TRICARE and Remarriage: Rules for Spouses & Survivors | TRICARE.com

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## Quick answer If you are a **divorced or surviving spouse** receiving TRICARE benefits, remarrying almost always ends your eligibility for coverage permanently. This loss of coverage occurs the day you marry, and unlike other beneficiaries, you cannot regain TRICARE eligibility even if that second marriage later ends in death or divorce.

Details

The impact of remarriage on TRICARE depends entirely on your status as a spouse. The rules are strict and generally do not offer "second chances" for those who marry again.

### Former Spouses (Divorced) If you qualified for TRICARE as a former spouse under the "20/20/20" or "20/20/15" rules, your eligibility is tied to your status as an unmarried person. * **The Moment of Remarriage:** Your TRICARE coverage ends at midnight the day you remarry. * **Finality:** If you remarry, you lose TRICARE eligibility for life. Even if your new marriage ends (through divorce or death), you cannot return to your previous TRICARE coverage based on your first spouse’s service. * **Exception:** If you marry another service member, you may become eligible for TRICARE as their new spouse.

### Surviving Spouses (Widowed) The rules for surviving spouses changed slightly due to the National Defense Authorization Act, but remain restrictive: * **Remarriage before age 55:** You lose TRICARE eligibility immediately. * **Remarriage after age 55:** Under current rules, you still lose TRICARE coverage. Unlike some VA programs (like DIC or CHAMPVA) which may allow remarriage after age 57 without losing benefits, TRICARE eligibility generally terminates upon remarriage for surviving spouses regardless of age. * **Health Care Delivery:** Once remarried, you are no longer eligible for TRICARE Prime, Select, or TRICARE For Life through your deceased spouse’s record.

### Dependent Children Children’s TRICARE eligibility is **not** affected by a parent’s remarriage. If a surviving spouse remarries, the children of the deceased service member remain eligible for TRICARE until they reach the age limit (usually age 21, or 23 if a full-time student), or until they age out of TRICARE Young Adult at age 26.

### Reporting the Change Remarriage is a **Qualifying Life Event (QLE)**. You must update the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) immediately. Because the contractors (Humana Military in the East and TriWest in the West) rely on DEERS data, failure to update your status can lead to the government recouping payments for medical claims made after the date of your marriage.

## Who this affects * **Former Spouses:** Those qualified under 20/20/20 or 20/20/15 rules. * **Surviving Spouses:** Widows/widowers of active duty or retired service members. * **Dependent Children:** To clarify that their benefits remain intact. * **Active Duty/Retirees:** To understand how their former spouse's eligibility terminates.

## Sources * **TRICARE.mil:** Former Spouses Eligibility [https://www.tricare.mil/formerspouses] * **Defense Health Agency (DHA):** Qualifying Life Events [https://www.tricare.mil/lifeevents] * **TRICARE.mil:** Rights of Surviving Spouses [https://www.tricare.mil/Plans/Eligibility/Survivors/Spouse] * **Humana Military:** Reporting Life Changes [https://www.humanamilitary.com/beneficiary/plans-and-programs/enrollment/qle]