How to File RTI with ECHS (Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme) — Polyclinic, Reimbursement, ECHS Card

The Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) is a health scheme run by the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, for retired personnel of the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, along with their dependants and widows. ECHS operates through a network of polyclinics at military stations across the country and a panel of empanelled hospitals for specialist care and hospitalisation.

ECHS is administered by the Adjutant General's Branch, Integrated HQ, Ministry of Defence. It has a Central office in New Delhi and Regional Centres spread across the country, each managing the polyclinics and empanelled hospitals within their jurisdiction. Both the Central ECHS office and all Regional Centres are public authorities under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005.

Retired defence personnel frequently encounter delays in ECHS card issuance, difficulties getting referrals to empanelled hospitals, unexplained reductions in reimbursement claims, and uncertainty about what treatments their rank entitles them to. The Right to Information Act, 2005, provides a direct mechanism to obtain written answers to all of these questions from the ECHS authorities.

What Can You Achieve with an RTI to ECHS?

• Obtain the complete list of empanelled hospitals in your region with treatment specialties and empanelment validity dates
• Know the specific reason for rejection or reduction of a medical reimbursement claim with reference to the applicable ECHS rate schedule or policy
• Understand the polyclinic referral criteria for specialist care or hospitalisation and obtain copies of any governing circular
• Track the status and cause of delay in ECHS card issuance or renewal
• Clarify the entitlement by rank — ward category, specialist access, and treatment procedures — applicable to your service category
• Determine whether a specific treatment procedure is covered under ECHS for your rank, the authorised rate, and which empanelled hospitals in your region are cleared to perform it
• Get the name and designation of the responsible officer for any pending matter

Where to File: Central Office or Regional Centre?

ECHS has two tiers of authority relevant to RTI filings.

ECHS Regional Centres handle day-to-day operations: card issuance, polyclinic oversight, empanelled hospital management in their area, and first-level reimbursement processing. Each Regional Centre has its own CPIO. File with your Regional Centre CPIO for: polyclinic referral or authorisation issues, reimbursement claims processed at your station, the empanelled hospital list for your area, or ECHS card delays.

Central ECHS Office (Adjutant General's Branch, Integrated HQ, Ministry of Defence, New Delhi – 110011) handles scheme policy, national empanelment policy, entitlement rules by rank, and matters not resolved at the Regional Centre. File with the Central CPIO for: entitlement criteria questions, ECHS policy circulars, or policy-level issues affecting the scheme broadly.

If you are unsure which tier to approach, file with your Regional Centre. Under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act, the CPIO is obliged to transfer your application to the appropriate authority within five days and inform you of the transfer.

File at rtionline.gov.in under: Ministry of Defence → Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS).

How to File: Step by Step

Step 1: Gather Your Details

Before drafting your application, collect the following:

• Your ECHS card number or PPO (Pension Payment Order) number
• The name and station of your ECHS polyclinic
• The Regional Centre under which your polyclinic falls
• Your reimbursement claim reference number and date of submission, for claim-related queries
• The treatment procedure, hospital name, and dates for reimbursement or referral queries
• The rank and service category (Army / Navy / Air Force) for entitlement questions

Step 2: Draft Your Application

Be specific about the subject of your query — polyclinic authorisation, reimbursement claim, empanelled hospital list, card delay, entitlement by rank, or treatment authorisation. For reimbursement queries, explicitly ask for the applicable ECHS rate schedule or policy circular. For entitlement queries, state your rank clearly. The sample draft above covers all common scenarios — use only the relevant paragraphs.

Step 3: File Online and Pay the Fee

File your application at rtionline.gov.in under Ministry of Defence → ECHS. Pay the ₹10 application fee online. BPL cardholders are exempt from the fee on submission of proof. You will receive an acknowledgement with a registration number — keep it for tracking and appeals.

Step 4: Appeals If There Is No Response or an Unsatisfactory Response

First Appeal: If there is no response within 30 days, or the response is incomplete or unsatisfactory, file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) at ECHS within 30 days of the date of the decision or the expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable.

Second Appeal: If the FAA's response is absent or unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the Central Information Commission (CIC) under Section 19(3) of the RTI Act within 90 days. ECHS is a Central Government scheme under the Ministry of Defence — second appeals go to the CIC. The CIC can direct disclosure of information and impose a penalty of up to ₹25,000 on the CPIO under Section 20 of the RTI Act for unjustified refusal or delay.

What Specific Information Can You Ask For?

Empanelled hospital list:

1. Complete list of currently empanelled hospitals under ECHS in Region/Station with specialties, empanelment validity dates, and bed categories
2. Whether Hospital Name is currently empanelled under ECHS and, if so, the specialties for which it is empanelled and the procedure for referral

Reimbursement claim:

1. Current status of reimbursement claim Ref. No. — approved, partially approved, or rejected
2. If rejected or reduced: specific reason with reference to the applicable ECHS rate schedule, Ministry of Defence order, or policy circular
3. Whether a referral slip or pre-authorisation was required for the treatment and, if so, whether it was on record

Polyclinic referral criteria:

1. The criteria followed by Polyclinic Name for referring ESM beneficiaries to empanelled hospitals for specialty/procedure
2. Copy of any circular or policy document governing the referral procedure for specialty/procedure

ECHS card issuance:

1. Current status of ECHS card application Ref. No. — stage at which it is pending and reason for delay
2. Documents or formalities outstanding before the card can be issued or renewed

Entitlement by rank:

1. Ward category, specialist access entitlement, and list of covered treatment procedures applicable to a Rank retired from the Army/Navy/Air Force under current ECHS policy
2. Copies of any Ministry of Defence orders or ECHS policy circulars governing entitlement for the above rank category

Specific treatment authorisation:

1. Whether Treatment Procedure / Surgery / Investigation is covered under ECHS for beneficiaries in Rank category
2. Applicable ECHS authorised rate for Treatment Procedure and the empanelled hospitals in Region cleared to perform it