WASHINGTON — TriWest Healthcare Alliance, which runs the Pentagon’s TRICARE health program in the western United States, has hired Ballard Partners, with former senior Pentagon official Jimmy Sapp among the lobbyists on the account, according to a registration filed under the Lobbying Disclosure Act.
The filing, posted the afternoon of Nov. 9, says Ballard will provide “advocacy regarding service member health care and advising on DOW policy,” a reference to the Department of War. It lists three lobbyists: founder Brian Ballard, Sapp and Thomas Boodry, a former legislative assistant to Sen. Marco Rubio.
The registration arrives seven weeks before the current performance period of TriWest’s main Pentagon contract ends. The contract, the fifth-generation TRICARE managed care support contract for the West Region, has a period of performance running through Dec. 31, 2026, with a potential end date of Dec. 31, 2033, if the Defense Health Agency keeps exercising options, according to USAspending.
TRICARE is the health program for service members, military retirees and their families. USAspending describes TriWest’s award as the “TRICARE managed care support services contract, 5th generation West Region.”
The contract
USAspending records show the Defense Health Agency awarded the contract, HT9402-23-C-0002, on Dec. 22, 2022, under full and open competition with two offers. Its period of performance began Jan. 1, 2024.
| Measure | Amount or date |
|---|---|
| Obligated to date | $9.23 billion |
| Value of base and exercised options | $13.60 billion |
| Potential value with all options (ceiling) | $65.16 billion |
| Current end of performance | Dec. 31, 2026 |
| Potential end date | Dec. 31, 2033 |
| Competition | Full and open, 2 offers |
The obligated figure is money the government has committed so far. The $65.16 billion figure is the potential value if every option is exercised; it is not money spent.
Sapp’s sixth Ballard client
Ballard announced on Sept. 2 that Sapp had joined its Washington office as a partner. The firm said he served as principal deputy assistant secretary of war for legislative affairs from January 2025 to September 2026 and as acting chief of staff to Deputy Secretary of War Steve Feinberg from March to July 2026, in its announcement.
The Inquisitor reported on Nov. 10 that Sapp was registered to lobby for four Ballard clients. Two more registrations listing him were posted the afternoon of Nov. 9. Along with TriWest, Ballard registered Aircraft on Ground Solutions, an aircraft company, for “advocacy regarding helicopter security equipment,” listing Sapp, Brian Ballard and Grace Newcombe Colvin, according to its registration. That brings Sapp to six Ballard clients in LDA filings.
| Client | Issue as described |
|---|---|
| American Rheinmetall | Army armored vehicle production and procurement |
| Traf-Kapasite JV (Turkey) | Department of War construction for rebuilding damaged military installations overseas |
| Alloy Energy | Defense-related products for mineral reclamation |
| American Advanced Materials | Guidance and advocacy regarding federal funding |
| Aircraft on Ground Solutions | Helicopter security equipment |
| TriWest Healthcare Alliance | Service member health care and advising on Department of War policy |
Each filing lists Sapp’s covered positions, beginning with “PDAS of War, LA, DOD, 25-26” and “Acting CoS to the DSD, DOD, 26.” Federal ethics law, 18 U.S.C. § 207, sets post-employment limits on some former senior executive-branch officials, including a one-year restriction on contacting their former agency on behalf of others. Whether and how those limits apply depends on an official’s position and pay; the filings do not address it.
TriWest’s other lobbyists
TriWest already lobbies on its own behalf and through outside firms, mostly on its Veterans Affairs community care work and the TRICARE program.
| Filer | Amount reported, Q1–Q3 2026 | Issue as described |
|---|---|---|
| TriWest (in-house) | $180,000 in expenses ($60,000 a quarter) | VA and DOD purchased care programs |
| Atlantic Strategies Group | $150,000 in fees ($50,000 a quarter) | VA community care program and health care reform |
| The O’Neill Group | No amount listed | VA Veterans Community Care program |
| Washington2 Advocates | Reported no activity | — |
Ballard’s first quarterly report for TriWest, which will show the fee and the agencies and chambers contacted, is due Jan. 20. Lobbying for a client is legal, and the registration describes only the general issues involved.
Featured photo: Brian Ballard, founder and president of Ballard Partners. (Photo: Ballard Partners)
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