New to TRICARE? Here’s How to Get Started With Your Benefit

Are you getting questions from patients who have newly enrolled in TRICARE? If so, the organization has recently issued a statement to help you respond to questions from newly enrolled uniformed service members and their families.¹

“TRICARE is the uniformed health care program for service members, retirees, their family members, and other eligible beneficiaries,” Malcolm Jones, a TRICARE subject matter expert at the Defense Health Agency, said in the statement. “It brings together the resources of military hospitals and clinics with a network of civilian health care providers and pharmacies.”

The uniformed service personnel office determines TRICARE eligibility. To check eligibility, patients should first ensure their information is fully updated in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). Sponsors are automatically registered in DEERS, but they must register their eligible family members by going to a local ID card office. Then, enrollees should log in to milConnect to check if they are eligible for TRICARE. Once registered on the milConnect website, they can update their contact information in DEERS and view TRICARE enrollment information.

Choosing a Plan

There are different TRICARE options depending on a sponsor’s status, their relationship to the sponsor, age, and where they live. They can be found on the TRICARE website under the Plan Finder tool, and then enrolled under TRICARE Enrollment.

TRICARE is available worldwide, and benefits are the same no matter where an enrollee lives. But different regional contractors help deliver the benefit around the world.

Regions vary based on region (east and west) in the United States, and 1 region overseas.

TRICARE covers treatments, procedures, prescription drugs, or devices that are medically necessary and considered proven. Enrollees can use the Covered Services tool to see whether a service is covered.

Each TRICARE plan has different costs for care and coverage. Enrollees are directed to TRICARE Costs to view and compare costs for covered services, enrollment fees, and plan premiums.

Do you have patients with more questions about plan options, enrollment, or getting care? Encourage them to visit www.tricare.mil for more information.

Reference

1. TRICARE Communications. New to TRICARE? Here’s how to get started with your benefit. July 15, 2025. Accessed July 16, 2025. https://newsroom.tricare.mil/News/TRICARE-News/Article/4244051/new-to-tricare-heres-how-to-get-started-with-your-benefit