Q. My unmarried daughter is pregnant. I understand that her delivery will be covered by Tricare. Is there any way for the baby to be covered as well?

A. If your daughter is now eligible for Tricare under your military sponsorship, all her pregnancy-related care, and the birth of the baby, will be covered. But unless your daughter marries another Tricare beneficiary, there is scant chance the baby can be covered under your sponsorship. The only way that could happen — and it is rare — is if you, the grandparent/military sponsor, legally adopt the child. Outside of adoption by a grandparent, grandchildren are ineligible for Tricare.

Tricare does not make eligibility determinations; only the military services may do that. The mechanism they use is the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System. Call the main DEERS support office in California toll free at 800-538-9552 for more information.

Q. I retired from the military in 2002. I got divorced in 2010, and my former spouse qualifies for Tricare under the "20/20/20" rule. I'm about to get remarried. Will my new wife be eligible for Tricare even if my ex-wife still has her Tricare eligibility?

A. Yes. Former spouses who become eligible for post-divorce Tricare coverage under the 20/20/20 rule are listed as their own sponsors in DEERS. In other words, a former spouse in that situation is no longer listed under the military retiree's sponsorship. So your new bride will be eligible for Tricare as soon as you tie the knot, register her in DEERS and get her a dependent ID card.

Once you're married, visit the ID Card/DEERS office on any military installation.

Q. I have Medicare and Tricare for Life, and between the two I have had no co-pays or deductibles for my care. But my wife is only 57 and uses Tricare Standard. Her deductible and co-pays pays have gone up. Are there any supplemental programs that would cover the Tricare Standard deductible and co-pays?

A. Indeed there are. Most major military and veterans groups offer Tricare supplemental policies for the specific reason you cite. Tricare Help can't recommend specific policies, since every individual's general situation, health needs and financial resources are different. But if you simply Google the phrase "Tricare supplemental insurance," you'll get a bunch of hits that you can compare.

Another option might be to shift your wife to Tricare Prime, which requires enrollment and payment of an annual enrollment fee, but its out-of-pocket costs tend to be lower than under Standard. The Defense Department has reduced the size and scope of its "Prime Service Areas," but based on your ZIP Code, you appear to live in a Prime Service Area in the Tricare North region. If you want to get more information on Prime, call Health Net Federal Services, Tricare's managed-care contractor for that region, toll free at 877-874-2273.■

Email tricarehelp@militarytimes.com. Include the word "Tricare" in the subject line and do not attach files. Get Tricare advice any time at http://blogs.militarytimes.com/tricarehelp/.

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