Tricare eligibility question

jocomom

10-Year Member
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Oct 29, 2010
Messages
111
"Dear Beneficiary" letter came to the house for DS who is a contracted AROTC MS2. First sentance, "Welcome to your Tricare Pharmacy Program." That was news to him. He did not fill out any paperwork and nothing has been disseminated on campus. It was a form letter from Express Scripts the plan administrator. No number for him to call. No member number.

The letter sounds like he is in the program, but he believes it was sent in error. I would be delighted if he were on Tricare because I could drop his coverage through the university effective 8/1. However, DS believes it is too good to be true.

Anyone else dealing with the same notification?
 
I believe it was sent in error as well. During 4 years of NROTC, DS never received such a letter.
 
I believe it was sent in error as well. During 4 years of NROTC, DS never received such a letter.
I thought as much. Sadness! Out of curiosity does Tricare kick in at commissioning (assuming active duty) or when BOLC starts?
 
I thought as much. Sadness! Out of curiosity does Tricare kick in at commissioning (assuming active duty) or when BOLC starts?

The day he starts AD. He'll actually do all the in processing when he gets to BOLC which will take a few days, but his coverage starts as soon as the orders kick in.

Tricare is different if you're Guard/Reserve
 
I thought as much. Sadness! Out of curiosity does Tricare kick in at commissioning (assuming active duty) or when BOLC starts?
Well, for DS it doesn't kick in until the Marine equivalent of BOLC (TBS) starts. At least that's how he explained it to me. Fortunately we have insurance for him until about 3 weeks before TBS. I think we'll wing it for 3 weeks.
 
I thought as much. Sadness! Out of curiosity does Tricare kick in at commissioning (assuming active duty) or when BOLC starts?

According DS (AROTC MSIV commissioning in May), it starts when you go on the payroll. He is considering a Gold Bar Recruiter post. Part of his consideration is that it would get him on the payroll immediately and start the commitment clock, which would otherwise begin on his BOLC start date.

Would advise checking fine print on DS/DD's campus based health plans. My DS's health insurance is paid in two tranches: September covering first semester and January covering second semester and summer.
 
According DS (AROTC MSIV commissioning in May), it starts when you go on the payroll. He is considering a Gold Bar Recruiter post. Part of his consideration is that it would get him on the payroll immediately and start the commitment clock, which would otherwise begin on his BOLC start date. At his school, campus based health insurance covers a full 12 months.

Yes, if he were to GBR, he would get Tricare (and all the other AD) benefits.

The day you start AD (regardless if it's BOLC, GBR, working at LDAC) is the magic date.
 
Interesting.

Our DS (AFROTC) was offered TriCare the minute he commissioned. He opted not to take it. AFROTC cadets must go ADAF, thus that might be the reason why.
 
They might be offered the same thing that's offered to Guard/Reservists when they're not in an active status.
 
I am guessing you are correct.

DS didn't take it because he was covered under our program for 180 days after graduation. He reported for ADAF within that time frame.

I just know every AFROTC cadet was given a letter like this @6-9 weeks prior to commissioning and DS called us asking should he take it.
 
6 weeks prior to commissioning would make sense, but this letter arrived 1 year and six weeks prior. Since it was from the RX plan administrator rather than Tricare itself, I am sure it was an error. My employer sponsored plan uses ExpressScripts and they send out erroneous letters with a frighten degree of frequency.
 
kinnem,

Also double check your insurance plan.
Nah... he's definitely not covered by my insurance as I dropped him years ago in favor of the college plan. It was too expensive to keep him on mine. But if worse comes to worse I'll give it a scan.
 
Caveat.

My DS was 22 when he graduated. Tricare subscribers children are only covered to 21 364 days. They must submit paperwork for an extension. They must provide college tuition bills every semester to prove that they are a full time student. If he was a 5 year engineering student he would have been covered.

Yes, we are tri care, but our DD that is 23, fellowship grad student is not on our policy. She is under a program for 22-26 year old kids.
 
AROTC MS II DS received the same Tricare letter. I asked my son and he said that he doesn't qualify until he commissions, so I threw it away. Idk.
 
Interestingly, during the parent briefing at LDAC graduation last summer, the Col. giving the briefing clearly stated that any cadet who commissioned AD was eligible for TriCare upon commissioning, as opposed to upon entry to AD. A few parents questioned this, as their understanding was the same as mine - that TriCare starts when you enter AD. He emphasized more than once that eligibility begins at commissioning.

DS is still on my insurance, and has an early BOLC date, so I'm not personally concerned about this apparent discrepancy, but I'm sure there are people who will be quite dismayed to learn the Col. mispoke.
 
Interestingly, during the parent briefing at LDAC graduation last summer, the Col. giving the briefing clearly stated that any cadet who commissioned AD was eligible for TriCare upon commissioning, as opposed to upon entry to AD. A few parents questioned this, as their understanding was the same as mine - that TriCare starts when you enter AD. He emphasized more than once that eligibility begins at commissioning.

DS is still on my insurance, and has an early BOLC date, so I'm not personally concerned about this apparent discrepancy, but I'm sure there are people who will be quite dismayed to learn the Col. mispoke.

My son commissioned AD in May 2014. TriCare did not start until he reported to IBOLC. He was on our insurance in the interim.
 
Interestingly, during the parent briefing at LDAC graduation last summer, the Col. giving the briefing clearly stated that any cadet who commissioned AD was eligible for TriCare upon commissioning, as opposed to upon entry to AD. A few parents questioned this, as their understanding was the same as mine - that TriCare starts when you enter AD. He emphasized more than once that eligibility begins at commissioning.

DS is still on my insurance, and has an early BOLC date, so I'm not personally concerned about this apparent discrepancy, but I'm sure there are people who will be quite dismayed to learn the Col. mispoke.

That seems so out of character with the otherwise flawless execution of LDAC 2014.
 
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