Editor’s note: This column was updated to correct the answer to the second question. Tricare Prime or Standard eligibility ends at age 23 if the child is enrolled full time in college.
Q. I am retired from the Air Force Reserve, and working as an Air Force civilian. My wife is retired and will turn 65 before I do. Will she be able to participate in Tricare for Life when she turns 65 even though I will only be 60 at that time?
A. As you’re likely aware, as a retired reservist you become eligible for regular retired benefits, including military health care coverage, at age 60.
Once you pass that threshold, your wife will be eligible for whatever Tricare plan is age-appropriate for her — Tricare Prime or Standard while she is under 65, and Tricare for Life once she hits 65 and qualifies for Medicare. Even though you would not make that transition yourself for several more years, the age of your spouse in this situation doesn’t matter; all that matters is that she remains your spouse and you remain her sponsor for Tricare purposes.
Some basic background on Tricare for Life can be found here.
Q. I would like to have my daughter covered under Tricare. She is 23, single and has no other health insurance options. Can you advise me on how to get her health coverage?
A. Assuming that she is the child of a Tricare sponsor, your daughter’s Tricare options are limited.
As long as she remains 23, she is eligible for “regular” Tricare coverage — Tricare Prime or Tricare Standard — only if she is enrolled in college as a full-time student. That Her eligibility for Tricare Prime or Standard ended on her 21st birthday unless she she was enrolled full time in college, in which case eligibility ended on her 23rd birthday.
Her only other Tricare option would be Tricare Young Adult, under which your daughter could be covered until her 26th birthday. TYA requires payment of monthly premiums, and they are fairly hefty. For 2015, the monthly premium for TYA Standard is $181, and the monthly premium for TYA Prime is $208. Again, all of the above is predicated on the assumption that your daughter has an adult sponsor who is eligible for Tricare.More information on TYA is here.
Q. If I am granted power of attorney with temporary guardianship of a child not related to me (to provide assistance during a family crisis), can I enroll that child in DEERS to obtain Tricare coverage for him during the time that he stays with me?
A. Your question implies that you, or your spouse, is a Tricare sponsor. If so, guardianship by itself normally is not sufficient to gain Tricare eligibility for a minor child. Usually, the guardianship must be an intermediary step on the way to legal adoption in order for the child to become eligible for Tricare in a scenario like the one you outline.
For more information, visit the ID Card/DEERS office on your nearest military installation, or call the main Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System support office at 800-538-9552.
Email your Tricare questions to tricarehelp@militarytimes.com.
