Registration in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) is essential for your family to be eligible for Tricare and other benefits.
What Is DEERS
DEERS is a computerized database of military sponsors, families and others worldwide who are entitled for TRICARE and other benefits. Active-duty and retired service members are automatically registered in DEERS, but you must register your family members and make sure all the information is correct to ensure Tricare coverage.
Verifying and Updating DEERS
You can verify your DEERS information by contacting your regional Tricare managed care support contractor, your local Tricare service center or the nearest personnel office (ID card facility). Sponsors or registered family members can make address changes, but only the sponsor can add or delete family members, and documentation is required. To update your DEERS information:
- Visit your personnel office or contact the Defense Manpower Data Center Support Office at 800-538-9552. You can find the nearest location online.
- Visit the Milconnect website.
- Go online to Tricare to update your information: http://www.tricare.mil/DEERS .
Things to Keep in Mind:
- Each family member's eligibility record must be updated separately when changes occur.
- Any changes that impact you or your family (e.g., marriage, birth, divorce, death) need to be reported to DEERS so that eligibility can start or stop.
- If you are active duty and re-enlist, separate, retire, or move, make sure your information gets updated in DEERS as soon as possible. If you do not, you and your family might experience a break in eligibility, which means a break in health care coverage.
- As soon as you re-enlist, take your reenlistment paper to your personnel office or ID card facility so your information can be updated instead of waiting for it to clear the chain-of-command.
- Once you retire, you need to make sure DEERS reflects your change from active duty to retiree status.
Note: If you or your family were previously Tricare Prime under your active duty status, you need to re-enroll in Tricare Prime under your retiree status. Contact the regional managed care support contractor (MCSC) in your retirement location to find out if Tricare Prime is offered in your retirement area ZIP code.
- It is important to update your and your family's home addresses because Tricare information will be sent to that address.
- Retail network pharmacies check Tricare eligibility through DEERS. Your prescriptions will be filled only if you are in the system.
- If you have a child that is over age 21 and a full-time student, you need to enter their student status into DEERS so that Tricare eligibility remains.
- If you or a family member is Medicare-eligible, entitled to Part A and enrolled in Part B, DEERS must be updated to reflect Medicare Part A and B status to retain TRICARE coverage. When you turn 65, the medical section of your military ID card may also need to be updated.
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