Health care for dependent parents

  • Published
  • By Tyler Patterson
TriWest Healthcare Alliance --  One great thing about your military health care is it not only extends along your family tree to your spouse and children, but in some cases also extends up your family tree to dependent parents and parents-in-law. 

The process to register your parents or parents-in-law as dependents varies by service branch. The best way to get started is to visit your local ID card-issuing facility and ask for help registering a dependent parent. 

After your parents' dependent status is confirmed, they will be eligible to receive a military ID card. This ID card is required for your parent to access care at a military treatment facility. 

Once you have received your ID cards, there are a few things to keep in mind when accessing care for your dependent parents: 

-- Dependent parents and parents-in-law may receive care in a military treatment facility on a space-available basis. This means that they may not be able to secure an appointment when the MTF does not have available capacity. 

-- Some MTFs offer a program that your parents may enroll in called TRICARE Plus. If the MTF offers the program and your parents can enroll in it, they will be eligible to receive primary-care services at the MTF. Note that dependent parents already enrolled in another HMO-like program cannot enroll in TRICARE Plus. 

-- Dependent parents and parents-in-law are not eligible for TRICARE outside of the MTF. Any claim submitted to TRICARE for care received outside the MTF will be denied. 

-- Because they are not eligible for TRICARE outside the MTF, any and all care received from a civilian provider will have to be covered by some other form of insurance (Medicare, for example). 

-- Dependent parents and parents-in-law can have prescriptions filled at MTF pharmacies, and may have prescriptions filled through TRICARE's other pharmacy options (such as the TRICARE Mail Order Pharmacy or TRICARE Retail Network Pharmacy) once they become entitled to Medicare and have Medicare Part B coverage. 

Remember, dependent parents and parents-in-law are not eligible for TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Standard or Extra or TRICARE For Life. 

For additional information on dependent parent coverage, visit TRICARE's Dependent Parents page or contact a TriWest representative at 1-888-TRIWEST (1-888-874-9378).