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Updated April, 2007
TDP Dental Coverage
Active duty Family members, National Guard, Reserve service members and their eligible Family members may enroll in the TDP. If a National Guard and Reserve sponsor is activated, Family members will enjoy reduced monthly premiums while their sponsor is on active duty, as they are considered "active duty Family members" or "ADFMs" during that time. Family member enrollment is not dependent on the sponsor's enrollment so Family members can enroll in the TDP at any time. All sponsors must have at least 12 months remaining on their service commitment at the time they or their Families enroll. Eligibility is based on the service member's military personnel information in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). The Uniformed Services personnel office reports the information to DEERS. Active duty personnel are not eligible for the TDP. They receive dental care from military dental treatment facilities. Reservists who are ordered to active duty for a period of more than 30 consecutive days have the same dental coverage as active duty service members, consequently they will not be able to enroll in the TDP. For more information about dental benefits for reservists and their Families please see www.tricare.osd.mil/reserve/dental.cfm. Former spouses, parents, parents-in-law, disabled veterans, foreign military personnel, and Uniformed Services retirees and their Families are not eligible for the TDP. Enrollment United Concordia, the TDP contract administrator, handles enrollment. Beneficiaries may call United Concordia at 1-888-622-2256 to enroll or change their application. Members must send their enrollment application to United Concordia no later than the 20th day of the month for coverage to begin on the first day of the next month. If United Concordia receives the application after the 20th day of the month, coverage may not begin until the first day of the second month. Incorrect eligibility information in DEERS will cause applications to be denied. Enrollment options, including online enrollment, are available at www.TRICAREdentalprogram.com. Once enrolled, members must stay in the TDP for at least 12 months (with certain exceptions, such as loss of DEERS eligibility because of divorce, marriage of a child, etc.). After 12 months, enrollment continues on a month-to-month basis. The sponsor must contact United Concordia to disenroll from the TDP. The 12-month enrollment commitment is waived for Families of eligible Guard and Reservists called to active duty for certain contingency operations if they apply for TDP within 30 days of entry into active duty. The first month's premium, found on the enrollment form, is due upon enrollment. After the first month, members must pay monthly premiums through payroll allotment or, in some cases, United Concordia may bill the member directly. Costs to the Enrollee Beginning February 1, 2007, costs for TDP are as follows:
Allowance for Posterior (Back Teeth) Fillings Under the TDP program, basic restorative procedures and fillings have a cost-share of 20 percent for the member with the contractor paying the remaining 80 percent when getting care from a TDP network provider. The most common materials used for fillings are amalgam (silver) and composite resin (tooth-colored). Under the TDP, silver is the covered benefit for back teeth fillings. If the member chooses tooth-color for back teeth fillings, the member must pay the difference between the cost of silver fillings and the cost of tooth-colored fillings. Tooth-colored fillings are covered for front teeth only. For example, a Family member needs a filling on a back tooth and the dentist places a silver filling at the allowable reimbursement rate of $100. Under the TDP, the contractor pays 80 percent or $80 cost-share and the member pays a 20 percent cost or $20 cost-share. If the dentist places a tooth colored filling on a back tooth at the member's request and bills $140, the contractor still pays only $80 (the 80 percent cost-share for a silver filling). The member now pays $60 (the $20 cost for the silver filling and the additional $40 difference in billed charges). According to the American Dental Association, both silver and tooth-colored materials are safe and effective options for filling back teeth. Silver fillings are affordable and durable with a long history of safe and effective use, while the tooth-colored fillings offer a more natural appearance, but at an increased cost. Members should discuss filling materials with their dentist. If a TDP network provider does not offer both filling materials, United Concordia will help locate other local participating dentists who provide both. TDP Survivor Benefit When a military sponsor dies while on active duty or on active National Guard and Reserve orders for a period of more than 30 days, surviving Family members enrolled in the TDP will continue to receive TDP benefits for three years from the month following the sponsor's death. The government pays 100 percent of the premium for three years from the month following the sponsor's death; however, Family members are still responsible for any applicable cost-shares. This TDP survivor benefit also applies to enrolled Family members of Selected Reserve (National Guard and Reserve) and the IRR (special mobilization only), regardless of whether the sponsor was on active duty orders or enrolled in the TDP at the time of his/her death. The requirement to be enrolled in the TDP at the time of the sponsor's death is waived in certain limited circumstances where the surviving Family was previously enrolled in the TDP but disenrolled due to transfer to a duty station where dental care was provided to the member's eligible Family members under a program other than the TDP. This requirement to be enrolled is also waived for children under the age of 4 who were not enrolled at the time of the member's death. United Concordia will notify survivors of their TDP disenrollment and the terms of the TDP survivor benefit. United Concordia will re-enroll the Family members under the TDP survivor benefit and will bill the government for 100 percent of the premium. Contractual lock-in and lock-out provisions do not apply to the TDP survivor benefit. Prior to disenrollment, the contractor will notify the Family members. Once the three year TDP survivor benefit ends, Family members may be eligible for the TRDP, administered by Delta Dental. For more information, visit www.trdp.org. Beneficiaries may access the TDP online at www.TRICAREdentalprogram.com, or by calling toll-free 1-800-866-8499, 24 hours a day. Members residing outside the continental United States should dial their country code followed by 888-418-0466 (toll-free). This number is available in the following countries: Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom. From all other locations, members should call 1-717-975-5017. Representatives are available to help members in English, German, Italian, Spanish, Korean and Japanese 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday.
See also: Source: The TRICARE Dental Program
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| Sponsored by the Army National Guard, and the Office of the Chief, Army Reserve. Copyright 2008 |
The TRICARE Dental Program (TDP) is a voluntary, high quality, cost-effective dental care plan for eligible Family members of all active duty uniformed services personnel and National Guard/Reserve members and/or their Families. Retirees and their eligible Family members may enroll in the TRICARE Retiree Dental Program (TRDP), which is a premium-based program (see