We’ve all been there, waiting on the phone for hours at a time, trying to get ahold of Tricare. And if you haven’t experienced that yet, count yourself LUCKY!
Whether you move because of a PCS, TDY, or a personal reason, moving your Tricare region can seem like a daunting hassle.
However, switching your region, address, and doctor online takes less than 20 minutes!
Tricare has two regions that service the US. The West region is run through Health Net Federal Services. The East region is run through Humana.
To find the region boundaries, or to find overseas information, follow this link.
Here is your step by step guide on how to change your Tricare region, address, and PCM or doctor online!
1. Log in
Log in to the MilConnect website. If you don’t have a DS login already, go to the very top of the page and follow the New User prompts.
(This will take a bit of time to confirm you are who you say you are, and to upgrade to a premium account. It’s free, just an extra security step.)
2. Go to BWE
Under the benefits tab, go to Beneficiary Web Enrollment (BWE). This will pull up Dental and Medical Enrollments, your Pharmacy coverages, and contact info for each dependent, as well as the sponsor.
(This is also where you can view your Tricare enrollment card and change your PCM without changing regions.)
3. Chose desired dependent
Click on the dependent who’s address and region need to be changed.
If there are multiple dependents moving (ie. the whole family), you only need to choose yourself, and an option will appear to pick anyone else living at the new address once completed.
4. Change the residential address
Under the contact info tab, you have the option to update the residential and mailing addresses. Update the address for each dependent/sponsor who is moving.
5. Transfer region
After inputting the new address, the system should show a warning that your address is in the other region. Follow along through this prompt to start the transfer.
If the prompt does not show up, there’s a strong chance you are not actually changing regions. You can check which region you are in here.
If you still wish to update your PCM or doctor without changing regions, simply click on change PCM located on the page from step 2. (This is the BWE tab where you can view your medical enrollments.)
6. Make the change
There will be 5 final steps when enrolling family members into a new Tricare region.
step 1: Select plan type (Prime or Select) for each dependent
*don’t know the difference? Read more here.*
step 2: Chose provider type for the first dependent (on base doctor or doctor in the local area) and the provider facility if on base
step 3: Find a PCM (Primary Care Manager) based on the type of provider and/or gender
*For adults, you’ll want a family practice doctor*
*For children under 6, make sure to sign them up with a pediatric doctor, not a family practice doctor*
step 4: do this for each dependent changing regions
step 5: confirm the changes
And now you’re done!
For how many times I’ve switched my region, by far the easiest and quickest way is to do it online.
I hope this guide was helpful, and that you feel more confident about using the online system for Tricare!
For more questions, visit the Tricare website.
