Tricare Help: How to speak up about what’s covered - Marine Corps Health Issues | Marine Corps Times

Tricare Help: How to speak up about what’s covered

Answering your questions on Tricare.

Q. I work at an acupuncture office that sees many active-duty service members and veterans. A few have asked us to write letters to Tricare to request that acupuncture services be covered. I read in your column that Tricare itself cannot make changes; they must come from Congress. Where might people direct their letters?

Medical services covered or excluded from Tricare coverage are determined by federal law and regulation. To suggest a change in Tricare coverage, please write to Tricare headquarters. The address is Tricare Management Activity, 16401 E. Centretech Parkway, Aurora, CO 80011-9043.

Q. Can I get Tricare coverage for my 59-year-old mother while I am on active duty? She has been my dependent for the last eight months, and she has lived with me for the last six years. I pay all of her bills and medical expenses. She does not receive any assistance from the government. She does not have a job or receive retirement pay.

Regardless of a service member’s duty status — active duty or retired — his parents are not eligible for Tricare, even if they are legally classified as dependents.

That’s a matter of federal law. You can confirm that by calling the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System support office at 800-538-9552. DEERS is a federal agency under the Defense Department that deals with eligibility issues only.

The possibility remains that your mother could be allowed free medical care at the military hospital where you are stationed. For more information, please contact the hospital’s patient administration office.

The authority to grant that permission lies exclusively with the hospital’s commanding officer. It is subject to the availability of space and personnel, and the hospital’s technical ability to provide the care she needs. It is a privilege, not a right provided by law. It can be withdrawn at any time according to the needs of the service.

If granted, permission will apply only to that particular military hospital. If you are assigned to a different military facility, you would have to seek permission at your new duty station’s hospital.

Write to Tricare Help, Times News Service, 6883 Commercial Drive, Springfield, VA 22159; or e-mail us. In e-mail, include the word “Tricare” in the subject line and do not attach files. Get Tricare advice anytime on our blog.