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1.  Is Your DEERS Information Up to Date?
2.  Don't Let a Permanent Change of Station Interrupt Your Coverage
3.  Get Enrollment and Referral Information - Fast
4.  Health Answers Available 24/7 at 1-877-217-7946
5.  Contacts

The Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) is a database for maintaining information about service members, their families and others who are eligible for military benefits, including TRICARE.

Network providers and pharmacies verify TRICARE eligibility in DEERS before rendering services or filling prescriptions. DEERS simplifies the health care coverage process, but it also requires critical input from beneficiaries. It is the sponsor’s responsibility to ensure that family members are registered in DEERS correctly and that all contact information is kept current at all times. Be sure to verify your address and other health insurance information each time you visit your provider. If it’s wrong, you will need to update DEERS.

Updating DEERS
Many life events will trigger a change in your or your family’s status and will require you to update DEERS, such as:

  • Permanent Change of Station (PCS)
  • Changes in status from active duty to retired
  • Changes in marital status
  • Newborns or adopted children
  • Student status for children age 21 and over*
  • Medicare entitlement, whether due to age, disability or end-stage renal disease

It is especially important for active duty service members (ADSMs) preparing for a PCS to review and update their DEERS information. Whether preparing for a PCS or retirement, ADSMs also should request a duplicate copy of their outpatient medical record, free of charge, from their current MTF or PCM.

To notify DEERS of these changes, you can do so in the following ways:

  • Visit your personnel office or go to the nearest uniformed services ID card issuing facility. The nearest one can be located online at www.dmdc.osd.mil/rsl.
  • Call 1-800-538-9552, Monday–Friday, 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. PST, except Federal holidays.

For changes in phone number, address or e-mail, all beneficiaries can update DEERS in the following ways:

  • Fax DEERS at 1-831-655-8317.
  • Mail changes to Defense Manpower
          Data Center Support Office, Attention:
          COA, 400 Gigling Road, Seaside,
          CA 93955-6771.

Once you have updated DEERS, your regional contractor, Humana Military, will be notified automatically of any changes and update your file accordingly.

*TRICARE covers eligible children until age 21. For TRICARE coverage beyond the age of 21, the child must be enrolled full-time at an accredited institution of higher education and the sponsor must provide more than 50 percent of the student’s financial support. TRICARE benefits end when the child reaches age 23 or when full-time student status ends, whichever comes first.

For many uniformed service members and their families, packing up for yet another relocation is a routine exercise. But how easy is it to move one’s medical coverage? And how do you make sure that your benefits are valid during the 30-day Travel Leave period prior to a Permanent Change of Station (PCS)?

“Military families are constantly on the go, and when we move, we want to be confident that our health care benefit goes with us,” says Director of TRICARE Prime Operations, Lieutenant Colonel Guy Strawder, U.S. Army. “TRICARE Prime is portable, which means you easily can transfer your enrollment when you are reassigned.”

LTC Strawder suggests following the steps outlined below to ensure continued health care coverage during a Travel Leave period and subsequent PCS—whether you are moving to a nearby state or overseas.

  • Before you leave, update your own and each family member’s Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) records. Also, familiarize yourself with the new regional contractor if you are relocating to a new region.
  • Do not disenroll before you arrive at your next duty station. Your former primary care manager (PCM) remains responsible for your care until you enroll at your next duty station.
  • Enroll yourself and each family member at a new MTF or TRICARE network PCM shortly after you arrive at your new duty station. “This priority is right up there with securing housing and checking on arrival of your household goods,” emphasizes LTC Strawder. If you are moving to a new region, contact the new regional contractor and fill out the necessary forms, including the TRICARE Prime Enrollment Application and PCM Change Form to select a new PCM, in order to avoid lapses in coverage.
  • If you are staying in the same region and will need to change your PCM as a result of a relocation, you must complete the TRICARE Prime Enrollment Application and PCM Change Form. This form is available on each regional contractor’s Web site.
    North Region—Health Net: www.healthnetfederalservices.com
    South Region—Humana Military: www.humana-military.com
    West Region—TriWest: www.triwest.com
    Overseas—Humana Military: www.humana-military.com
  • Plan ahead for routine care and prescriptions, and know exactly who to call if you need urgent or emergency care.
  • For routine care or urgent care that cannot wait until you transfer, contact your PCM to coordinate a referral for care. Without this referral, you may pay higher out-of-pocket costs under the TRICARE Prime point-of-service (POS) option, or payment may be denied.
  • For emergency care, go to the nearest hospital emergency room or call 911. Emergency care does not require a referral before treatment. You must notify your PCM within 24 hours after receiving emergency care or being admitted to the hospital so that your PCM can help manage and coordinate your care.

For additional information regarding TRICARE coverage during a PCS, visit the TRICARE Web site at www.tricare.mil.

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Last Reviewed:  December 4, 2007