Spouses will normally become eligible for TFL at different times because of the differences in their ages. Because a person has to be 65 or older to be eligible the elder, Medicare-eligible spouse will become eligible for TFL at age 65, while the younger spouse will remain covered by ordinary Tricare until age 65 and Medicare eligible.

Eligibility of one spouse is not affected by the death of the other. If the sponsor dies the surviving spouse still has full eligibility rights unless that spouse remarries a non-uniformed service sponsor.

By federal law Medicare may not pay for medical care received outside the United States and its possessions. When you travel or live overseas only the Tricare portion of TFL is applicable. Tricare covers its beneficiaries all the time any place in the world, but its claims are subject to the fiscal year deductible ($150 per person; $300 maximum per family) and a 25 percent cost share of the amount allowed on claims. The Medicare portion of the TFL is dormant. You may want to consider buying a short-term Tricare supplement when you travel outside the United States.

There are no plans at this time to reissue retirees' ID cards. DEERS will verify eligibility. Each TFL beneficiary has received or should have received if their DEERS registration was up-to-date a TFL information packet, including a wallet-sized card to present to health-care providers.

The card explains TFL &payment procedures and provides phone numbers the provider may use for verification of eligibility or other information. A person who is eligible or about to become eligible for TFL and who did not receive one of the information packets and the wallet card should call toll-free (888) 363-5433. Additional info is available at the Tricare web site http://www.tricare.osd.mil/tfl/. [Source: Navy Times OCT 01]

The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced the September update of the Consumer Price index [CPI]. The CPI measures the change in the prices for various goods and services such as: food; shelter, fuels and utilities; furniture; clothing; transportation; medical care; and entertainment and is used to determine the cost of living adjustment (COLA). This is applicable to various federal programs including military retired pay, survivor benefits, and veterans compensation, as well as Social Security annuities and many others. The COLA for all those programs will be 2.6 percent for most recipients, effective 1 DEC 2001 and payable in the checks that will be received on 2 JAN 2002. However, Medicare Part "B" will increase to $54 monthly so TFL cost is now in essence $648 annually.

Servicemembers who retired from active service during calendar year 2001 will receive a somewhat smaller January COLA because they were retired for only part of fiscal year 2001, which ended 30 SEP. Members who entered service before 8 SEP 1980 and who retired since 1 JAN 2001 will receive a 2.0% COLA. Members who entered service on or after 8 SEP 1980 and retired between 1 Oct 2000 and 31 Mar 2001 will receive a partial COLA based on the calendar quarter in which they retired. This is because their retired pay is calculated on their highest 36 months' basic pay rather than final basic pay. Any members who retired Oct-Dec 2000 will receive a 2.0% COLA. Those retiring in the first quarter of calendar year 2001 will receive 1.1%. Those who retired 1 April 2001 or later will not receive a COLA on December 1, since there has been no increase in inflation since the second quarter. All members who retired before 1 OCT 2001 will receive the next full-year COLA on 1 DEC 2002. Additional info on CPI calculations can be found at http://www.bls.gov.