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Social Security Number Reduction Plan In response to the growing need to protect beneficiaries’ identification (ID) information, the DoD is removing Social Security numbers (SSNs) from DoD ID cards. Although SSNs are being removed from ID cards, TRICARE continues to base all operations (e.g., eligibility verification, claims submission, appeals) on the sponsor’s SSN. Providers should continue to copy DoD ID cards for their records and must ensure that they have the sponsor’s SSN for each TRICARE patient.
The SSN removal has three phases:
- Phase one, affecting family member ID cards, began in 2008
- Phase two, removing all printed SSNs, began in 2009
- Phase three will remove SSN information embedded in barcodes and will begin in 2012
Note: Changes are made when beneficiaries renew their ID cards. Sponsor ID cards will retain the last four digits of their SSNs; however, this information will not appear on family-member ID cards. |
