Ask the service office to confirm TAMP status
TRICARE says the uniformed service determines TAMP eligibility and records it in DEERS. You can view the recorded status through milConnect, and service personnel components can help with questions.
Ask for the last day of active-duty coverage and any confirmed TAMP dates. Do not infer TAMP eligibility from the length of a deployment alone. Terminal leave and the TAMP period are also different stages in the official guidance.
Sources: TRICARE: Transitional Assistance Management Program
Use the transition scenario that actually applies
The Reserve Select start-date page distinguishes deactivation without TAMP, the end of TAMP and entry into a reserve component after active duty. These scenarios have specific application and coverage-date rules.
Put the confirmed old-coverage end date, the requested Reserve Select start and the application deadline on one timeline. Ask the contractor to resolve a gap or uncertain date before relying on uninterrupted coverage. Joining a reserve component later can produce a different result from joining immediately.
Complete the purchase and initial payment
If qualified, members can purchase through milConnect Beneficiary Web Enrollment, the regional contractor by phone, or the Reserve Component Health Coverage Request Form, DD Form 2896-1, with the required initial premium.
Answer service-status and Federal Employees Health Benefits questions accurately. Ask which family members are included in the purchase and which contractor receives the request. Keep the completed request and payment evidence together; selecting a requested date does not replace the eligibility review.
Sources: TRICARE Reserve Select: Enrollment
Confirm the result before the next appointment
Ask the contractor to confirm processing, covered family members and the effective date. For a late request or involuntary disenrollment, use its reconsideration contact rather than assuming that a new online attempt resolves the issue.
Once the plan details are settled, give the practice the updated information through its designated process. Confirm the clinician and service separately. A Reserve Select purchase does not establish that a particular practice participates or that a previous authorization remains valid.
Sources: TRICARE Reserve Select: Enrollment; TRICARE Reserve Select: When coverage begins
Your next-step checklist
- Confirm active-duty coverage end and any TAMP status with the service record.
- Identify the correct deactivation or reserve-entry scenario.
- Write the requested start date and current submission deadline together.
- Complete the applicable enrollment route and initial premium step.
- Save processed-enrollment confirmation and recheck planned visits.
Keep personal, insurance and medical information in the appropriate organization’s approved secure channel.
Common questions
Does everyone leaving active duty receive TAMP?
No. TAMP has specific eligibility conditions, and the uniformed service determines and records eligibility. Ask the service personnel office to confirm your status and dates.
Sources: TRICARE: Transitional Assistance Management Program
Is this the same process as transferring care after a PCS?
No. This task concerns coverage after deactivation and a Reserve Select purchase. Moving an existing plan or referral to a new duty station is a separate handoff.
Sources and verification
The sources below support the administrative information in this guide. Follow the responsible organization’s current instructions when requirements, forms or contact routes change.
- TRICARE: Transitional Assistance Management Program — checked .
- TRICARE Reserve Select: When coverage begins — checked .
- TRICARE Reserve Select: Enrollment — checked .