Citizenship does not affect Tricare eligibility
August 20th, 2010 | TriCare Help | Posted by Military Times
Q. I am 63 and plan to marry a woman who is a foreign national but a legal resident of the U.S. She is 62 and has applied for U.S. citizenship. What will be her rights to Tricare and Medicare if we marry now versus waiting until she becomes a citizen?
Your fiancée will become eligible for Tricare as soon as you kiss the bride. Her citizenship is not an issue for Tricare eligibility.
Her Tricare eligibility will go into effect immediately, even if she still lives overseas. Citizenship or place of residence does not affect Tricare eligibility.
For your wife to use Tricare, however, she must be issued a uniformed service ID card and be registered in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System.
You must apply on her behalf at the Pass and ID Card Section of a facility authorized to issue uniformed service ID cards. Call DEERS at (800) 538-9552 for instructions and advice.
Medicare is an unrelated program governed by different federal laws and regulations. You can get official answers to Medicare questions by calling (800) 633-4227.
Tags: citizenship, marriage, Medicare, spouse, Tricare For Life, Tricare Standard
Comments are closed.