U.S. COAST GUARD
Pay & Personnel Center

Oct. 1, 2020

Plan Now: TRICARE Select Enrollment Fees for Group A Retirees Coming January 2021

Did you hear the news about TRICARE Select enrollment fees? TRICARE Select Group A retirees must begin paying enrollment fees to maintain health coverage starting on Jan. 1, 2021. TRICARE Select is the name of the plan that replaced the former TRICARE Standard and TRICARE Extra programs in 2018.

May 8, 2020

A Friendly Reminder: Keep Your DEERS Info Updated

Did you know that not keeping your family's information current in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) could delay their access to health care? Errors can also cause delays with your claims and delivery of your prescription. Now is an important time to check your DEERS records.

Dec. 9, 2019

Defense Health Agency (DHA) Monitoring Payment Processing Error in TRICARE East Region

The Defense Health Agency (DHA) and Humana Military are working closely together to quickly assist approximately 75,000 TRICARE beneficiaries affected by a payment processing error that occurred on Thursday Dec. 5. For those affected, health care coverage remains uninterrupted.

Sept. 23, 2019

TRICARE Dental and Medical: Separate Programs, Separate Enrollments

Not sure if you have dental coverage? Did you enroll in a dental plan? Your TRICARE dental and medical benefits are separate benefits. To gain coverage, you need to enroll in a dental plan and health care plan separately.

Sept. 20, 2019

In Case You Missed It | TRICARE West Region e-Updates September 2019

2020 TRICARE Open Season; What to do After Receiving Emergency Care; Rate Update for Premium-Based Plans; Don't Forget to Update the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS); DoD Self-Service Logon for Secure Portal Access; Back-to-School Preventive Health Care; Electronic Health Records Update; Be Prepared for a Natural Disaster; Vitamin D Deficiency; How Healthy Are You?

June 14, 2019

TRICARE Extended Care Health Option Helps Families with Special Needs

Do you have a family member with special needs? Do they need health care services beyond those covered by their current TRICARE health plan? The TRICARE Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) may be right for them. ECHO provides supplemental health care coverage for active duty family members with a qualifying mental or physical disability.

June 12, 2019

Moving Away to College May Change Your Child's TRICARE Options

Is your student heading away to college this fall? TRICARE coverage of eligible dependents extends to college students. A change of address, such as moving to a new country, city, region, or ZIP+4 code is a TRICARE Qualifying Life Event (QLE). If this QLE applies to your student, you have 90 days from the date of the address change to change his or her TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select health plan.

May 29, 2019

Your Child Transitioning to Adulthood with TRICARE Young Adult

Did your child graduate from college, but hasn't yet launched a career? Not to worry, TRICARE may still be available to provide health care coverage. A change in family composition, like when your child becomes an adult, is a TRICARE Qualifying Life Event. After your child turns age 21, they're no longer eligible for regular TRICARE.

May 9, 2019

A Change of Address May Mean New TRICARE Health Options

Are you and your family moving? Moving doesn't change your TRICARE eligibility. But it may change the TRICARE health care options available to you and your family. A change of address, such as moving to a new country, city, region, or ZIP+4 code is a TRICARE Qualifying Life Event.

April 30, 2019

Adding a New Family Member Stateside? Take Action to Get TRICARE Coverage for Your Child

Whether giving birth or adopting, this change in your family composition is a TRICARE Qualifying Life Event (QLE). The QLE allows you to enroll any new eligible family members. Or to make changes to your TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select health plan. You must take action to get TRICARE coverage for your newborn or adopted child. Register your newborn or adopted child in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, as well as choose a TRICARE health plan and enroll your child in one if necessary.

April 26, 2019

Activating Soon? Your TRICARE Options May Change

Are you a member of the National Guard or Reserve? If so, you may become eligible for active duty medical and dental benefits when called or ordered to active duty under federal orders for more than 30 days. Your family members also become eligible for active duty benefits. Activating is a change in your sponsor status. This is a TRICARE Qualifying Life Event. This means you may not be able to continue your existing coverage.

March 20, 2019

Get to Know Your TRICARE Prime Plan

TRICARE Prime is similar to a health maintenance organization, or HMO plan. This means you get most of your care from an assigned or selected primary care manager (PCM). This PCM refers you to specialists for care that he or she can't provide and works with your TRICARE regional contractor for referrals and authorizations. TRICARE Prime differs from TRICARE Select, the other TRICARE enrollment health plan.

March 1, 2019

Everything You Need to Know about Filing Medical Claims

Did you visit your doctor recently? If you visited a TRICARE network provider, in most cases, your provider will file a claim for you after the visit. In some cases, you may have to pay for health care services upfront and file your own claim to get money back. It's important to know when you need to file a claim and how to do so.

Feb. 21, 2019

Getting Married? Know Your TRICARE Health Care Options

You and your family members may experience changes in TRICARE eligibility and coverage after getting married.

Dec. 26, 2018

Need Health Advice? Talk to a Registered Nurse Anytime

Sometimes you need a quick answer to a health question, and it helps to have an expert to turn to. With the Military Health System (MHS) Nurse Advice Line, you can get advice from a registered nurse anytime, 24/7. Whether you're worried about your sick child, or need health care advice while traveling, the MHS Nurse Advice Line is only a call or click away.

Sept. 24, 2018

Use TRICARE Online Tools to Help You Choose a Health Plan

If you're eligible for TRICARE, you can choose from a variety of plans. This gives you options for where and how you seek medical care. But how do you decide which plan or plans are best for you and your family members? The TRICARE website can help you learn what health plans you may be eligible for and compare plan features and costs.

Sept. 11, 2018

TRICARE and You: Navigating the Secure Patient Portal

The Tricare Online (TOL) Patient Portal is the secure patient portal that provides registered users access to online health care information and services at military hospitals and clinics.

Aug. 29, 2018

Retiring from Active Duty? Take Action, Make an Enrollment Choice

When you retire from active duty, your TRICARE plan options will change. Retiring from active duty is a Qualifying Life Event (QLE). A QLE allows you to enroll in a new TRICARE plan or change your coverage options within 90 days of the live event. As a retiree, you'll need to take action to enroll in a TRICARE plan if you want to continue to receive coverage for civilian care.

Aug. 24, 2018

TRICARE Access during an Evacuation or Natural Disaster

With wildfire and hurricane season underway, have a disaster preparedness plan for you and your family. Access to your TRICARE benefit, prescriptions, and medical resources may change during a disaster. Be informed and learn the best way to keep you and your family safe.

Aug. 20, 2018

How Does the TRICARE Catastrophic Cap Work?

A catastrophic cap is the most you pay out of pocket for covered services each year. This protects you because it limits the amount of out-of-pocket expenses a family pays for TRICARE covered medical services.

Aug. 14, 2018

How to Choose or Change Your TRICARE Provider

Whether you're looking to change your primary care manager (PCM) or find a specialty care provider, you have options with TRICARE. With directories at your fingertips, you can take command of your health and your TRICARE benefit. When you enroll in TRICARE Prime, you either choose or get assigned a PCM who will manage all of your routine, non-emergency, and urgent health care.

July 25, 2018

Stay Covered After Age 21 with TRICARE Young Adult

Have you recently graduated from college, but you haven't found your dream job yet? Or did you just turn 21, and you're not enrolled in college? If you're worried about your health care coverage as a military dependent, TRICARE Young Adult (TYA) may give you the coverage you need. TYA eligibility begins when regular TRICARE coverage ends at age 21, or up to age 23 if enrolled in college.

March 29, 2018

Active Duty? Enroll to Continue TRICARE Coverage After Retirement

Retiring from active duty, whether a medical retirement or a regular retirement, is a significant life event. You should know before you retire which TRICARE programs best suit your and your family’s needs.

Feb. 2, 2018

New Features of the TRICARE Website

The TRICARE website is your first stop when you have questions about your benefit. At the start of the New Year, we introduced some redesigned features on the TRICARE website that make it easier for you to take command of your health. Beyond the new look and feel of the website, new features and tools will now help you find what you're looking for quicker.

Jan. 10, 2018

Resources to Help You Understand Your TRICARE Benefit

Do you have questions about your TRICARE medical and dental benefit? The TRICARE publications webpage can help you find the answers.