Questions regarding insurance after commissioning

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tgtl

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I’m not sure is this is the right place to ask, but my son doesn’t know the answers. He will commission in May. At that point is his medical insurance covered by the army and is there a cost? Trying to budget my insurance costs for next year - I’m happy to keep him on my policy if he can use it but thinking army coverage may be what he needs? Also what about car insurance- is that open market or does the military have a less expensive plan? Thank you for any info you may have.
 
Tricare insurance coverage starts when he goes active duty. https://www.tricare.mil/Plans/Eligibility/ADSMandFamilies

For DS his college insurance coverage carried him to active duty since he went active in August. You just need to get over that interim hurdle somehow.

DS uses USAA for car insurance and all his other financial needs. There isn't any coverage directly through the military (that I know of).
 
Your son can seek answers from his chain of command; he should also get pre-comm briefings on his benefits on active duty.

Once he is in AD status, he will be 100% covered for medical, dental, emergency, pharmacy, no premiums, no co-pays, through the TRICARE Prime military healthcare network. Even if he is injured and has to go to a civilian hospital or out-of-network provider, his CAC (military ID card) serves as his insurance card, and he should not be billed. He will get briefings on all of that, and he will quickly learn how it all works.

I will defer to the Army ROTC experts here, but if there is a lag period after his commissioning date and before he goes to his first school and his AD time then commences, I am a little vague on how medical coverage works. Someone here will know.

The military does not get involved in personal financial decisions such as car insurance. One of the well-known providers which caters to the military is USAA, for auto and personal property/renter’s insurance. If he is contracted, he can go on their website and explore. They have been around for 100 years, and as an Association, their membership is restricted to AD, Reserve, Guard, the uniformed services other than the armed services, veterans and their spouses and descendants. AFI is another one. Military discounts are available from most of the usual providers. I went with USAA as a brand-new Navy officer, because no one else would insure my car and personal stuff (uniforms, tech, jewelry, sports gear, household goods) at my first duty station in Spain, and then Italy.
 
tgtl said:
I’m not sure is this is the right place to ask, but my son doesn’t know the answers. He will commission in May. At that point is his medical insurance covered by the army and is there a cost? Trying to budget my insurance costs for next year - I’m happy to keep him on my policy if he can use it but thinking army coverage may be what he needs? Also what about car insurance- is that open market or does the military have a less expensive plan? Thank you for any info you may have.
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When my son commissioned in May 2021- He remained on our health insurance policy as he had a lag between commissioning and reporting for active duty at the tune of 8 months. Once he arrived on base in March 2022, we called our insurance company and had him removed. It was not an issue at all with the ins. company as it's considered a life changing event.

As far as auto insurance, my son found his own policy- I think with GEICO. He shopped around.
 
My DS (Army ROTC) commissioned in May of 2019 and then reported to ABOLC seven months later. He stayed on our health plan until the month he reported to Ft. Benning and began ABOLC.

A slight overlap is okay for those of us who are paranoid. :)
 
I didn’t realize it takes so long for them to go to BOLC - is that “normal” and does it depend on the branch, OML or anything like that?
 
tgtl said:
I didn’t realize it takes so long for them to go to BOLC - is that “normal” and does it depend on the branch, OML or anything like that?
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Ask 10 2LTs and you will get 10 different answers. Could be month. could be a year+. Mine commissioned in May and reported to BOLC in late Sept.
 
cb7893 said:
Ask 10 2LTs and you will get 10 different answers. Could be month. could be a year+. Mine commissioned in May and reported to BOLC in late Sept.
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Wow, what do they do during the period between commissioning and BOLC? Are they on their own (eg, at home or doing whatever?) or stationed somewhere and doing...? I never thought about that period between, and that the gap can be so long. My DS is an MS3 in AROTC now.
 
DS was on his own for a few months and got a part-time job with a local craft brewery - drawing beers and giving tours. Best civilian job he ever had. Part time was perfect for him as it gave him play and chill time prior to going active
 
kinnem said:
Tricare insurance coverage starts when he goes active duty. https://www.tricare.mil/Plans/Eligibility/ADSMandFamilies

For DS his college insurance coverage carried him to active duty since he went active in August. You just need to get over that interim hurdle somehow.

DS uses USAA for car insurance and all his other financial needs. There isn't any coverage directly through the military (that I know of).
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USAA is rock solid in the insurance department. We have them for home and car. Filed a claim this summer for the house. They're replacing the roof and sliding. Costs a little more, but you know they have your back.

/rant
 
kinnem said:
DS was on his own for a few months and got a part-time job with a local craft brewery - drawing beers and giving tours. Best civilian job he ever had. Part time was perfect for him as it gave him play and chill time prior to going active
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My DS worked at a bike shop after college ended this past summer. 50% off expensive bikes for him and me made it the best summer job he's ever had!
 
NJDadofDSUSMA2024Hopeful said:
Wow, what do they do during the period between commissioning and BOLC? Are they on their own (eg, at home or doing whatever?) or stationed somewhere and doing...? I never thought about that period between, and that the gap can be so long. My DS is an MS3 in AROTC now.
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I initially had four months off, but then got a letter delaying it another month to the next fiscal year due to budget cuts.
I worked as a diver. It was good money ($1/minute in the 1980s), kept me in shape, and gave me time off.
 
Sorry. I didn’t answer the OP question.
My father was able to find a short term, catastrophic heath insurance policy for me. I didn’t need vision, dental, etc. I just needed something to cover me for 5 months if some bad happened.
 
tgtl said:
I’m not sure is this is the right place to ask, but my son doesn’t know the answers. He will commission in May. At that point is his medical insurance covered by the army and is there a cost? Trying to budget my insurance costs for next year - I’m happy to keep him on my policy if he can use it but thinking army coverage may be what he needs? Also what about car insurance- is that open market or does the military have a less expensive plan? Thank you for any info you may have.
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This is just my personal observation, a good friend of our sons' graduated AROTC last Spring, didn't get a ABOLC date till this upcoming January and is working at Shoot Straight in Clearwater Fl. He said he is considered reserve until he enters BOLC and needed insurance and spending money to survive. He does not get Tricare until he physically reports to BOLC, as well as not getting paid by the Army until then.

Both our sons' are still on our medical insurance until they finish school and are insured by their employers. DS1 is a Firstie at USMA and has Tricare, but is still on our insurance, just as a precaution in case something happens, and DS2 is s Senior and doing an internship, but again still on our insurance until he graduates and gets benefits (either thru the military or civilian job). I am pretty the standard is they can remain on YOUR policy until they are either married, or reach age 26. If you have to pay extra for them, you have to decide on the risk v reward of paying for coverage, but if your employer covers insurance costs leave them on the policy until you have to remove them...JMHO. Better safe than sorry, if they become uninsured, had a medical problem they could end up really fast in debt over $100K.
 
Keep in mind the difference between carrying insurance and using insurance. The law from Obama Care actual says that your children can stay on your policy to a certain age which I think is 26. It is the easiest way to make sure their is not a break in coverage and in my case the cost to ensure my kids is the same no matter how many I have.

The issue becomes using this insurance once they are on active duty. Once they enter active duty, Tricare becomes the primary insurance and your policy would then become secondary. Since Tricare pays 100% without any copays/deductibles their is no need for secondary coverage.

If your officer would use your insurance instead of Tricare, your insurance policy would want their money back if they ever found out and the military would also not be very happy.

My best suggestion is to leave them on your policy until they enter active duty and remove during your next annual enrollment period and make sure they use Tricare once they enter active duty
 
NJDadofDSUSMA2024Hopeful said:
Wow, what do they do during the period between commissioning and BOLC? Are they on their own (eg, at home or doing whatever?) or stationed somewhere and doing...? I never thought about that period between, and that the gap can be so long. My DS is an MS3 in AROTC now.
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Mine knew he would be deployed to the ME immediately following BOLC. He had some $ saved and rented car from Swap-A-Lease. He drove about 5000 miles visiting friends, family, Las Vegas before reporting to S-BOLC at Ft. Gordon. We had one last ski trip in Crested Butte before he left for the ME.

I think the moral of the story is to do exactly what you want during that time, because that luxury expires when you go AD. You're DS will figure it out and do great.
 
We are keeping both our sons on our Health Policy because my employer covers their cost. DS1 (at West Point) uses Tricare for everything, but if he were to get hurt in the last months at West Point or during BOLC and discharged with less than 30%, he would have to rely on the VA exclusively (Tricare Select may be available but at some cost). I am EXTREMELY familiar with the VA and the Pros and Cons, but I would feel like I wasn't a good parent IF something happened to him, he wasn't eligible for Tricare without high cost, and we dropped him from our policy, and he was stuck with VA only care. My HR person even recommended against removing either one until they turn 26, even if they don't use the coverage, it is there IN CASE..:)

DS2 is not sure whether he wants to go directly to Grad School (he has a high paying internship), Direct Commission or do OCS, or take the job offer his company has extended. So, until he decides and gets his own coverage, we will keep him on our Plan.
 
Impulsive said:
We are keeping both our sons on our Health Policy because my employer covers their cost. DS1 (at West Point) uses Tricare for everything, but if he were to get hurt in the last months at West Point or during BOLC and discharged with less than 30%, he would have to rely on the VA exclusively (Tricare Select may be available but at some cost). I am EXTREMELY familiar with the VA and the Pros and Cons, but I would feel like I wasn't a good parent IF something happened to him, he wasn't eligible for Tricare without high cost, and we dropped him from our policy, and he was stuck with VA only care. My HR person even recommended against removing either one until they turn 26, even if they don't use the coverage, it is there IN CASE..:)

DS2 is not sure whether he wants to go directly to Grad School (he has a high paying internship), Direct Commission or do OCS, or take the job offer his company has extended. So, until he decides and gets his own coverage, we will keep him on our Plan.
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What is the “30 pct” piece?

We are at a point of trying to decide what to do…our oldest adult children all have coverage or have aged out. We now have only the USNA ‘junior’ who has signed his 2/7. Until this next year, dropping the family piece hasn’t been an issue….and it saves us about 300$/mo. Not insignificant! So we are now looking at whether to make the adjustment or not.
 
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