In 2018, the TRICARE Manuals were published in HTML format and therefore no special software is required to view them. To view older manuals, you will need a browser that can display PDF files on your computer.

Click the print option on your browser and a select a print destination that saves the document as a PDF.

To view any one of the table of contents pages simply select the Manual you need to utilize and then scroll down to the "View" section of that manual and select "Table of Contents". This will display the chapters and sections for that manual.

Yes, you should be able to view the manuals using your web browser. For best results try using Chrome or Edge browsers.

The TRICARE Manuals website contains every version going back to 1998. All versions are accessible on the website. There are several ways to see the TRICARE Manuals that were in effect on January 1, 2006. The simplest way is to go to the main page of the TRICARE Manuals website.

There are links in the table of contents that will take you to a chapter table of contents. You can tell where the “hot spot” for the link is by moving your cursor over the entry that contains the chapter number and title (or section number and title) that you are interested in. When your cursor moves over the “hot spot” for the entry, it will change to a “finger” cursor. Sometimes the ENTIRE entry is not a “hot spot”. If an entry in a table of contents does not appear to have a “hot spot”, move your cursor slowly from the beginning to the end of the entry. At least one portion of the entry will have a “hot spot”. A table of contents entry may not be covered completely with a “hot spot” if part of the entry is a different color (usually indicating a change to the entry). The “hot spot” is usually to the left of the first “color change” in the entry.

This is most likely caused by an incorrect configuration of Adobe Acrobat on your computer. Adobe Acrobat can display TRICARE Manuals files within your internet browser or it can start up Adobe Acrobat and display the file in Adobe Acrobat (outside of your internet browser). This is a subtle distinction, but the TRICARE Manuals web site has been design to work by displaying the TRICARE Manuals within your internet browser window, not outside of it. The links within the TRICARE Manuals will only work correctly if the TRICARE Manuals are displayed WITHIN your internet browser using Adobe Acrobat. Many browsers provide PDF viewer plugins that do not support links within PDF files when viewing within the browser.

Step by Step:

• In the main menu at the top of the page there is a button titled: "Manuals by Date", click on it and you will be taken to the View Manuals by Date page.
• At the top of the page type in 01/01/2006 (or select it from the "Calendar" icon). Click "Update".
• You will then see a list of TRICARE Manuals that were in effect on January 1, 2006.
• You can expand the manual by clicking on the arrow sign to the left of the title.
• You can then access the TRICARE Manual with the links provided as they were published on January 1, 2006.

The Defense Health Agency contracts with managed care contractors to provide health care services. The TRICARE Manuals are part of the contracts between the government and the contractors. From time to time the government must issue new contracts. When these new contracts are issued a new set of TRICARE Manuals is normally issued.

The red text in the TRICARE Manuals is used to indicate modifications and the blue is to identify links located in the text. You can view a detailed description of color usage by going to the "View | Color Legend" link for any TRICARE Manual.

The simplest method for searching a single TRICARE Manual is to go to the page for that manual. Look for the "Search" section midway down the page where you can then type in the word or phrase you wish to search for.

To search within a single chapter in a single TRICARE Manual, go to the page for that manual. Midway down the page is the section marked "Search" where you can select the chapter you wish to search from the drop-down box, then type the word or phrase you with to locate in the search box and click the "Search" button.

Yes you can search multiple manuals with a single search. You need to start at the Search page (Search tab at the top of the page). That will take you to the page you see below.

You can then fill out your search criteria and then select any manual by checking the box to the left.

The left side of the search results page provides two simple ways to narrow down your search:

1. Perform an additional search within your current search by using the "search within results" option.
2. Change which TRICARE Manuals appear in the search results by using the "Selected Manuals" list on the left to remove a manual from the results or to limit the results to a single manual.

The latest published manual changes are now available in HTML format only and have not been designed for offline use.

Yes. Please visit the Manuals Mailing List Registration Page. Use the form to subscribe to the mailing list. This mailing list is only used to distribute notices of changes to the TRICARE Manuals. You will not receive unwanted emails from us.

No. The manuals are up to a thousand pages in length. Most individuals prefer to see and use the TRICARE Manuals electronically. However, if you feel you need to have a paper copy, we recommend that you print the sections that you need.

If you have a specific question about your personal TRICARE health benefits or the TRICARE health system, please visit https://tricare.mil/ContactUs/ to submit your question. This is the quickest way to get an answer to your question. This Help page is specific to questions around the usage of the TRICARE Manuals website.

These are identifiers that we use to identify each TRICARE Manual on the TRICARE Manual web site. The following is the current list of identifiers used: