MOAA’s TRICARE Toolkit provides insight and tips for navigating your TRICARE benefits. Have a question or suggestion for an upcoming column? Email beninfo@moaa.org. Read other TRICARE Toolkit columns at MOAA.org/tricaretoolkit.

The children of active duty servicemembers and retirees age out of their TRICARE benefit on their 21st birthday, but they may retain coverage up to their 23rd birthday if enrolled full time at an approved school and the sponsor is providing at least 50% of the child’s financial support.

But what do you do if your child has passed those thresholds and is in need of coverage?

TRICARE Young Adult (TYA) is one option to cover eligible children that have aged out of TRICARE. Other options include using the government health care exchange or open market health care exchanges (such as
www.ehealthinsurance.com) to find and purchase a plan.

[RELATED: 2025 TRICARE Rates]

TYA is a premium-based individual health care plan available for purchase by qualified dependent children who must be:

• Enrolled in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System under an eligible sponsor
• Unmarried
• At least 21 but not yet 26 years old
• Not eligible to enroll in an employer-sponsored health plan
• Not otherwise eligible for TRICARE coverage

TYA, like TRICARE, comes in two varieties: TYA Prime and TYA Select.

[RELATED: Going Overseas With TRICARE]

TYA is not inexpensive, primarily because the program is not subsidized by DoD. The FY 2011 National Defense Authorization Act mandated that TYA premiums cover the full cost of health care received by the program’s beneficiaries. By 2016, the program had matured to the point that TRICARE had enough cost data to set annual premiums.

That is why we’ve seen premiums for TYA Prime increase 138% and TYA Select increase 48% between 2016 and 2025.

For TYA Prime, your child must reside in a prime service area or a US Family Health Plan service area and have an assigned primary care manager (PCM) through which all care must be managed. Active duty dependents may be enrolled in a military treatment facility (if space is available). Monthly premiums for TYA Prime in 2025 are $727.

For TYA Select, your child should find TRICARE network providers for all care or be subject to higher copays. A PCM is not required, although some health care needs might require prior approval. Monthly premiums for TYA Select in 2025 are $337.

[RELATED: TRICARE Updates Coverage to Include Hearing Aids for Children of Retirees]

To enroll and purchase TYA, contact the appropriate regional contractor either:

• Online: Log in to milConnect and click on “Manage health benefits.”
• Phone: Call your regional/international contractor.
• Fax or Mail: Download the TYA application (DD Form 2947) and send (with first month’s premium) to your TRICARE contractor.

TYA coverage begins on the date the completed application is received or on a date up to 90 days in the future that you specify. Once the TYA application has been processed, you will need to visit a uniformed services ID card-issuing facility to obtain a new ID card.