TRICARE Prime

TRICARE Prime is one of the plans that TRICARE offers.  All active duty servicemen's families are eligible for this plan.  There is no enrollment fee; however, a form must be completed in order for Prime to be their coverage plan.

• TRICARE PRIME ENROLLMENT FORM

One thing that should not be confused is just because you have enrolled in TRICARE Prime and it is military affiliated, it does not mean that you will be assigned a doctor on base.  TRICARE has contracted with Civilian Medical Providers called Preferred Provider Network (PPN) that you could be assigned to. 

• Your Primary Care Manager (PCM) will always see you first with your health care 
• Your PCM will provide your care
• PCM will keep and maintain your health records
• Also, if necessary your PCM will refer you to a specialist

Point-of-Service (POS) Option allows people who are enrolled in TRICARE Prime the freedom to find and recieve health care services from any TRICARE authorized civilian provider, without requesting a referral from their PCM.

• More info on POS

Advantages to choosing TRICARE Prime:

• No enrollment fee for active duty and their family
• No fee for active duty members when seeing your civilian provider
• There is no balance billing
• You are guantareed appointments with your provider
• It is guaranteed that your PCM will coordinate and supervise your care
• There is an option to have away-from-home emergency care
• Point-of-Service option

Disadvantages to choosing TRICARE Prime:

• There is an enrollment fee for retirees and their families
• Your PCM is limited
• You are only allowed to have speciality care by referral
• Not universally available

Military Spouse Medical Benefits

• There are different types of  TRICARE Plans that are designed to benefit military spouse's.  Depending on which plan you choose, it may be completely free.  This is a huge benefit that the military offers and you should definitely take advantage of it.
• TRICARE Prime is the most popular TRICARE plan.  All active duty members and their families are eligible for this without any enrollment fees.

TRICARE Plans

All current military spouses are entitiled to Free Medical Benefits through TRICARE. Most people agree that TRICARE is the most confusing benefit that is offered from the military.  As you can see, there are three different TRICARE plans and the table below will give you a short description of each and in the next few blogs I will further explain them.

Eligible Active Duty, Guard and Reserve Family Members:

	TRICARE Prime	TRICARE Extra	TRICARE Standard
Annual Deductible	None	$150/individual or $300/family for E-5 & above; $50/$100 for E-4 & below	$150/individual or $300/family for E-5 & above; $50/100 E-4 below
Annual Enrollment Fee	None	None	None
Civilian Outpatient Visit	No Cost	15% of negotiated fee	20% of allowed charges for covered service
Civilian Inpatient Admission	No Cost	Greater of $25 or $14.35/day	Greater of $25 or $14.35/day
Civilian Inpatient Behavioral Health	No Cost	Greater of $20 per day or $25 per admission	Greater of $20 per day or $25 per admission
Civilian Inpatient Skilled Nursing Facility Care	$0 per diem charge per admission	$11/day ($25 minimum) Charge per admission	$11/day ($25 minimum) Charge per admission
	No separate co-payment/cost-share for separately billed professional charges

Tuition Assistance

• Military Spouse Scholarships/Grants is a type of tuition assistance that can be very helpful because most of them do not require any payback.  This is an option that you have to qualify for based on your income, choice of study, school attending, etc.  There is a wide variety of different scholarships/grants that are intended for certain people.
• My CAA (Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts) is another type of tuition assistance that was created to help military spouse's afford to attend school.  This was created by Military One Source (this is a site that is intended for any type of military branch and they're families). 

Military Spouse Education-Scholarships and Grants

It can be a very tedious process trying to find military spouse scholarships that you are eligible for, or I know it was for me.  After doing some research, these were the ones that were helpful to me and could help you out as well. 
There are a few different ones listed here; they all have links that will direct you to further info or how to apply for these.






The National Military Family Association (NMFA) is an organization intended for military spouses that are seeking a professional certification or a graduate degree.  This particular scholarship is the Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship.

• Amounts ranging from $500-$1000
• Awarded to military spouses of Active Duty military, National Guard and Reserve, Retirees and Survivors
• These funds may be used for tuition, fees, and school room and board
• A valid Military ID card is the only thing required to apply
• A short survey and essay is required to enter
• For more info and how to apply Scholarships for Military Spouses

General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant Program is a military spouse scholarship/grant that is intended for children or dependents of Air Force members who are active duty, retired or deceased.

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  $2,000 reward
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  Must be enrolled as an undergraduate student
• 
  
  More info Scholarship Info

Strictly Military Spouse Scholarship

• 
  
  Must be a dependent of Active Duty Air Force, Air National Guard, or Air Reserves
• 
  
  Must submit most recent college transcript/ must have at least a 3.5 GPA
• 
  
  Must submit proof of acceptance in an accredited university/college
• 
  
  Must also submit two letters of recommendation and a two page double spaced essay
• 
  
  $1,000 award
• 
  
  For more scholarships that are available go to Military Spouse Scholarships

Financial Aid is one of the best options if you qualify.  The Pell Grant is one of the most popular forms of financial aid and one of the best military spouse scholarships/grants that you can get.

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  No payback is necessary
• 
  
  This program is intended to help students pay for their education for up to six years of study without any payback required
• 
  
  You must be attending school no less than half time
• 
  
  Must be working on your first undergraduate degree
• 
  
  Must be a U.S. citizen
• 
  
  Must complete the FAFSA in order to register
• 
  
  You can also ask your Financial Aid office at the school you are planning on attending
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  Funds are distributed on a "First Come, First Serve" basis so don't procrastinate!
  
  
  

Military Spouse Education-My CAA

There are many resources out there to help pay for military spouse education. Like I said earlier, I am a full-time student and for some of us it is hard trying to pay for school.  This is especially true when you never know where you might get stationed at next and how you will afford to pay for the college(s) near you.  As I have done more research, this is what I have found that will help with paying for military spouse tuition.
Military Spouse Education Benefits

• This is the MyCAA (Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts) program that provides up to $6,000 to help with military spouse education assistance
• The program was on halt; however, it is back
• Contact Military One Source for more info. (1.800.342.9647)

There are also a few specific Air Force military spouse grants and/or military spouse education tuition assistance programs that are also listed on this site.

Military One Source is a great site for military spouses and their families.  This site keeps you up to date on the latest news, services, and announcements for military spouses. If you are a military spouse and have not yet been on this site, I suggest that you go check it out!

Beginning my life-long adventure as a military spouse...

There are many of you out there and I know how proud you all must be!

Here's a little bit about us...
I'm slowly getting use to this.  Newly a military spouse as of March, 2010 and so far things are going great.  My husband has been active duty Air Force since May of 2009 and has only moved once so far.  Since the move, we have both made lots of new friends and I've continued college here.  I also have found out that there are many benefits that the military offers to spouse's including...

• Tuition Assistance
• Free Medical
• Low Dental Cost
• Discounted Travel
• Life Insurance
• Housing
• On Base Benefits

With moving from base to base its hard to budget out for health care, and for me, school so I've found out that the benefits have been very helpful to me and will continue to be.

We both know that our life, for the most part, lies in the military's hands but we're okay with that; we're ready for adventures!  Luckily, he hasn't been deployed yet, but he's been on plenty of TDY's.  I never could have imagined how different things were being with someone in the military.  I've found out one thing though...you can NEVER make plans..because the military is sure to ruin them!  We take it day by day and pray for the best!
How long have you guys been a military spouse?