Turning 65 with TRICARE: the enrollment checklist

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The whole transition, in order

1. Mark your Initial Enrollment Period. Your IEP runs 7 months around your 65th birthday — the 3 months before your birthday month, the month itself, and 3 after. Enrolling in the 3 months before means Part B starts the first of your birthday month, with no TRICARE gap.
2. Sign up for Parts A and B with Social Security. Apply at ssa.gov/medicare, by phone at 800-772-1213, or at a Social Security office. Already drawing Social Security? Enrollment is automatic — just don't decline Part B. TFL requires both parts.
3. Update DEERS. Confirm your information at milConnect, an ID card office, or 800-538-9552. DEERS is your TFL enrollment — Medicare reports your Part A/B dates to it, and mismatched records are the most common cause of claim hiccups.
4. Watch for your Medicare card — that's your TFL card too. There is no separate TFL card. Providers need your Medicare card plus your uniformed services ID. When both parts show on the card with effective dates, you're done.
5. Decide about your prescriptions — usually by doing nothing. Express Scripts coverage continues automatically and is creditable for Part D, so most TFL beneficiaries should not buy a Part D plan. Set up home delivery for maintenance drugs if you haven't.
6. Check your IRMAA exposure. Part B premiums rise above $202.90/month at higher incomes — military pension plus TSP withdrawals plus a working spouse can reach the brackets. If your income dropped at retirement, form SSA-44 can appeal the surcharge.

Situations that change the script

• Still working at 65 with employer coverage (20+ employees)? You can delay Part B without penalty — and TRICARE rules let active employer coverage pay first — but TFL won't begin until Part B does. When the job ends, an 8-month Special Enrollment Period opens; enroll in B then and TFL starts with it.
• Younger spouse? Each person transitions individually. A 65-year-old retiree moves to TFL while a 62-year-old spouse stays on their current TRICARE plan until their own Medicare begins.
• Medicare before 65 (disability)? TFL works the same way — once you have Parts A and B through SSDI's 24-month path, the wraparound begins.
• Missed the window? Enrolling in Part B late means the 10%-per-year lifelong penalty and waiting for the January–March General Enrollment Period — during which TRICARE coverage has a gap. If this is you, call TRICARE and Social Security now, not at the next open season.