May 12, 2022

Retiree Newsletter - The Long Blue Line - Spring 2022

THE LONG BLUE LINE, SPRING 2022, YOUR RETIREE NEWSLETTER & MORE, along with previous issues of the LBL, are accessible at: https://www.longblueline.org/

May 12, 2022

Get Answers to Your Pharmacy Questions at TRICARE May 19 Webinar

Time is running out to register for the “Get the Most from Your TRICARE Pharmacy Benefits” webinar on May 19, from 1 to 2 p.m. ET. This is a great opportunity to get answers to your pharmacy benefit questions.

May 12, 2022

Is TRICARE Young Adult Right for Your Child?

Though your child loses regular TRICARE coverage upon turning age 21 or age 23 if enrolled full time at an approved college, many young-adult children can continue to get medical and pharmacy benefits up until age 26 through TRICARE Young Adult.

April 28, 2022

10 TRICARE Health Care Terms You Should Know

Have you recently come across a health care term and weren’t quite sure what it meant? It’s OK. Health care coverage is full of terms you may not know. To help you better understand your TRICARE benefit, here’s a list of commonly used health care terms and definitions.

April 15, 2022

Do You Need All 4 Parts of Medicare for TRICARE For Life?

Do you have Medicare, or will soon be eligible to enroll? Medicare has four parts: A, B, C, and D. It's important that you understand how each part differs and which parts you'll need for TRICARE For Life.

March 17, 2022

How to Get TRICARE Coverage for Your New Child

Welcoming a new child into the family is a joyous event. But there's also much to do, and much to learn, especially for first-time parents. How will you handle your new child's health care coverage? As a TRICARE beneficiary, what's the best way to extend your coverage to your baby?

March 3, 2022

Have Questions About Your Coverage? Start With the TRICARE Plans Overview

Did you know that there are multiple TRICARE health plans? They're all outlined in the TRICARE Plans Overview. If you're eligible for or enrolled in a TRICARE plan, this resource highlights key features, including eligibility, how to get care, and costs information for different health plans.

March 2, 2022

Is my prescription covered? Check out the TRICARE Formulary search tool

Make sure your prescription is covered by using the TRICARE Formulary Search Tool on the Express Scripts website before you go to the pharmacy.

Feb. 16, 2022

Is Your DEERS Information Up to Date?

When is the last time you checked to see if your information in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) is up to date? If it's been a while, take time to log in to DEERS and review your information. Inaccurate information in the DEERS database could prevent you from being able to use your TRICARE benefits properly.

Feb. 15, 2022

Retiree Newsletter-The Long Blue Line-Winter 2022

The Winter 2022 issue of The Long Blue Line is now available.

Feb. 10, 2022

E-Gov Travel System (ETS) Implementation Update (No. Three)

This ALCOAST provides an update after the Financial Systems Modernization Solution (FSMS) interface with ETS activated on 07 January 2022. While there have been many successes in vouchering travel involving the prior and current fiscal years, there continue to be challenges related to incorrect funding information and missing employee information in FSMS.

Feb. 10, 2022

How to open the DD-2656 and other advanced PDF forms on a CG standard workstation.

Many people will try opening a PDF form and find that they get an error that says "Please wait." This is not a problem with the form but has to do with the set-up of your computer's browser as the default for opening Adobe Acrobat forms. Many computers use the browser's built-in PDF viewer as the default for opening Adobe forms, but the browser's viewer cannot handle the macros built into the form. The simple solution to this problem is to save the form to your computer and then open the form by starting Acrobat Reader DC (from the start menu) and use it to open the form from its saved location. This should open the form in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC rather than your browser, allowing full functionality.

Feb. 2, 2022

What You Need to Know About TRICARE Qualifying Life Events

The new year is upon us. Will 2022 be a year of big changes? If so, how will those changes affect you and your health care coverage? It isn't uncommon for military families to experience lots of change. That's why TRICARE allows you to enroll in, or change your TRICARE coverage after certain events, known as Qualifying Life Events (QLEs).

Jan. 25, 2022

What Will You Pay? Check TRICARE Cost Resource

Have questions about health care, pharmacy, or dental costs? You should check out the TRICARE Costs and Fees 2022 Fact Sheet. This resource provides an overview of most of your costs and fees for TRICARE health plans, the TRICARE Pharmacy Program, and the TRICARE Dental Program Read the article to learn more.

Jan. 20, 2022

Direct Access Orders Outage Status Update

Access to Reserve Orders (FSMS) will be available from 0900 to 1900 on Friday, January 21. Please note there will be a new DA menu item on the Reserve Administration pagelet to access these orders. The link title is: FSMS Reserve Orders. Access to other types of DA generated orders (PCS, Retirement, Separations, etc.) will not be restored until January 26. This lockdown is necessary to support the deployment of FSMS. During this period of read-only availability, all FY22 orders will be converted to utilize FSMS accounting data. This applies to all Direct Access orders types: ETQC, PCS, separations, and reserve orders. Units may issue orders via memorandum to authorize travel in urgent and emergency situations.