---
kind: "section"
citation: "10 U.S.C. § 1077a"
title: "10"
title_heading: "Armed Forces"
number: "1077a"
heading: "Access to military medical treatment facilities and other facilities"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/10/1077a"
units:
  - "Subtitle A — General Military Law"
  - "Part II — Personnel"
  - "Chapter 55 — Medical and Dental Care"
---

# §1077a. Access to military medical treatment facilities and other facilities

- (a) **Urgent Care.—**
  - (1) The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense shall ensure that [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) medical treatment [facilities](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2), at locations the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) determines appropriate, provide urgent care services for members of the [armed forces](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-4) and [covered beneficiaries](/usc/10/1072.md?p=5) until 11:00 p.m. each day.
  - (2) With respect to areas in which a [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) medical treatment [facility](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) covered by [paragraph (1)](#a-1) is not located, the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) shall ensure that members of the [armed forces](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-4) and [covered beneficiaries](/usc/10/1072.md?p=5) may access urgent care clinics through the [health care](/usc/10/1072.md?p=10) provider network under the [TRICARE program](/usc/10/1072.md?p=7).
  - (3) A [covered beneficiary](/usc/10/1072.md?p=5) may access urgent care services without the need for preauthorization for such services.
  - (4) The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) shall—
    - (A) publish information about changes in access to urgent care under the [TRICARE program](/usc/10/1072.md?p=7)—
      - (i) on the primary publicly available Internet website of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6); and
      - (ii) on the primary publicly available Internet website of each [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) medical treatment [facility](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2); and
    - (B) ensure that such information is made available on the publicly available Internet website of each current managed care support contractor that has established a [health care](/usc/10/1072.md?p=10) provider network under the [TRICARE program](/usc/10/1072.md?p=7).
- (b) **Nurse Advice Line.—** The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) shall ensure that the nurse advice line of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) directs [covered beneficiaries](/usc/10/1072.md?p=5) seeking access to care to the source of the most appropriate level of [health care](/usc/10/1072.md?p=10) required to treat the medical conditions of the beneficiaries, including urgent care services described in [subsection (a)](#a).
- (c) **Primary Care Clinics.—**
  - (1) The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) shall ensure that primary care clinics at [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) medical treatment [facilities](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) are available for members of the [armed forces](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-4) and [covered beneficiaries](/usc/10/1072.md?p=5) between the hours determined appropriate under [paragraph (2)](#c-2), including with respect to expanded hours described in [subparagraph (B)](#c-2-B) of such paragraph.
  - (2)
    - (A) The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) shall determine the hours that each primary care clinic at a [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) medical treatment [facility](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) is available for members of the [armed forces](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-4) and [covered beneficiaries](/usc/10/1072.md?p=5) based on—
      - (i) the needs of the [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) medical treatment [facility](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) to meet the access [standards](/usc/10/3011.md?p=3) under the [TRICARE Prime](/usc/10/1072.md?p=14) [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1); and
      - (ii) the primary care utilization patterns of members and [covered beneficiaries](/usc/10/1072.md?p=5) at such [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) medical treatment [facility](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2).
    - (B) The primary care clinic hours at a [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) medical treatment [facility](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) determined under [subparagraph (A)](#c-2-A) shall include expanded hours beyond [regular](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-12) business hours during weekdays and the weekend if the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) determines under such subparagraph that sufficient demand exists at the [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) medical treatment [facility](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) for such expanded primary care clinic hours.

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title VII, § 704(a), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2200.)

## Notes

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Implementation

Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title VII, § 704(c), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2201, provided that: “The Secretary of Defense shall implement— subsection (a) of section 1077a of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a) of this section, by not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 23, 2016]; and subsection (c) of such section by not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.”