Getting out, military health issues - Marine Corps Times

Tricare Help: Tricare, CHAMPVA: What’s the difference?

Q. What is CHAMPVA, and how is it different from Tricare? Which program provides the best coverage?

A. CHAMPVA and Tricare both provide excellent coverage, but they were created for two different groups of people. They are not related in any way; they have different eligibility rules and are governed by different federal laws and regulations.

Tricare — originally called the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services, or CHAMPUS, when it was created in 1966 — covers uniformed service family members and retirees. It was modeled on the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program’s High Option Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plan.

CHAMPVA was created later by the Veterans Affairs Department to cover spouses and unmarried children under age 18 of veterans who had a 100 percent, permanent and total, service-connected disability. It provides coverage similar to Tricare.

For more information, contact CHAMPVA, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, P.O. Box 469063, Denver, CO 80246-9028, or call, 800-733-8387.

Q. I will get Tricare for Life when I turn 60 in November. I plan to enroll in Tricare Prime, but I don’t know how to enroll and whether eligibility starts on my birthday or on the first of the month along with Medicare.

A. It sounds as if you are confused about a couple of things and need to call your Tricare Service Center or the health benefits adviser at a military hospital for clarification. Let me provide what help I can.

On your 60th birthday, you and your family will become eligible for Tricare — not Tricare for Life. To get Tricare for Life, you must be entitled to Medicare. Unless you are eligible for Social Security disability benefits, you cannot get Medicare until you reach your 65th birthday.

To enroll in Tricare Prime, you must live in an area where it is available. For that information, contact Tricare.

To apply for retirement and Tricare for yourself and family, contact your reserve component’s personnel section about two weeks before your 60th birthday.

In the meantime, go to www.tricare.mil/regionaloffice.cfm to find contact information for your Tricare office.

Talk with them about Tricare Standard, Prime and Tricare for Life. Ask for free Standard and Prime handbooks. You can also download handbooks at tricare.mil/mybenefit/home/overview/plans.

For all Tricare eligibility questions, call the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System support office at 800-538-9552.

Call Social Security at 800-772-1213 for Medicare information. Don’t ask them anything about Tricare; they don’t know its rules and won’t be able to tell you anything relevant about the program.

Note to readers

There are four official sources for Tricare information, publications and help: (1) The health benefits adviser/health care finder at a military hospital; (2) any Tricare contractor; (3) the Tricare Management Activity, 16401 E. Centretech Parkway, Aurora, CO 80011-9043; and (4) the Defense Department military health system home page on the Internet, www.tricare.mil.

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Write to James E. Hamby Jr. at Tricare Help, Times News Service, 6883 Commercial Drive, Springfield, VA 22159; or online at tricarehelp@militarytimes.com. In e-mail, include the word “Tricare” in the subject line. Get Tricare advice anytime at www.militarytimes.com/tricarehelp.