TRICARE Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP)

Joe Wallace & Michelle Nati

The Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP) is a temporary option for those who have lost their TRICARE eligibility. It’s a transitional healthcare window to ensure you and your loved ones have health coverage while you’re considering a civilian medical plan.

If you were using a TRICARE plan in the list below, your plan must have been purchased and in place at least one day before you lost eligibility:

• TRICARE Reserve Select 
• TRICARE Retired Reserve
• TRICARE Young Adult

TRICARE Continued Health Care Benefit Program

A military branch or Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) representative will reach out to inform you when you become eligible. Once you are cleared to join, you have a 60-day window from the time you qualify to buy into the plan.

To get your coverage started, you need to send a package to Humana Military that includes a finished DD Form 2837 enrollment application and your full premium payment for the first 90 days of coverage. If you are separating from service, you also need to include your DD Form 214.

There are additional requirements for certain situations:

• Divorced Spouses: If you are a former spouse who hasn’t remarried, you must provide a copy of the legal paperwork for your divorce, annulment, or dissolution.
• Aging Out of TYA: Children moving out of TYA must provide a copy of their military ID.
• Marriage: If a child loses their TRICARE coverage after getting married, they must include their marriage license with the application and ensure DEERS is updated to reflect the change.

Once Humana Military confirms your eligibility, they’ll mail your enrollment card to you. Your coverage doesn’t just start the day they process the paperwork; it is backdated to the very first day you lost your prior TRICARE eligibility. Additionally, if you regain TRICARE and then lose it again, you can repurchase CHCBP at that time.

Send your application and documents to:

Humana Military
(Attn: CHCBP)
PO Box 740072
Louisville, KY 40201-7472

Eligibility

Former Active Duty Service Members and Families

If a service member gets discharged or released under non-punitive conditions, they and their family members may qualify. To be eligible, they must have been entitled to a military health plan before separation, and their family must also enroll in a family plan. Once their TAMP benefits expire, and they are not otherwise eligible for TRICARE, they can transition to CHCBP once for up to 18 months.

Reserve Members

Select Reserve and Retired Reserve members, and their families, also have an 18-month eligibility window that begins after active duty service, TAMP, or TRICARE Reserve Select or Retired Reserve coverage ends. Reserve members must enroll in a family plan for dependent coverage.

Unremarried Former Spouses

A former spouse may qualify if they were covered as a dependent under TRICARE or TAMP on the day before their divorce or annulment became final. This is applicable if they don’t already qualify for TRICARE through other means. Coverage lasts up to 36 months, though some former spouses who remain unmarried until age 55 may be eligible for unlimited coverage.

Dependent Children

Children (including adoptees or those in the legal custody of a service member) can also qualify for up to 36 months of coverage when they no longer meet the requirements to be considered a dependent or were registered under a plan like TRICARE, TAMP, or TRICARE Young Adult (TYA) on the day before the date they lost their dependent status. 

Children between 21 and 25 may consider TRICARE Young Adult (TYA) first, as it may offer better options and can extend the time they are eligible for CHCBP later.

Payment Structure

Coverage is purchased in 90-day segments, and you must stay on top of quarterly premiums. Beyond the premiums, you are responsible for yearly deductibles and cost-shares. Costs are subject to annual adjustments, and rates depend on the service member’s status at enrollment and the type of doctor seen.

Managing Your Care and Finding Providers

When covered under CHCBP, you cannot use military hospitals or clinics except for emergencies. You’ll need to seek care from TRICARE-authorized providers:

• Network Providers accept TRICARE’s payment in full (minus your share) and will file your claims for you.
• Non-Network Participating Providers accept TRICARE‘s payment in full (minus any cost-shares and your deductible) and file your claims on a case-by-case basis.
• Non-Network Nonparticipating Providers may require payment in full upfront. They can charge up to 15 percent more than the TRICARE-allowable rate, and you are responsible for filing the claim yourself for reimbursement.

How to File a Claim

Within the U.S. and its territories, you have one year from the date of service to file. For overseas care, you have three years. To file, complete DD Form 2642 (Patient’s Request for Medical Payment). 

Attach a copy of your CHCBP ID card and the provider’s bill, your Social Security Number (former spouses use their own), the provider’s name and address, the date/place of service, a description of the treatment, the total charge, and a diagnosis.

General Claims

PO Box 202146,
Florence, SC 29502-2146

Prescription Claims

Express Scripts
ATTN: CHCBP Pharmacy Claims
PO Box 52132
Phoenix, AZ 85072

Renewals and Refunds

You receive notice 30 days before your current coverage expires. If your payment is postmarked more than 30 days after your coverage ends, your benefits will terminate. Refunds are issued only if you lose eligibility (prorated) or if Humana Military receives a written request before your start date.