TRICARE doula guide
How to become a TRICARE doula
TRICARE pays certified labor doulas to support military families through pregnancy, birth and postpartum, in all 50 states. Here's what you need, and how to get certified with TRICARE in your region.
Updated November 2026
What TRICARE requires
- 18 or older
- A labor doula certification from an organization TRICARE accepts, earned or renewed in the last 3 years, or enrollment in your state's Medicaid doula program
- 24 hours of doula education, a breastfeeding course and a childbirth class
- At least 3 births supported as the primary labor doula in the last 3 years
- Current CPR certification
- A National Provider Identifier (NPI)
- A signed participation agreement with TRICARE's contractor for your region
Who TRICARE pays, and for what
TRICARE covers doula care through its Childbirth and Breastfeeding Support Demonstration, which runs through December 2031. It pays certified labor doulas for in-person visits before and after the birth, and for labor and birth support. A postpartum doula certification on its own doesn't qualify.
Families on TRICARE Prime, Prime Remote and Select are covered. TRICARE For Life isn't included. TRICARE pays you directly, at a rate set for your area: look up what TRICARE pays doulas in your ZIP code.
The requirements in detail
Certification
Your labor doula certification must be from one of these organizations, earned or renewed within the last 3 years:
- BirthWorks International
- CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association)
- DONA International
- ICEA (International Childbirth Education Association)
- toLabor
- National Black Doulas Association
Certified by another organization, such as ProDoula or Doula Trainings International? TRICARE doesn't accept those on their own. If your state has a statewide Medicaid doula program and you're enrolled in it, TRICARE accepts that enrollment in place of a national certification, in that state. If your state offers a doula license or certification, you need that too.
Training
- At least 24 hours of doula education, covering the physiology of labor and labor, antepartum and postpartum doula training
- One or more breastfeeding courses
- One or more childbirth classes
Experience, within the last 3 years
- Continuous, in-person support as the primary labor doula at 3 or more births, 15 hours or more in all, with at least 2 of them vaginal births
- Prenatal and postpartum support for at least 1 birth
Your own birth, or the birth of an immediate family member, doesn't count toward any of this.
CPR and NPI
You need a current CPR certification, and a National Provider Identifier. An NPI is free: apply on the federal NPPES website and choose the doula taxonomy. TRICARE claims are filed under your NPI.
Step by step
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Find your TRICARE region
TRICARE splits the country in two, and a different contractor certifies doulas in each. Your region follows where you see clients. Not sure? Enter your ZIP code and we'll tell you.
TRICARE West26 states, including Washington, California, Texas, Colorado and Arizona. Certified by TriWest.
TRICARE East24 states and DC, including Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and New York. Certified by Humana Military.
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Get your NPI
Apply for free on the NPPES website if you don't have one. It usually comes through within days.
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Gather your documents
Your certification (or Medicaid doula enrollment), your CPR card, and your NPI. The application asks you to confirm each training and experience requirement above.
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Apply to your region's contractor
West: fill in TriWest's doula certification form, participation agreement and provider roster, and email them with copies of your certificates to provcerts@triwest.com.
East: fill in Humana Military's certified labor doula application, which includes the participation agreement, and fax it with copies of your certificates and CPR card to (844) 684-7461. The current application is at HumanaMilitary.com/certify.
TRICARE doesn't pay for visits before the date you sign the participation agreement, so send it before you start seeing TRICARE clients.
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Set up billing
TRICARE claims go electronically to PGBA, TRICARE's claims processor, using codes T1032 for visits and T1033 for labor and birth support. You'll need a way to send them: your own electronic billing setup, or a billing service that sends them for you.
Questions doulas ask
Can a postpartum doula bill TRICARE?
Not on a postpartum certification alone. TRICARE pays certified labor doulas, who can then bill for visits after the birth as well as before it.
Does TRICARE accept ProDoula or DTI certification?
Not on their own. TRICARE accepts BirthWorks, CAPPA, DONA, ICEA, toLabor and the National Black Doulas Association, or enrollment in your state's Medicaid doula program in that state.
How long does TRICARE doula certification take?
TriWest and Humana Military don't publish a timeframe. If you haven't heard back in about a month, follow up with your region's contractor.
How much does TRICARE pay doulas?
It depends on where you see clients. In 2026 the most per client, 6 hours of visits plus labor and birth support, ranges from about $1,640 to $2,260. Look up your area by ZIP code on our TRICARE doula rates page.
Do I need a separate certification for each region?
You're certified by the contractor for the region where you see clients: TriWest in the West, Humana Military in the East. If you serve clients in both regions, apply to both.
Do I bill the family, or TRICARE?
TRICARE. Claims go to PGBA, TRICARE's claims processor, and TRICARE pays you directly at the rate for your area.
Claudia Health fills in your TRICARE forms and bills TRICARE for you.
Free while we grow. No commission: TRICARE pays you directly, in full.
Sources: Humana Military, “Childbirth and Breastfeeding Support Demonstration Provider FAQs”; TriWest Healthcare Alliance certified labor doula certification form; TRICARE Childbirth and Breastfeeding Support Demonstration. Requirements can change: your region's contractor has the final word.