Q. My daughter was just honorably discharged from the Navy for pregnancy; she's five months along. When she tries to see a doctor or call Tricare or the Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System or Veterans Affairs, she can't get any help. They say she has no coverage. The Navy personnel people told her she would be covered through the pregnancy! Who can she get help from? Why isn't she covered? The baby's father is still on active duty in the Navy, but they aren't married. What can she do?
A. The most common scenario in which a service member continues to be eligible for Tricare health coverage after leaving active duty is if he or she serves long enough to qualify for military retirement benefits (minimum of 20 years of service).
Some troops may receive extended military health care coverage for a limited time after discharge if they served in certain qualifying military contingency operations, under what is known as the Transition Assistance Management Program. That type of coverage lasts for 18 months after discharge.
If your daughter does not qualify for TAMP and did not serve 20 years in uniform, she is ineligible for further Tricare coverage. And if she has no health conditions specifically related to her military service, she cannot go to VA, either. That means she will have to seek private insurance of her own, or be covered under whatever plan you have, for the duration of her pregnancy.
However, there is some good news. Since the baby's father is still on active duty, the baby will be eligible for Tricare after it is born under the sponsorship of that active-duty father, even if he and your daughter don't marry. For the baby to use Tricare benefits, the father will have to register it under his sponsorship in DEERS.
Children younger than 10 generally are not required to have military ID cards, but if the baby's father and your daughter will live apart, the father can arrange to get a military ID card for the baby.
You can get further general information from the main DEERS support office in California at 800-538-9552.
Q. I was involved with a man in the Army for a short time and got pregnant with his baby. She is now 1 year old and he denies that she is his and does not support her at all. Is there any way to compel him to take a paternity test?
A. Unfortunately, what you are asking is a legal question, not a Tricare question. Tricare does not cover, and has no involvement in, paternity tests. That is up to the individuals involved. You would have to talk to a lawyer about pressing the issue legally.
Q. My Tricare for Life card expires soon. My husband has passed away and I do not know how to renew it. Or even if I can.
A. If you are referring to your military dependent spouse ID card, contact the Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System, the Defense Department's eligibility portal for military benefits, including Tricare. Call the main DEERS support office in the Defense Manpower Data Center in California at 800-538-9552.
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