Q. My son is an unmarried active-duty officer. My husband is 73 and retired. I am 65, still working full time, and plan to retire next year at age 66. Can my son claim us as his dependents? If so, what does he have to do?

A. It's possible for parents of Tricare sponsors to qualify as "secondary dependents" for Tricare eligibility purposes, but only under specific and narrow guidelines.

The income of the parents — not including any contribution from the Tricare sponsor (your son, in your case) — would have to be less than one-half of the parents' living expenses. In such scenarios, the law requires the parents to be "in fact" dependent on the service member/sponsor, and the service member's contribution must be more than one-half of monthly living expenses of the parental dependents. Documentation to prove living expenses and the service member's contribution must be provided.

If these requirements are met and the parents do qualify as secondary dependents, their Tricare options are limited. They are eligible for care only in military hospitals and clinics through the program known as Tricare Plus. They may enroll at military hospitals and clinics based on space/resource availability, but it bears noting that enrollment in Tricare Plus at one military hospital or clinic does not automatically extend enrollment to any other military hospital or clinic. Dependent parents are not eligible for any other Tricare program.

It's highly doubtful that you and your husband would come anywhere close to qualifying as secondary dependents as long as you continue working. But if you would like to explore this avenue further once you retire, the place for your son to start gathering information would be the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, based in Colorado. The number is 800-538-9552.

Q. If my husband and I file for legal separation, will I be able to keep my Tricare benefits? He's been in the military for 11 years, and we've been married for six.

A. As long as you remain legally married to your active-duty husband, you remain eligible for Tricare coverage. Your husband cannot unilaterally have you removed from his Tricare sponsorship; only the military services determine Tricare eligibility, and the mechanism they use is the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System. You can contact DEERS at 800-538-9552.

Should you get divorced, you would lose your Tricare coverage under your husband's sponsorship. There are scenarios in which former spouses may continue to qualify for Tricare coverage after divorce as their own sponsors, but those scenarios require many more years of service on the part of the military member and many more years of marriage on the part of the couple than you and your husband now have.

Write to Tricare Help, Times News Service, 6883 Commercial Drive, Springfield, VA 22159; or tricarehelp@militarytimes.com. In email, include the word "Tricare" in the subject line and do not attach files.

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