 Stay Eligible for TRICARE:
Keep DEERS Up to Date
Do you remember the last time you checked to make sure your Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) information was up to date? If the answer is “No,” then maybe now is a good time to do it.
As a TRICARE Standard beneficiary, your DEERS information must be correct and current for you to remain eligible for TRICARE. Sponsors (active duty and retired service members) are responsible for making sure their family’s information is always accurately reflected in DEERS.
You should update DEERS as soon as possible when you experience any life event that changes your TRICARE status, such as:
- Relocation to a new area
- Change in status from active duty to retired
- Change of address
- Change in marital status
- Birth, death or adoption
- Student status for children age 21 and over*
- Medicare entitlement, whether due to age, disability or end-stage renal disease
The DEERS database contains information about service members, their families and everyone else eligible for military benefits. This information includes:
- Sponsor’s name
- Family member’s name
- Address and phone number
- Social Security number
- Date of birth
- Sex
- Eligibility
- Program information (e.g., TRICARE Standard)
Health care providers, such as your doctor or pharmacist, verify your TRICARE eligibility before rendering services or filling prescriptions. If any of your information is incorrect or outdated, you may be denied coverage.
To update DEERS:
- Visit a uniformed services personnel office. To find one near you, go to the Rapids Site Locator Web site.
- Call 1-800-538-9552.
- Fax address changes to DEERS at 1-831-655-8317.
- Mail address changes to:
Defense Manpower Data Center Support Office
Attn: COA
400 Gigling Road
Seaside, CA 93955-6771
Update contact information online at TRICARE's Web site or through the TRICARE Beneficiary Web Enrollment (BWE) Web site.
* TRICARE covers eligible children until age 21 unless the child is enrolled full time at an accredited institution of higher education and the sponsor provides 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. If a child is incapacitated prior to age 21 or while a full-time student between the ages of 21 and 23, TRICARE coverage may continue as long as the child is incapacitated, unmarried and dependent upon the sponsor for over one-half of his or her support.
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