My husband passed away. Am I still eligible?
September 11th, 2009 | TriCare Help | Posted by Military Times
Q. I have recently become a widow to a 20-year retired Navy man. Am I still entitled to Tricare for life? Thank you.
Your husband’s death will have no effect whatsoever on your Tricare for Life coverage. Your eligibility will continue for the rest of your life under your late husband’s sponsorship unless you remarry. In that event, you would immediately lose your Tricare for Life eligibility under his sponsorship. It can never be restored, even if your second marriage were to end in divorce or death.
I strongly suggest that you call the DEERS Support Office to learn whether there are any administrative details you need to handle, and to ensure that your DEERS record is correct and up-to-date. The toll-free number for the DEERS Support Office is 1-800-538-9552.
Please check the expiration date on your Military Dependents’ Identification card. If there are less than 90 days remaining before it expires, ask DEERS for complete instructions about renewal. Take careful notes. It is vitally important that you maintain your DEERS record and ID card up-to-date at all times, for the rest of your life. It is your responsibility.
Check your DEERS record at least once yearly for accuracy, and promptly report to DEERS any changes in your status, such as an address change. You can rely on DEERS and your Tricare Service Center for help with Tricare for Life problems, and Tricare Help is always at your service. That address, again, is tricarehelp@atpco.com.
Please note that Tricare Help is a service provided to its readers by the Army Times Publishing Company. Neither Tricare Help nor I have any official connection with the Defense Department or Tricare. All information provided by Tricare Help is unofficial and should not be relied upon for making decisions about benefits, claims, or eligibility.
It appears that you may not be well-informed about your rights and responsibilities under Tricare for Life. When you are talking with DEERS, ask them for the telephone number of your Tricare Service Center. Call that office and request a free Tricare for Life Handbook, or you can download one here. Make a permanent record of the contact information for that office. You are sure to need to talk with them from time to time for official help and information.
I strongly recommend that you spend some time browsing the Tricare web site as well. The overview is a good place to start. The better you understand Tricare, the better it will serve you.
DEERS is part of the Defense Department. It is a federal agency. Its only function is to manage issues concerning Tricare eligibility. DEERS cannot provide any information about the Tricare program or Tricare claims.
For information or help regarding the Medicare portion only of Tricare for Life, please call Medicare, toll-free, at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). Do not ask Medicare any questions regarding the Tricare or Tricare for Life programs. Medicare does not know Tricare’s rules. Medicare and Tricare are unrelated programs. Only their benefit payments are combined under Tricare for Life. Tricare for Life operates under the authority of Tricare and the Defense Department, not Medicare.