|
If you have a new little one in your life, or are expecting a child, you know that nothing means more to you than keeping your baby healthy and secure. Here’s one essential step: registering your newborn or newly adopted child in DEERS, the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System.
DEERS is a database that tracks uniformed service members (sponsors), family members and others worldwide who are legally entitled to TRICARE benefits. It is important to register your baby in DEERS and enroll him or her in TRICARE Prime as soon as possible after birth or adoption, but no later than 60 days afterward if you want your son or daughter to avoid a lapse in TRICARE Prime coverage.
After 60 days of not registering in DEERS, your baby becomes covered under TRICARE Standard, which means claims submitted for your baby’s care are subject to deductibles and costshares—a more costly situation for you. Your baby will continue to be covered under TRICARE Standard until registered in DEERS and enrolled in TRICARE Prime, or until TRICARE Standard eligibility ends, which is 365 days after birth for any newborn not registered in DEERS.
By promptly registering your baby in DEERS, you ensure maximum coverage for the lowest cost.
How to Register Your Baby in DEERS
To establish TRICARE eligibility for a newborn in DEERS, you must submit a certificate of “live birth” from a hospital or TRICARE-approved birthing center. You must also provide a copy of a verified and approved DD Form 1172 (Application for Uniformed Services Identification Card and DEERS Enrollment) signed by the sponsor. If the sponsor is overseas, a notarized copy of the DD Form 1172 is required. Note that you do not have to wait until you get a Social Security number (SSN) for your child; just update his or her DEERS information after you receive the SSN.
Register your baby in one of the following ways:
- Visit a local uniformed services ID card facility. Find the nearest one online at www.dmdc.osd.mil/rsl.
- Fax your DD Form 1172 and certificate of live birth to DEERS at 1-831-655-8317.
- Mail your DD Form 1172 and a copy of the certificate of live birth to:
Defense Manpower Data Center
Support Office
Attn: COA
400 Gigling Road
Seaside, CA 93955-6771
How to Enroll Your Baby in TRICARE Prime
Newborns or newly adopted children (except infants of dependent daughters) are automatically covered as a TRICARE Prime beneficiary for the first 60 days after birth or adoption, as long as one family member is enrolled in TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Prime Remote or TRICARE Prime Remote for Active Duty Family Members (TPRADFM). Claims for any civilian health care received for newborns during this time are paid under TRICARE Prime rules.
You can enroll your baby by completing a TRICARE Prime Enrollment form and mailing it to Humana Military at the address listed on the form. See article entitled Contacts, for more information and assistance on how to access DEERS and/or Humana Military Healthcare Services.
|
