Leaving active duty does not necessarily mean that you are no longer eligible for TRICARE benefits. The Transitional Assistance Management Program (TAMP) provides 180 days of transitional health care benefits to assist certain uniformed services members in making a smooth transition to civilian life.
You and your eligible family members may be qualified for health care benefits under TAMP if you (the sponsor) are:
- Involuntarily separating from active duty under honorable conditions;
- A National Guard or Reserve member separating from active duty following more than 30 consecutive days in support of a contingency operation;
- Separating from active duty following involuntary retention (stop-loss) in support of a contingency operation; or
- Separating from active duty following a voluntary agreement to stay on active duty for less than one year in support of a contingency operation.
If you meet one of the requirements listed above, your 180-day coverage will begin the day after you separate from active duty. During this six-month transitional period, you and your family automatically will be covered under TRICARE Standard and TRICARE Extra
unless you choose to enroll in a TRICARE Prime option.
TRICARE Prime Remote (TPR), TRICARE Prime Remote for Active Duty Family Members (TPRADFM) and TRICARE Global Remote Overseas (TGRO) are not available during TAMP. Therefore, if you were enrolled in one of these program options, you automatically will be disenrolled and covered by TRICARE Standard and TRICARE Extra or TRICARE Overseas Program (TOP) Standard. TPR and TPRADFM beneficiaries may choose to enroll in other TRICARE Prime options where locally available during the TAMP period. TAMP-eligible beneficiaries who reside overseas may enroll in TOP Prime if they reside within the TRICARE Service Area of a local MTF. TAMP-eligible beneficiaries in Puerto Rico are eligible for TOP Prime but they must re-enroll upon demobilization or use the TOP Standard benefit.
If you and your family were enrolled in TRICARE Prime (stateside or overseas program option) while you were on active duty, the change in status requires that a disenrollment take place. If you wish to remain enrolled in an available TRICARE Prime option (as described previously) without a break in coverage, first complete the
TRICARE Prime Enrollment Application and PCM Change Form (DD Form 2876) or, if enrolling in an overseas option, the TRICARE Overseas Program Prime Enrollment Application. Then, submit the completed form to Humana Military or TRICARE Area Office (TAO) before the TAMP period starts. Or, you can make the enrollment request before the TAMP period ends and your coverage will be retroactive to the date you separated from active duty.
For ADFMs that were not enrolled in a TRICARE Prime option prior to their sponsor leaving active duty but wish to enroll, you must complete the TRICARE Prime Enrollment Application and PCM Change Form (DD Form 2876) or TRICARE Overseas Program Prime Enrollment Application and submit the form to Humana Military or TAO. Applications received by the 20th of the month will be effective at the beginning of the following month (i.e., an enrollment received by Dec. 20 would become effective Jan. 1). If your application is received after the 20th of the month, your coverage will not become effective until the first day of the month following the next month (i.e., an enrollment received on Dec. 25 would become effective Feb. 1).
To learn more about TAMP and how to maintain your TRICARE Prime coverage, visit
TRICARE's Web Site.
