Prior to January 30, 2015,
DE was defined in
32 CFR 199.2(b) as
a device or apparatus which does not qualify as Durable Medical
Equipment (DME) under the TRICARE Basic Program but which is essential
to the efficient arrest or reduction of functional loss resulting
from, or the disabling effects of a qualifying condition as provided
in
Sections 2.2 through
2.4. Examples of DE, at the time, were special
computer peripheral devices (keyboard, mouse, etc.) or software
that makes a computer functional to an Extended Care Health Option
(ECHO) beneficiary with a qualifying condition that would otherwise
limit or prohibit the beneficiary’s ability to use the computer;
or an electrical/mechanical lifting device that raises an ECHO beneficiary
in a wheelchair from ground level to first floor level of the beneficiary’s
residence.