Can we get TFL after employer-sponsored coverage ends? Military Times (blog)
15.08.11
I retired from the Air Force in 1988 and my wife and I have used her employer-provided BCBS insurance since that time. My wife has since retired and her employer will continue to provide medical coverage until we turn 65. As I understand it, when we turn 65, we will need to be enrolled in Medicare, Part A and Part B and in Tricare for Life. Am I correct that both my wife and I will be covered under Medicare, then Tricare for Life?
You will indeed be covered. In fact, you could have been using Tricare all along: When you retired from the service and became entitled to retired pay, you, your wife, and any unmarried children under age 21 became eligible for Tricare. Since that date, provided you properly registered your family in DEERS, you and your family could have been using Tricare as second payer to your wife’s commercial health insurance policy. Tricare would have paid most, or all, of what the commercial policy did not pay on each claim. For example, that
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bTricare/b Help – How do I know if I#39;m eligible for TFL?
Q. I have had a job with good health insurance for almost 30 years. I’ll lose my employer’s insurance if I retire next year at age 65. How do I enroll in Tricare for Life based on my wartime military service? I served in Vietnam, but have never used Tricare.
A. Tricare for Life consists of full coverage by Medicare, Part A and Part B, plus full coverage by Tricare Standard. A retiree must be eligible for both Medicare and for Tricare, and be enrolled in Medicare, Part A and Part B, to be eligible for Tricare for Life.
Tricare eligibility is established by federal law for certain categories of persons. Not all who served in the military, even in wartime, are eligible.
For those who have left service, the basic eligibility criteria for Tricare is to have earned military retirement benefits by serving at least 20 years in uniform or by being medically retired for disability. The wording of your letter makes me suspect neither is the case for you.
You should call the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) support office, toll-free, at 800-538-9552, to find out for sure whether you are eligible for Tricare.
Social Security wants people to apply for Medicare at least 90 days before the effective date of their Medicare coverage. That’s usually on the first day of the month when they will be 65 years old, or the first day of the previous month if they were born on the first of the month.
You’ll need to do that regardless of whether you’re eligible for Tricare.
Tags: Medicare , Part A , Part B , Tricare For Life
