JULY 9, 2025 – Welcoming a new baby to your family is an exciting milestone. Your baby’s health is probably one of your top priorities, so you may be wondering how to get TRICARE coverage for your child.
The first thing you should do is register your child in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System.
“Your child can’t have a TRICARE plan until you’ve added them to DEERS,” said Cristina Flores, health systems specialist for Healthcare Operations at the Defense Health Agency.
Your child’s date of birth and their sponsor’s status affect what you should do next.
“Children of active duty service members will be automatically enrolled in a TRICARE plan once they’re registered in DEERS,” Flores said. “But enrollment isn’t automatic for children whose sponsors are retirees or have TRICARE Reserve Select or TRICARE Retired Reserve.”
Keep reading to make sure you know the important next steps and deadlines for getting TRICARE coverage for your child.
Q: When do I need to add my child to DEERS for them to get TRICARE coverage?
A: This depends on where your child was born:
- In the U.S.: You have 90 days from your child’s date of birth to add them to DEERS.
- Overseas (including U.S. territories): You have 120 days from your child’s date of birth to add them to DEERS.
Q: How do I add my child to DEERS?
A: Your child’s sponsor will need to visit a Uniformed Services ID card office to complete the registration. (If both parents are service members, choose one to be the child’s sponsor in DEERS.)
Bring your child’s official birth certificate or SF-240 Consular Report of Birth Abroad.
You don’t need to wait for your child to receive a Social Security number to start the registration process. But you do need to update your child’s DEERS record when your child is assigned a Social Security number.
Go to milConnect to learn more about adding a newborn to DEERS.
Q: What do I need to do after my child is in DEERS?
A: The next step depends on your child’s sponsor’s status.
If your child’s sponsor is an active duty service member:
- Your child will be automatically enrolled in a TRICARE plan after you add them to DEERS. Where your child lives determines whether they’ll have TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Select, or TRICARE Select Overseas.
- Contact your regional contractor to confirm your child’s enrollment in a plan.
- You have 90 days from the automatic enrollment date to change to a different plan. Use the Plan Finder to see what other plans your child might be eligible for.
If your child’s sponsor is a retiree:
- Your child won’t be automatically enrolled in a plan after you add them to DEERS.
- In the U.S., you must enroll your child in a TRICARE plan within 90 days of your child’s birth so that their coverage effective date is their date of birth.
- Overseas (including U.S. territories), you must enroll your child in TRICARE Select Overseas within 120 days of your child’s birth so that their coverage effective date is their date of birth.
If your child’s sponsor has TRICARE Reserve Select or TRICARE Retired Reserve:
- Your child won’t be automatically added to your plan after you add them to DEERS.
- In the U.S., add your child to TRS or TRR within 90 days of your child’s birth so that their coverage effective date is their date of birth.
- Overseas (including U.S. territories), add your child to TRS or TRR within 120 days of your child’s birth so that their coverage effective date is their date of birth.
Q: Can my other family members change their TRICARE plan?
A: Having a baby is a TRICARE Qualifying Life Event. A QLE for one family member creates a chance for all eligible family members to change their TRICARE health plan within 90 days of the QLE date, as noted in the TRICARE Qualifying Life Events Fact Sheet. (This doesn’t apply to TRS or TRR.)
Q: What happens if I don’t add my child to DEERS or enroll them in a plan by the deadline?
A: If you don’t add your child to DEERS, they won’t be eligible for DOD’s military or civilian health care coverage.
If your child’s sponsor is on active duty or retired, TRICARE won’t pay on any claims starting when your child is 91 days old (121 days old overseas). If your child’s sponsor has TRS or TRR, TRICARE won’t pay on any claims starting on day 1.
You can still add your child to DEERS after the deadline. However, the sponsor’s status determines:
- If and when your child can enroll in a TRICARE plan
- Your child’s coverage effective date and if TRICARE will reprocess any denied claims
Go to Getting TRICARE for Your Child to learn about these scenarios.
Once your child has a TRICARE plan, make sure you take advantage of TRICARE-covered services to keep your child healthy. TRICARE covers well-child care from birth through age 5. This includes routine services, like newborn care, immunizations, and more. You can also learn more about how TRICARE covers breast pumps, supplies, and breastfeeding counseling.
Courtesy Story
Defense Health Agency