National Guard and Reserve members who are injured or became ill while on active duty may have unique needs for health care.

To receive any care for a Line of Duty (LOD)-related illness, injury or disease, you must have the appropriate LOD paperwork from your Command or medical unit prior to your release from active duty to ensure you get follow-up care. LOD may also be referred to as Notification of Eligibility (NOE) in some services.

National Guard and Reserve members who are injured while on active duty for less than 30 days are only eligible for line of duty care. The member’s unit will coordinate the care for the military member. If within a military treatment facility (MTF) catchment area (50 miles or 1 hour drive time), the care will be coordinated between the unit and the MTF. If the member is outside of a MTF catchment area, the member’s unit medical representative will be required to complete the Military Medical Support Office (MMSO) Eligibility Verification form and send it along with a copy of orders or drill attendance sheet to the MMSO. Once an approved LOD determination has been recorded by MMSO, the member will be able to obtain pre-authorized heath care for the injury or illness listed on the LOD/NOE. Information on LOD’s may be found at http://mmso.med.navy.mil. If the member requires emergency care for an injury or illness while on duty, the member should report directly to the nearest emergency room for treatment and file the LOD paperwork with the unit as soon thereafter as possible.

National Guard or Reserve members on active duty for more than 30 days have the active duty medical benefits and may be enrolled in TRICARE Prime or Prime Remote. Under Prime and Prime Remote, your care will be administered by your Primary Care Manager. If you have an injury or illness that requires care after leaving active duty, you must have the appropriate documentation in your medical records and may be required to attain a LOD/ NOE for any follow-up care. You may need to share copies your LOD paperwork with your regional contractor or health care provider.

Please contact your unit medical representative or the Military Medical Support Office, customer support representative at 888-647-6676, ext. 6720 or 6718 for further information.

The Department of Defense, TRICARE, the uniformed services and the Department of Veterans Affairs have several programs and resources in place to assist injured service members and their families.