Military Health, Tricare programs

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Health

Current and former service members and their families use the Defense Department and Department of Veterans Affairs health care systems to handle their care needs. In this section, you’ll find information on the various Tricare programs, including the Tricare for Life system, as well as information on ongoing health care concerns such as Agent Orange and Gulf War illness, along with general information on navigating the health care system bureaucracy.

No combat necessary
The Department of Veterans Affairs is moving closer to simplifying the process for many veterans to link post-traumatic stress disorder to their military service, whether in a war zone or not, which...
Support grows to widen VA health care for women
Momentum is gathering to expand health care services for female veterans, with one of the few remaining disputes — over the number of days of neonatal care for those receiving maternity care at...
Vets group challenges Shinseki to beef up budget, staff
A new report from Veterans for Common Sense comes as a reminder of what the Veterans Affairs Department needs to fix: backlogged disability cases, too many suicide attempts and patients waiting weeks...
Retroactive payouts for traumatic injuries
New rules for receiving up to $100,000 in traumatic injury insurance payments for service members facing long and arduous recovery and rehabilitation were updated and expanded, effective Nov. 26.
Access to dental benefits improves
A network of dentists and dental specialists will be set up for active-duty members who must seek dental care off-base, under a Defense Department contract awarded to United Concordia Cos.
Official: VA should do more to reach reservists
Department of Veterans Affairs officials should “burn up some shoe leather” to reach out to help National Guard and reserve troops, an Army Guard colonel in charge of an outreach program...
Board to reassess disability ratings for some service members
Service members given a disability rating of 20 percent or lower during their medical evaluation boards since Sept. 11, 2001, may have their cases reviewed by a new Defense Department board.
VA officials grilled on PTSD e-mail
A Senate hearing called to determine if the Veterans Affairs Department is systemically denying veterans’ post-traumatic stress disorder claims in favor of less-costly diagnoses devolved into a...
Vets’ group: Link between TBI, blindness needs more attention
A few days after the blast from a mortar round almost threw him off the Hadithah Dam in Iraq three years ago, Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Glenn Minney reported to sick call with a headache and...
Disability ratings improving, critics say
A year after Walter Reed Army Medical Center emerged as a symbol of what is wrong with the administrative end of the military medical retirement system, much has changed for the better, critics say.
Automation could speed VA claims
Artificial intelligence — already used to process private-sector insurance claims, handle banking transactions and double-check medical procedures — might be the solution to help veterans...
On the mend
When Lt. Col. Chip Pierce served as troop commander at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii, he said, he was “frustrated” by some of the issues he saw his injured soldiers face as they...
Study: Returning soldiers wait to seek mental health help
A new Army study finds that soldiers returning from Iraq are more likely to report mental health problems several months later rather than immediately after their return — and reserve component...
Lawmaker: Be patient over wounded benefits
The Democratic point man for veterans’ issues in the House of Representatives is asking wounded service members and their families to be patient while they wait for radical reform of the...
Disability fight over Agent Orange revisited
Jonathan Haas says that he often saw large, billowing clouds of the defoliant Agent Orange drift from the shore and engulf his ship, the Mount Katmai, in 1968.
Vets urge more action on Gulf War syndrome
A group of Persian Gulf War veterans told House lawmakers they feel overlooked with all of the focus on benefits and treatment for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Specialists, patients critical of PTSD care
Experts told the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee that reliable methods exist to immediately diagnose and treat post-traumatic stress disorder — but they’re not used.
Studies identify faults in disability benefits system
As members of the Veterans’ Disability Benefits Commission wrestle with simplifying the disability benefits systems of the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, they have found they...
Lawyer: Disability system unfair to injured
The Army disability retirement system stacks the deck against injured soldiers by forcing them to prove they have post-traumatic stress disorder, demanding physical evidence for traumatic brain...
Bills aim to improve services for female vets
Key lawmakers and major veterans groups are stepping up their efforts to improve veterans programs directed at women.
No help for wounded soldier’s mom, she says
The mother of a severely wounded Army veteran choked back tears Sept. 16 as she told attendees of a seminar on veterans health care that she believes the government has let down her and her son.

Tricare

Tricare Help: Tricare, CHAMPVA: What’s the difference?
A. CHAMPVA and Tricare both provide excellent coverage, but they were created for two different groups of people. They are not related in any way; they have different eligibility rules and are...
Tricare Help: Do I need supplemental insurance?
A. Unless you have other health insurance or enroll in Tricare Prime, I suggest you consider buying a bona fide, specially written, Tricare supplement. But ultimately, this is a decision only you can...
Tricare Help: No worries about filing with Medicare
A. Filing claims under Tricare for Life, fortunately, is not the patient’s problem. All Tricare for Life benefits begin when a Medicare claim is filed.
Tricare Help: Will my son be covered when he’s away at college?
You’ll have to call the Tricare contractor for your son’s new address. Contact numbers for the regions are online at www.tricare.mil/regionaloffice.cfm.
Tricare Help: To get Tricare, most Medicare beneficiaries must enroll in Part B
There is an application of a Tricare rule about Medicare Part B enrollment that’s so important, and so frequently overlooked, that I must repeat it often to readers of Tricare Help.
Tricare help: Is gastric bypass surgery covered?
Tricare Help: How will health care reform really affect your Tricare?
A number of readers have written to Tricare Help recently concerning President Barack Obama’s plans for reforming the nation’s health care system.
Tricare Help: Is TFL like Medigap? Not quite
A. Medigap policies supplement Medicare by providing services in addition to the original Medicare plan. But that’s not the way Tricare Standard operates for Tricare for Life beneficiaries.
Tricare Help: Can I still go with an HMO?
A. Federal law requires all retirees and retiree family members to be enrolled in Medicare Part B on the effective date of their Medicare coverage, or they will immediately lose all Tricare...
Tricare Help: Did Medicare give me bad info about enrollment?
A. Medicare advised you correctly about its governing law and Part B enrollment. That law does have the provision you describe. The problem is that you adhered to the wrong law.
Lawmakers: Health care reform won’t affect vets’ programs
Six major veterans groups have warned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., that they will oppose a national health care reform bill unless major changes are made to protect veterans and their...
Senate warns against future Tricare fee hikes
Raising Tricare fees should be the final resort in the effort to hold down military health care costs, the Senate says in a resolution attached to the 2010 defense budget.
Tricare Help: Why isn’t in vitro fertilization covered?
Q. If Tricare covers all other kinds of treatments for infertility, why does its regulations forbid it to pay for in vitro fertilization?
Tricare Help: How Tricare, Medicare can coexist
A. Since Oct. 1, 2001, federal law has made the Tricare for Life process almost foolproof for millions of retirees and their spouses.
Tricare Help: What if my child needs coverage past 23?
A. The upper age limits for Tricare eligibility are set by federal law. However, the law has a provision that if a child becomes disabled prior to her 21st birthday and is incapable of self-support,...
Tricare Help: Where can I bring complaints?
A You can write to Tricare Management Activity, 16401 E. Centretech Parkway, Aurora, CO, 80011-9043. Also, visit www.tricare.mil/contactus.
Tricare Help: Rules on Tricare as last payer
AWhen a Tricare beneficiary has other health insurance, figuring out how much Tricare will pay is complicated. You can’t do it yourself.
Tricare help: For TFL, Medicare eligibility comes first
A. No, because there is no “rest of Tricare for Life.” There are only two parts to Tricare for Life: The Medicare part is Medicare Parts A and B, and the Tricare part is Tricare Standard.
Tricare Help: If Tricare won’t cover it, there may be a reason
A. Although Tricare Standard is allowed to pay for foreign medical care, please think about this: Even though your wife may be desperate for relief, there may be solid scientific reasons that certain...
Tricare Help: Reservists: Learn your benefits
A. Both you and your wife became eligible for Tricare on your 60th birthday. This is a common misconception about this and many reservists miss out on benefits as a result.
Tricare Help: Can I delay paying premiums?
Tricare Help: When your doctor wants more than Tricare pays
A. The Defense Department’s Office of Health Affairs says that as long as your doctor is a Tricare-authorized provider, you can continue to use his services. There are two kinds of providers:...
Tricare Help: Long-term care coverage is limited
A. If you’re referring to what is commonly called nursing home care, Tricare’s part is limited.
Tricare Glossary
Authorized health care providers who do not participate in Tricare still are limited in what they can charge military patients for services. Under federal law, authorized health care providers can...
Tricare: Supplemental Insurance
Supplemental insurance plans are available to pick up expenses that remain after Tricare pays its share of covered benefits.
Tricare: Pharmacy Program
Military beneficiaries can get prescription drugs free at military clinics or hospital pharmacies. For a fee of $3 for a generic and $9 for a brand name, they can get a 30-day supply at participating...
Tricare: Mental Health
Each of the services has psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers to help those with mental health and emotional issues. Therapy programs at military installations range from individual,...
Tricare: Maternity
Tricare covers maternity care, including prenatal care, delivery costs, inpatient care of the newborn and mother, and care of the baby immediately after birth. Inpatient and outpatient delivery is...
Tricare: Home Health
Tricare offers home health care benefits, including coverage of medical equipment, supplies, certain therapies and nursing care to homebound patients whose conditions make home visits necessary.
Tricare: Disabled Family Members
The Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs have programs that are available to military family members with disabilities. A Tricare initiative called the Extended Care Health...
Tricare: Dental — Retirees
Military retirees and their families are eligible to join the Tricare Retiree Dental Program. In addition to those entitled to retired pay, those eligible include “gray area” reservists...
Tricare: Dental — Active Duty and Reserve
Active-duty dependents and members of the Selected Reserve and Individual Ready Reserve and their family members worldwide are eligible for Tricare Dental Program coverage. United Concordia Companies...
Tricare Plus
Tricare Plus allows military beneficiaries who are not in an HMO to enroll at a military clinic or hospital for primary care only. They do not pay a fee and cannot be guaranteed specialty care, but...
Tricare Reserve Select
Members of the Selected Reserve can buy Tricare coverage when they are in drilling status — not mobilized — provided they meet specific criteria under a program called Tricare Reserve...
Tricare For Life
Medicare and Tricare both play a role in health coverage for older retirees. Medicare Part A covers hospitalization and sometimes nursing home and at-home care. Medicare Part B is an enrollment...
Tricare Standard
Standard is modeled after a traditional fee-for-service health plan. Authorized doctors, hospitals and other providers are paid a specific amount for each service performed. Individuals may choose...
Tricare Extra
Extra is a preferred-provider option. It is a variation of Tricare Standard that allows Standard/non-Prime enrollees to lower their costs by using a contracted Prime provider in the Tricare network.
Tricare prime remote
Tricare Prime Remote is an option for service members who live and work more than 50 miles from the nearest military treatment facility. Family members are eligible if they live with the member in a...
Tricare Prime
Prime is a Tricare option similar to a health maintenance organization, which has lower out-of-pocket costs but requires enrollees to use network providers and coordinate their care through a Primary...
Choose a health care plan that meets your needs
One of the first things on a new retiree’s checklist after leaving active duty is getting health care.
Alcohol
The military offers inpatient or outpatient alcohol treatment at almost every installation.
Privacy Act
As a rule, the services must comply with federal laws regarding the confidentiality of medical records. Under the Privacy Act, patients have the right to see and obtain a copy of their health care...
Tobacco
Since the early 1980s, the Defense Department’s tobacco-cessation crusade has succeeded in reducing the number of smokers and those who use smokeless tobacco (although the military’s...
Tricare Help: Losing Tricare Prime eligibility
A. I don’t believe that a person drawing disability pay for two years is required to enroll in Medicare at that time. I think that is an option. But you need to call Social Security for...