TRICARE Deployment Guide: Coverage and Family Benefits | TRICARE.com

A complete guide to TRICARE coverage during deployment, including benefits for family members, DEERS requirements, and regional contractor transitions.

TRICARE Deployment Guide: Coverage and Family Benefits

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## Quick answer When you deploy for more than 30 consecutive days, your TRICARE coverage remains active, but your family members often gain additional benefits. While you are covered under TRICARE Prime (Remote) as a "Separated from Family" status, your family may qualify for the TRICARE Residential Treatment Center benefit or a waiver of certain requirements, ensuring they have uninterrupted healthcare while you are away.

In detail

Deployment changes the logistics of how your family accesses care, even if their plan name stays the same. Most of the changes are triggered by your **Active Duty (AD) orders** being processed in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS).

### 1. Pre-Deployment Preparation Before you leave, you must ensure DEERS is updated. If your family is not in DEERS, they do not have TRICARE coverage. * **Power of Attorney:** Ensure your spouse or designated guardian has a medical Power of Attorney. This allows them to make healthcare decisions and change TRICARE enrollments (like switching from Prime to Select) while you are gone. * **Prescriptions:** Active duty members should get a 90-day supply of maintenance medications through their military pharmacy or Express Scripts before departing.

### 2. Benefits for Family Members Family members of deployed Service members are treated as "Active Duty Family Members" (ADFMs). * **TRICARE Prime:** Families can remain in TRICARE Prime with $0 out-of-pocket costs at military hospitals or with a referral. * **TRICARE Select:** If they prefer to see any civilian provider, they use TRICARE Select. For 2026, Group A survivors/dependents typically see an annual outpatient deductible of approximately $198 per individual, though many preventive services remain $0. * **Extended Care Health Option (ECHO):** If a family member has special needs, deployment may provide more flexibility in accessing ECHO benefits.

### 3. Transitional Assistance Management Program (TAMP) When you return from a deployment (typically for National Guard/Reserve), you may qualify for TAMP. This provides 180 days of premium-free TRICARE coverage to help you transition back to civilian life or your civilian employer's health plan.

### 4. Regional Contractor Coordination Regardless of where you deploy, your family’s care is managed by the regional contractor where they reside: * **East Region:** Managed by **Humana Military**. * **West Region:** Managed by **TriWest Healthcare Alliance** (as of the T-5 contract started Jan 1, 2025).

## Who this applies to * **Active Duty Service Members:** Always covered by TRICARE Prime; coverage is automatic and mandatory during deployment. * **National Guard and Reserve:** If called to active duty for more than 30 consecutive days, you and your family become eligible for "Active Duty" TRICARE benefits (moving from TRICARE Reserve Select to Prime/Select). * **Family Members:** Spouses and children registered in DEERS. Their eligibility depends on the sponsor's status in DEERS being updated to "Active Duty."

Common scenarios

**Scenario 1: National Guard Activation** Sgt. Miller is a Guard member using TRICARE Reserve Select ($274.48/mo premium in 2026 for a family). He is activated for a 9-month deployment. Upon activation, his family moves to TRICARE Select for Active Duty. Their monthly premium drops to **$0**, and their deductible for the year is waived or reduced depending on the timing of their orders.

**Scenario 2: Active Duty Spouse Moving Home** Captain Sarah Lee deploys from Fort Hood. Her husband moves back to his hometown in the West Region to be with family. He must contact **TriWest Healthcare Alliance** to update his address and potentially switch from a Military Treatment Facility (MTF) to a civilian TRICARE Prime network provider or TRICARE Select. Under Select, he might pay a **$30–$40 copay** (2026 rates) for specialist visits, but gains the flexibility to choose his own doctors.

## Related terms * **DEERS:** The database (Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System) that tracks your eligibility for TRICARE. * **TAMP:** Transitional Assistance Management Program; provides 180 days of health cover post-activation. * **Express Scripts:** The pharmacy benefit manager that handles home delivery of medications for families. * **Split Enrollment:** When family members live in different TRICARE regions (e.g., East and West) during a deployment. * **Line of Duty (LOD) Care:** Care for National Guard/Reserve members for injuries sustained during shorter deployment/drill periods (less than 30 days).

## Sources * TRICARE.mil Deployment Guide: https://www.tricare.mil/LifeEvents/Deployment * Humana Military (East): https://www.humanamilitary.com/ * TriWest Healthcare Alliance (West): https://www.triwest.com/ * Defense Health Agency (DHA): https://health.mil/