Eligibility for TRICARE is determined by the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS), a database of uniformed services active duty service members (sponsors), family members, and others worldwide who are entitled under the law to TRICARE benefits. Active duty and retired service members are automatically registered in DEERS, but it’s the sponsor’s responsibility to ensure that his or her eligible family members are registered correctly in DEERS. All sponsors should ensure that their family members’ status (marriage, divorce, new child, etc.), residential address, telephone numbers, and e-mail address are current in DEERS so that TRICARE can send out information and have claims processed quickly and accurately.
DEERS information may be verified and changed by contacting the nearest uniformed services personnel office where identification military (ID) cards are issued. Sponsors or registered family members may make address and contact information changes. However, only the sponsor can add or delete a family member from DEERS, and proper documents are required, such as a marriage certificate, divorce decree, and/or birth certificate. Beneficiaries may update their DEERS information in one of the following ways:
To use TRICARE benefits, you must have a valid uniformed services/military ID card issued and you must be listed in the DEERS database. The ID card states on the back, in the “Medical” block, whether you are eligible for medical care from military or civilian sources. Children under age 10 can normally use the ID card of their parent or guardian, but they must be registered in DEERS. At the age of 10, the child’s sponsor should obtain an ID card for the child. Children under 10 should also have an ID card of their own when in the custody of a parent who is not eligible for benefits.
New parents should register newborns in DEERS as soon as possible after birth to ensure continued eligibility for TRICARE. To establish TRICARE eligibility for a newborn in DEERS, parents or legal guardians must submit a certificate of “live birth” from a hospital or TRICARE approved birthing center. They must also provide a copy of a verified and approved DD Form 1172 “Application for Uniformed Services Identification and Privilege Card” signed by the sponsor.
A newborn is covered as a TRICARE Prime beneficiary for the first 60 days after birth—as long as one additional family member is enrolled in TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Prime Remote. After the initial 60 days, any claim submitted for a newborn will process as TRICARE Standard until the infant is enrolled in DEERS and TRICARE Prime, or the infant’s TRICARE Standard eligibility ends. Eligibility for TRICARE Standard ends 365 days after birth for any newborn who is not properly registered in DEERS.
