BALTIMORE – Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin has commended the Department of Defense (DoD) for extending eligibility enrollment by one month -- to Sept. 1, 2002 -- so that hard to reach populations can update their eligibility to be in the DoD's TRICARE for Life health care plan.

   In March, the DoD launched a campaign to reach "hard-to-find" populations who have lost their TRICARE eligibility due to events such as divorce from a military retiree, remarriage, or death of a spouse.

   The DoD extended this enrollment period from Aug. 1 to Sept. 1 also because "nearly 17,000 beneficiaries have not responded to mailings" urging them to update their eligibility so they may use the TRICARE For Life program.

   Beneficiaries are urged to contact the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), which oversees the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). Those who need to update their eligibility should contact the nearest ID card facility for assistance. The Web site developed to help beneficiaries located the three nearest ID card facility is www.dmdc.osd.mil/rsl/. Beneficiaries also may call the DOD Benefits Reverification Telephone Center at 1-800-361-2620.

   In 2001, Rep. Cardin introduced the TRICARE Retirees Opportunity Act, which would waive the late enrollment penalty for military retirees and their dependents who sign up for Medicare Part B by Dec. 31, 2002. It also would permit year-round enrollment through 2002 so that retirees can access TRICARE immediately. Under current law, individuals who do not enroll in Medicare Part B when first eligible must pay a 10% penalty for every year they do not participate. This bill has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is pending in the U.S. Senate.

   "America's military could not have anticipated the changes that have taken place in the military health system since 1996 when DoD replaced CHAMPUS with TRICARE. They certainly could not have known that participation in TRICARE after age 65 would require Medicare Part B enrollment," said Rep. Cardin.