FTS/TAR medical retirement and no TRICARE

watchingpaintdry

PEB Forum Regular Member
Registered Member
Not sure if this is the right forum but hoping to get some help from anyone who’s been in a similar boat.

Issue: in the Navy, Picked up FTS (Full Time Support, now called TAR I guess) in 2021, never made it to my FTS orders as I was medically retired out of FTS via the IDES process expecting the normal TRICARE retirement plan (personal preference of TRICARE Select over Prime). This is what is reiterated to me during TAPS and every other transition product in the Navy. Retire 28JUL2023. Go to call TRICARE to update my health insurance for myself and my family and am told that TRICARE (via DEERS) is showing me as a reservist and I am only eligible for TRICARE Retired Reserve at the MONTHLY premium of $1320.76 instead of the expected ANNUAL premium of Tricare Select of $345 for the whole family. Also currently have no TRICARE at all. Now I have no desire to pay over 45 times my expected rate for health insurance. I understand FTS (now TAR) is in this weird spot where you are a reserve officer on active duty and everyone in the entire DoD enterprise thinks you can only be full active duty or a part time reservist. I've talked to a friend of mine who gave me some good gouge and I'm heading into DEERS tomorrow with my retirement orders, DD-214, MyNavy HR page on TAR/FTS, etc in order to get them to change my DEERS to say "active duty benefits" instead of reserve. Fingers crossed this works as according to TRICARE my family and I have zero health insurance now.

1. Has anyone medically retired out of FTS and have any additional gouge or things to help? Any wording I can get added to my DD-214 or is it too late?

2. For those in FTS, know this is a thing. The amount of bureaucracy is mindboggling.
 
Did you go AC2FTS, or RC2FTS?
I was active duty and went straight from there to FTS. Got selected while on deployment and after being active for 12 years and then got injured while still on deployment so never even got to an actual FTS job
 
I have known several FTS who did the DES retirement thing, and I don't think they had Tricare issues. Very weird.
 
Crisis averted. For future FTS retirees, the ID office is your friend. Preferably a Navy ID office. Tried a USMC one, no help. Got directed to IPAC (I presume the USMC version of PSD) so I went to PSD who wasn't sure so they directed to a Navy ID office where the initial person said too bad, I'm retired reserve. Second person went in, knew exactly what they were doing, separated me and brought me back in the system as a retiree, then called TRICARE 48 hours later and bam, TRICARE select. Also, it was backdated to the date of my retirement, so coverage was not gapped.

Of note, because no one ever told me, but if you medically retire, the annual premium for TRICARE Select as a retiree is waived for life. 345 extra bucks in your pocket! No one will ask, you have to bring it up to TRICARE. Thanks to TRICARE for pointing that out. That might be on this forum but I never saw it nor even looked for it. Good to know! Hopefully that'll help one future IDES/DES-er
 
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