Medal of Honor TRICARE Benefits & 2026 Costs | TRICARE.com

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## Quick answer Medal of Honor (MOH) recipients and their eligible family members receive specialized, high-priority TRICARE benefits, often including the highest level of coverage with no enrollment fees and zero out-of-pocket costs for covered services. Most MOH recipients are moved into a premium-free TRICARE Select or Prime category regardless of their original retirement status.

Details

### Automatic Elite Status When a service member is awarded the Medal of Honor, their status in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) is updated to reflect this honor. This update triggers a shift in health care benefit tiers. Even if the recipient was not otherwise eligible for military retirement benefits (for example, if they separated before 20 years of service), the MOH award grants them and their dependents eligibility for TRICARE.

### 2026 Cost Shares and Fees For the 2026 plan year, MOH recipients generally fall into the most favorable cost-sharing category. * **Enrollment Fees:** $0. There are no annual enrollment fees for TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select for MOH recipients and their families. * **Deductibles:** In most cases, the annual deductible is waived or set at $0 for covered services. * **Copayments:** For 2026, most outpatient visits, specialty care, and emergency room visits result in $0 out-of-pocket costs when using TRICARE-authorized providers.

### Pharmacy Benefits MOH recipients utilize the Express Scripts pharmacy program. While many prescriptions at military pharmacies are $0, copays may still apply for home delivery or retail pharmacies depending on the specific "Group" status assigned in DEERS, though many recipients see these costs subsidized or waived via supplemental VA benefits or specific MOH clerical designations.

### Choice of Plan MOH recipients can typically choose between: 1. **TRICARE Prime:** Managed care with a Primary Care Manager (PCM). 2. **TRICARE Select:** A PPO-style plan allowing recipients to see any TRICARE-authorized provider. For MOH recipients, the usual "Point of Service" charges and deductibles associated with Select are typically waived.

### Coordination with the VA Many Medal of Honor recipients also receive care through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Under federal law, MOH recipients are placed in **VA Enrollment Priority Group 1**, which provides full health care and prescription coverage through the VA system with no copayments, regardless of their disability rating.

## Who this affects * **MOH Recipients:** Living recipients of the Medal of Honor. * **Eligible Dependents:** Spouses and unmarried children (up to age 21, or 23 if a full-time student). * **Survivors:** Unremarried surviving spouses and eligible children of deceased MOH recipients.

## Sources * **TRICARE.mil:** [Costs and Fees for Special Groups](https://www.tricare.mil/Costs) * **Defense Health Agency (DHA):** [MOH Benefits Summary](https://health.mil) * **VA.gov:** [Priority Groups for Veterans Health Care](https://www.va.gov/health-care/eligibility/priority-groups/) * **TriWest Healthcare Alliance:** [West Region Beneficiary Information](https://www.triwest.com)