Q. I'm a retired veteran, age 68, on Tricare for Life, Medicare Parts A and B, married with no health issues. I've been reading your coverage of what's happening with Tricare. Can you help me better understand what those changes will mean to me and my wife?
A. Basically, the health care proposal put forth by a military compensation commission appointed by Congress would retool Tricare along private-sector models, in which beneficiaries have a much wider choice of health care plans and coverage levels. Costs for some beneficiaries would rise compared to what Tricare charges now.
However, in its final report, the commission was quite emphatic that its proposal, dubbed "Tricare Choice," would not affect Tricare for Life beneficiaries who are on Medicare, as you are, in any way.
Moreover, it's important to keep in mind that at this point, Tricare Choice remains only a proposal.
Given the difficulty our Congress has in getting almost anything done these days, it will likely be at least a year, and probably more, before we see any significant forward progress on this issue.
Q. I'm a "gray area" retired reservist. When I become eligible for retirement benefits at age 60, my wife will be 65. Will she be able to go on Tricare for Life at that time, or does she have to use Tricare Prime or Standard until I also reach 65?
A. If your wife is already eligible for, and enrolled in, Medicare Parts A and B at the time your retiree benefits kick in, she will go directly onto Tricare for Life, under which Medicare will be her primary coverage and Tricare Standard will be her secondary backup coverage.
You'll be eligible for either Tricare Prime or Standard until you turn 65, at which time you will also transition into Tricare for Life.
You will need to enroll your wife in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System in order for her to use the Tricare portion of her Tricare for Life benefit. You can do that by visiting the ID Card/DEERS office on any military installation. You can get general information about required documentation and procedures by calling the main DEERS support office in California toll-free at 800-538-9552.
Q. My father-in-law is going through a divorce right now. He's also on a ventilator, and the doctors say he doesn't have much time left. My wife has a living will and power of attorney. Can she remove her mother from my father-in-law's DEERS record?
A. Assuming your father-in-law is a military retiree ... when retiree sponsors die, surviving spouses remain eligible for Tricare with the same options and costs they had before. Surviving spouses remain eligible indefinitely, and that eligibility cannot be revoked unless they remarry. It's unclear from your letter why your wife would want to remove her mother from her father's DEERS record, but once he dies, her mother controls her own status in DEERS as a surviving spouse. Call the main DEERS support office in California for more information.
Email questions to tricarehelp@militarytimes.com. Include "Tricare" in the subject line and do not attach files.
