The lives of service members and their families are full of transitions. Whether it's permanent change of station moves, retiring, going from Reserve status to active duty or something else, the one constant is change. The good news is that your TRICARE coverage can stick with you through these life changes, but you do have to make sure that your records in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) are up to date with your latest life events.

This means you should keep all your personal information - address, duty status, phone numbers, and email addresses - up to date. It's important to review DEERS as soon as possible whenever you move or experience one of the following life events:

• Activation
• Deactivation
• Separation or retirement
• Becoming Medicare eligible

Changing your contact information in DEERS is easy and can be done online at milConnect (www.dmdc.osd.mil/milconnect), by fax or mail, or in person at the nearest uniformed services identification (ID) card office. One thing you can't update yourself in DEERS is your duty status - only your Service can make those updates. Whenever you have a change in your duty status, check DEERS to make sure it's accurate. You can find your nearest ID card offices online with the RAPIDS Site Locator at www.dmdc.osd.mil/rsl/.

Other life events that can affect your TRICARE eligibility and require you to update DEERS include:

• Marriage or divorce
• Birth or adoption of a child
• Change in a student's full-time enrollment status

Many DEERS updates require supporting documentation, including: marriage, birth, or death certificates, Medicare cards and Social Security Administration notification letters and orders or DD Forms214/discharge orders. A list of required documentation for various types of updates is available at www.dmdc.osd.mil/rsl/. Make sure to review the list and bring the appropriate documents with you, or you may not be able to make the updates you need.

For more information on how to update DEERS information, go to www.tricare.mil/DEERS.

Providing Your SSN in DEERS

Please note that even though your SSN is being replaced on your ID card, it is still important to provide your SSN and the SSNs of your TRICARE-covered dependents in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). In order to notify the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of your TRICARE coverage, so that the IRS is aware that you have met the minimum essential coverage requirement under the Affordable Care Act, your SSN, and your family members' SSNs must be listed in DEERS.