TRICARE West Region Blanket Authorization Waiver Letter extended to July 2 Published June 19, 2013 By 412th Medical Group EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- United Healthcare Military & Veterans began serving the TRICARE West region April 1, 2013. Since then, some beneficiaries and providers have experienced service problems related to processing medical referral authorizations. To mitigate delays in patient care, TRICARE Management Activity made an exception to policy and issued a blanket authorization waiver letter allowing TRICARE west region beneficiaries to receive medical care for TRICARE covered benefits without an authorization from United Healthcare. Prior to the original waiver letter expiration date of June 19, United Healthcare conducted stress tests of their medical referral processes across five large west region Military Treatment Facilities. The results of the test identified a major flaw which would require reconciliation before resuming standard processes. As a result, the blanket authorization waiver letter has been extended to July 2, 2013. The 412th Medical Group stands ready to assist all TRICARE beneficiaries with managing medical referral needs. Please call the 412th MDG Referral Management Center at (661) 275-2259 if you need assistance or have any questions.