverage, update DEERS, understand regional changes, and reduce gaps in care.

Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)

For families with specialized medical needs, EFMP helps coordinate care and ensure those needs are considered during assignments.

National Resource Directory (NRD)

A centralized directory connecting service members, veterans, and families to healthcare and support resources.

Installation-Specific Resources

Many installations have local processes to handle PCS moves efficiently. Ask questions and make sure you understand the guidance provided.

Your health is not something to delegate. You must care about it more than anyone else.

Why This Matters for Families

Gaps in care affect more than convenience. They can impact:

• Energy, mood, and daily functioning
• Safety and focus
• Medical readiness
• Long-term documentation for retirement or VA transition

Consistent CPAP therapy, in particular, supports sleep, health, and overall quality of life for both the service member and the family supporting them.

PCS moves are stressful enough without healthcare surprises. With early planning, clear communication, and military-aware support, most gaps in care can be avoided.

Your address may change. Your health should not.

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• PCS Moves & Family Timing: How Advanced, Delayed, and Early Dependent Travel Works
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