TRICARE Retired Reserve (TRR) is a premium-based, health plan available worldwide for purchase by qualified Retired Reserve members and their eligible family members. TRR delivers the TRICARE Select benefit to all covered individuals. This population of Guard and Reserve retirees is commonly referred to as "Gray-Area Retirees." Due to tax law changes, effective January 1, 2019, you will no longer be required to have minimum essential coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Each January you will still get an IRS Form 1095 from your pay center listing the coverage you had during the previous tax year.

DFAS will provide IRS Form 1095-C to all U.S. military members, and IRS Form 1095-B to all retirees, annuitants, former spouses and all other individuals having TRICARE coverage during all or any portion of tax year 2023. An IRS Form 1095 documents you (and your family members, if applicable) have the minimum essential coverage. These forms will document the information that DFAS will provide to the IRS on yourself and your authorized family members. According to the IRS, these forms are not required to prepare or file income tax returns but will be available via myPay no later than 31 January 2024.

Retired Air Force Reserve Service members and their family members or survivors may qualify to purchase TRICARE Retired Reserve (TRR):

• Retired reserve members who are:

  • Members of the retired Reserve of a reserve component who are qualified for non-regular retirement under 10 U.S.C., Chapter 1223

  • Under age 60

  • Not eligible for, or enrolled in, the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program

• Family members of qualified Retired reserve members

• Survivors of retired reserve members if:

  • The sponsor was covered by TRICARE Retired Reserve when they died

  • They are immediate family members of the deceased sponsor (spouses cannot have remarried).

  • TRICARE Retired Reserve coverage would begin before the date the deceased sponsor would have turned 60 years old.

Note: Survivor coverage is not affected by FEHB eligibility.

If you have questions regarding your eligibility, please contact your National Guard or Reserve Point of Contact.

Enrollment: Retired Air National Guard Service members may purchase TRICARE Retired Reserve (TRR) to begin in any month of the year. The application form must be postmarked or received no later than the last day of the month before coverage is to begin. If a service member/family member loses coverage under any other TRICARE health care plan and qualifies for TRR, they may purchase TRR with no break in coverage. The application must be received no later than 30 days after the loss of other TRICARE coverage. The effective date begins on the day of loss of prior TRICARE coverage.

Purchasing TRICARE Retired Reserve is a two-step process that you must complete online.

Step 1: Qualify

Online

• Log on to the Beneficiary Web Enrollment Application

• Follow the instructions to enroll

• To log in, you must have one of the following:

  • Common Access Card (CAC)

  • DFAS (MyPay) Account

  • DoD Self-Service Logon (DS Logon) Premium (Level 2) account

If you do not qualify, you will not be able to complete or print the form.

By Phone

Call your regional contractor:

• East Region: 1-820-444-5445

• West Region: 1-844-866-9378

• Overseas: International SOS

In Person

Reserve members located overseas may submit enrollment requests at a TRICARE Service Center.

Step 2: Purchase

You may purchase the plan at any time throughout the year. Mail or fax your completed Reserve Component Health Coverage Request Form (DD Form 2896-1) along with the initial payment of two month premiums to initiate coverage to your regional contractor within the specified deadline.

Regional Contractor addresses and fax numbers can be found here.

Survivors of TRR sponsors may continue TRR coverage until the day the sponsor would have become eligible for retiree benefits (typically age 60). If Survivors do not want TRR coverage, a written letter or form DD 2896-1 must be postmarked or received no later than 60 days after the date of the sponsor's death. Premiums will be refunded if there have been no claims for health care submitted during this 60-day period.

TRR follows TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS) procedures. Coverage is similar to TRICARE Select and is available overseas. Cost shares, deductibles, and catastrophic caps similarly follow TRICARE Select that apply to active duty family members for all individuals (including the Guard/Reserve member) covered under TRR.

Monthly premiums, payments above the TRICARE-allowable charge, and payments for non-covered services are not credited toward the TRR Catastrophic Cap ($4,399 per family, per calendar year).

Annual Outpatient Deductible: You must meet the annual outpatient deducible each calendar year (January 1 - December 31) before cost sharing begins.

Cost Shares: You are responsible to pay a cost share based on the type of care and type of provider you see (network vs. non-network). Non-network providers may charge up to 15% above the TRICARE allowable charge. You are also responsible for these extra charges.

Please visit https://tricare.mil/Costs/Compare to find your TRICARE costs, including copayments, enrollment fees, and payment options effective January 1, 2024.

Ending TRICARE Retired Reserve Coverage

Your coverage may end for several reasons, both voluntary and involuntary.

• When coverage ends, excess premium payments are refunded

• When a sponsor's coverage ends for any reason, family members' coverage also ends.

Voluntarily End Coverage

You may choose to end TRICARE Retired Reserve coverage at any time. You may end the entire plan or coverage for an individual family member. Take the following actions to end your coverage:

1. Log on to the Beneficiary Web Application and follow the instructions to "Disenroll"

2. Complete the Reserve Component Health Coverage Request Form (DD Form 2896-1)

3. Print and mail your completed form to your regional contractor.

You will not be able to purchase TRICARE Retired Reserve again until the next open enrollment season.

• You may qualify purchase temporary coverage through the Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP).

• You are not required to purchase the CHCBP. Instead you may use employer-sponsored health insurance, Medicaid or any other plan offered through the Health Insurance Marketplace.

Do not Just Stop Making Payments

If you do not follow the correct steps to end your coverage and you simply stop making premium payments, your coverage ends. However, you are still responsible for any premium amounts that are due.

Note: If you lose coverage due to non-payment of monthly premiums, you do not qualify to purchase the CHCBP.

For more information, visit the TRICARE Retired Reserve web site:
https://tricare.mil/trr

TRICARE Retired Reserve Enrollment page:
https://tricare.mil/Plans/Enroll/TRR.aspx

TRICARE Retired Reserve Cost Shares:
https://tricare.mil/Costs/HealthPlanCosts/TRR

TRICARE for Life:
https://tricare.mil/tfl

TRICARE Application:
https://milconnect.dmdc.osd.mil/milconnect/