For military families, managing healthcare shouldn’t feel like a full-time job — but a recent change to the Pentagon’s online medical records system has left many spouses and parents locked out of their own children’s health information, with no clear fix in sight.
The Defense Health Agency (DHA) recently switched its MHS Genesis patient portal from the older DS Logon system to a new login platform called myAuth. The move was meant to simplify access and tighten security. Instead, it has created a frustrating barrier for thousands of military health beneficiaries trying to manage their family’s care.
Locked Out of Their Kids’ Records
The core problem is access. Under the new system, military sponsors are required to manually grant account permissions to spouses and dependents. In many cases, that process isn’t working — and dependent children aren’t appearing on either parent’s account at all.
The impact is practical and immediate. One military spouse described the situation in a direct message to Military Times:
“I can log in and see all my stuff. I can send out messages and receive them … but nothing for my kids. To message their doctor, I have to send a message through my name and put in the subject my child’s name.”
That kind of workaround — using a parent’s account to try to reach a child’s physician — is both inconvenient and potentially risky for accurate medical communication. For families managing ongoing care, chronic conditions, or prescription refills for children, losing account access isn’t a minor technical glitch. It’s a real disruption to healthcare.
Frustration has spilled onto social media as well. An Army spouse vented on Tricare’s Facebook page:
“Just stop changing things. Every time one system finally starts working and everyone gets used to it, you switch it up. Tricare online was fine. Genesis was fine.”
DHA’s Response: Redirects That Don’t Work
After the complaints mounted, DHA announced on September 25 that the portal would remain
“fully accessible via DS Logon.”
But that assurance hasn’t matched the reality on the ground. Beneficiaries report that when they try to use the old DS Logon credentials, they’re simply redirected to the myAuth login page — and still cannot access family records.
DHA spokeswoman Brenda Campbell acknowledged the problems and said the agency is working with the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), which manages the myAuth system and oversaw the transition from DS Logon, to resolve them.
“MyAuth is a new digital login that replaces DS Logon for accessing [Defense Department] websites and applications, like the MHS GENESIS Patient Portal. We are aware of the issues associated with the transition and are providing that feedback to DMDC to ensure appropriate fixes are applied,”
Campbell said.
According to DHA, the new myAuth system is designed to offer more ways to log in, including through a Common Access Card, the Okta mobile app, and other authentication methods. Officials say the goal is a simpler, more secure experience.
“The switch to myAuth means a simpler, more secure experience in MHS Genesis Patient Portal,”
DHA officials said — though that promise has yet to materialize for many users.
A Second Disruption Coming This Weekend
The login troubles aren’t the only tech headache hitting military families right now. A separate and significant disruption is also underway: a planned outage of the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, or DEERS, as it migrates to a cloud-based infrastructure.
DEERS will be taken offline starting at 9 p.m. Eastern on Friday, October 9, through Sunday, October 11. The Pentagon has not announced a specific end time. During that window, beneficiaries won’t be able to update their DEERS records — and critically, pharmacies and healthcare providers may not be able to verify a patient’s Tricare eligibility in real time.
DEERS is the backbone database that tracks information for active-duty military, retirees, family members, and civilian DOD employees. Without access to it, routine healthcare transactions — like picking up a prescription or checking in for a doctor’s visit — could hit unexpected snags for Tricare-covered families this weekend.
For more on related military health and benefits news, see coverage of the planned DEERS outage and its impact on Tricare beneficiaries, updates on nearly 500,000 veterans set to receive a 3-month break from life insurance premiums, and two veterans battling in court over claims processing disputes. You can also read about the legacy of the outgoing AAFES director and renovation efforts for century-old homes at Fort Bragg.
