Require TRICARE to Fund Medical Beds for Disabled Military Kids
The Issue
My husband has served in the Army for 11 years. We have 5-year-old disabled twins with complex medical and developmental needs, including GJ feeding tubes, autism, cerebral palsy, and seizure disorder. Their doctors and therapists agree that they need specialized safety beds.TRICARE will not cover them.
Right now, our children are still sleeping in cribs because it is the safest option we have. They are five years old. They have outgrown traditional cribs, but standard beds are not safe for them because of their disabilities and medical needs. The specialized beds recommended for them can cost upwards of $20,000 each—an expense that is simply not realistic for most military families to pay out of pocket. These aren’t luxury items. They are medical and safety equipment.
What makes this even more frustrating is that we aren’t asking for something simply because we wantit. These beds have been recommended by the professionals who care for our children and understand their needs. As their parents, we are trying to provide them with a safe place to sleep without having to choose between an unsafe option and tens of thousands of dollars in medical equipment. And this problem is bigger than our family.
Military families already sacrifice stability and support systems every time we are moved. We are told that healthcare will be there for our families in return for that service, yet families with disabled and medically complex children repeatedly find themselves fighting for equipment, therapies, and care their children have already been determined to need.
We’ve experienced those battles ourselves. We’ve waited more than a year for therapy approvals and dealt with delays and denials while trying to care for two medically complex children. A parent should not have to become an expert at fighting an insurance system just to access medically necessary care for their child.
What I cannot understand is why TRICARE can acknowledge a child’s disabilities, receive recommendations from their medical team, and still leave families without a safe and appropriate place for their child to sleep.
Military families should not have to depend on fundraising and donations to obtain medically necessary safety equipment for their disabled children.
I am asking TRICARE to change its policy and provide coverage for medically necessary safety beds when they are prescribed or recommended for children with disabilities. Our children deserve to sleep safely.
Please sign this petition and help us ask TRICARE to treat safety beds for disabled military children for what they are: a medical necessity, not a luxury.
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The Issue
My husband has served in the Army for 11 years. We have 5-year-old disabled twins with complex medical and developmental needs, including GJ feeding tubes, autism, cerebral palsy, and seizure disorder. Their doctors and therapists agree that they need specialized safety beds.TRICARE will not cover them.
Right now, our children are still sleeping in cribs because it is the safest option we have. They are five years old. They have outgrown traditional cribs, but standard beds are not safe for them because of their disabilities and medical needs. The specialized beds recommended for them can cost upwards of $20,000 each—an expense that is simply not realistic for most military families to pay out of pocket. These aren’t luxury items. They are medical and safety equipment.
What makes this even more frustrating is that we aren’t asking for something simply because we wantit. These beds have been recommended by the professionals who care for our children and understand their needs. As their parents, we are trying to provide them with a safe place to sleep without having to choose between an unsafe option and tens of thousands of dollars in medical equipment. And this problem is bigger than our family.
Military families already sacrifice stability and support systems every time we are moved. We are told that healthcare will be there for our families in return for that service, yet families with disabled and medically complex children repeatedly find themselves fighting for equipment, therapies, and care their children have already been determined to need.
We’ve experienced those battles ourselves. We’ve waited more than a year for therapy approvals and dealt with delays and denials while trying to care for two medically complex children. A parent should not have to become an expert at fighting an insurance system just to access medically necessary care for their child.
What I cannot understand is why TRICARE can acknowledge a child’s disabilities, receive recommendations from their medical team, and still leave families without a safe and appropriate place for their child to sleep.
Military families should not have to depend on fundraising and donations to obtain medically necessary safety equipment for their disabled children.
I am asking TRICARE to change its policy and provide coverage for medically necessary safety beds when they are prescribed or recommended for children with disabilities. Our children deserve to sleep safely.
Please sign this petition and help us ask TRICARE to treat safety beds for disabled military children for what they are: a medical necessity, not a luxury.
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Petition created on August 31, 2026