TRICARE coverage follows college-bound students Published July 5, 2007 By Brian Smith TriWest Healthcare Alliance PHOENIX, Ariz. -- College-bound family members of active-duty or retired servicemembers can take comfort in the fact their TRICARE coverage will make the journey with them. Insurance industry studies have shown as much as 10 percent of uninsured Americans are college students. College-aged dependents remain covered under TRICARE until age 21. However, the sponsor must remain eligible for TRICARE benefits, active duty, retired or eligible under the Transitional Assistance Management Program for the dependant to have coverage. Benefits extend until the student is 23 if he or she remains a full-time student at an accredited institution and more than half of their financial support comes from the sponsor. Eligible dependants moving to another state or even a different TRICARE region will also have coverage. A key for maintaining TRICARE eligibility is to ensure the student's address, status and personal information is updated in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System. If the information, including change in address, is not updated, claims may be delayed or even denied. Coverage ends when the student turns 23, graduates or ceases to be a full-time student, whichever comes first. TRICARE Programs The choice of TRICARE programs (prime, standard or extra), will depend on where the student lives. If the student lives near a military treatment facility that TRICARE designates a prime service area, they may enroll in the prime program. Prime coverage is also portable, following the student during travels or when returning home. Non-emergency care must be coordinated with the student's primary care manager and regional contractor where they are enrolled, to avoid out-of-pocket costs. Split enrollment allows the student with prime coverage to live in a different TRICARE region than their sponsor. If an annual fee is due, it is payable to the TRICARE regional contractor where the sponsor resides. One fee is paid per family, even if the TRICARE-eligible college dependant lives in another region. The student then coordinates care with a primary care manager where they are located. Outside a PSA, TRICARE standard and extra programs are the only options. Standard and extra coverage does not require enrollment, but the information in DEERS must be up-to-date. Students, who were previously enrolled in the prime remote program for active-duty family members, can transfer their prime coverage if the college is in a PSA. In non-PSAs, the standard and extra programs are available so people should disenroll from the prime remote program to avoid point of service charges. TRICARE-eligible students may also enroll for dental coverage, but it's separate from other TRICARE benefits. Depending on the sponsor's status, the TRICARE Dental Program or the TRICARE Retiree Dental Program is available for the student. Students can get prescriptions through the TRICARE retail pharmacy network or from a local military treatment facility. For more information, visit www.tricare.mil/collegestudents. To find a local uniformed-service identification card-issuing facility, go to www.dmdc.osd.mil/rsl. For more DEERS information, visit www.tricare.mil/deers. For more information on TRICARE dental programs, people can go to www.tricaredentalprogram.com. For more information on pharmacy program, visit www.tricare.mil/pharmacy.