Tricare benefits enhanced for certain active-duty survivors

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FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AFPN) --  Citing the debt of gratitude owed to those who have served the country and made the ultimate sacrifice, a top defense health official recently revised the Tricare policy for transitional survivors.

The change allows active-duty families who live overseas, and who are on accompanied orders at the time of their sponsor’s death, to remain eligible for Tricare Prime benefits overseas during the three-year transitional survivor period.

“It is fitting that policy be changed to provide the same transitional survivor health-care benefits as those available in the United States to the family members residing overseas who supported their active-duty members and experienced a significant loss,” said Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.

The new policy extends Tricare Overseas Program Prime enrollment, including Tricare Global Remote Overseas and Tricare Puerto Rico Prime, to command-sponsored beneficiaries already enrolled in those programs.

During the three years following a sponsor’s death, surviving spouses and children younger than 21 years old (23 if enrolled fulltime in school) remain eligible for many active-duty family benefits as transitional survivors. At the end of the transitional survivor period, Tricare eligibility continues for survivors at the retiree family member status and rates.

Transitional survivors who are not enrolled in TOP Prime will continue to have access to overseas military treatment facility appointments on a space-available basis. Transitional survivors who choose to disenroll and relocate to an overseas site served by a military facility may enroll in TOP Prime at the new location. Those transitional survivors without nearby military facilities will be eligible for benefits under Tricare Standard at active-duty family rates.

Transitional survivors who choose to return to the United States may re-enroll in Tricare Prime in areas where it is offered. In areas where Tricare Prime is not offered, they may use Tricare Extra or Standard at active-duty family rates during the three-year period.

More information on Tricare survivor benefits is available online at www.tricare.osd.mil/Factsheets/viewfactsheet.cfm?id=324. (Courtesy of Tricare Management Activity)