Who can change plans
Open season is the one window each year to enroll in TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select, or to switch between them, when nothing else in your eligibility has changed. Prime assigns a primary care manager and uses referrals. Select uses the civilian network, with deductibles and cost-shares, and does not require a primary care manager.
| Who | What to do |
|---|---|
| Active duty | Stay on Prime. This window does not apply. |
| Active duty family | Switch Prime or Select by December 8, or leave the plan as it is. Dental is a separate program. |
| Retiree and family | Same health-plan dates. Compare Group A and Group B fees. Dental is FEDVIP. |
| TRICARE For Life | Open season does not apply. You need Medicare Part A and Part B. |
| Reserve Select, Retired Reserve, Young Adult | Open season does not apply. Those plans have their own enrollment rules. |
Group A is a sponsor who entered service before January 1, 2018. Group B entered on or after that date. Retiree enrollment fees differ. Active duty families do not pay a Prime enrollment fee. Read the 2027 costs at tricare.mil/changes before you switch to chase a copay from last year.
Dental and vision use different calendars
TRICARE Dental Program is for active duty families and for Guard or Reserve members who are not on active duty. You enroll in milConnect any month. It is a 12-month minimum. On TRICARE's chart, an enrollment verified November 21 through December 20 starts January 1. Verified after December 20, it starts February 1.
FEDVIP is the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program. Retirees, retiree families, and many survivors use it for dental. Vision FEDVIP requires enrollment in a TRICARE health plan. Dental coverage does not replace that health enrollment.
TRICARE health closes December 8, 2026. The Federal Register notice sets military FEDVIP at November 9 through December 7, 2026. Some TRICARE pages also mention December 14, which is the civilian benefits deadline. Finish dental and vision by December 7, then confirm the enrollment button on BENEFEDS that day.
A January PCS is a second chance, not a reason to wait
A qualifying life event can reopen enrollment later. A PCS, retirement, marriage, or birth often qualifies. FEDVIP events are not always the same list as TRICARE events. If you already know the plan you want on January 1, enroll in this window. Transfer the primary care manager, referrals, and prescriptions when you actually move. Use TRICARE during a PCS for that half. EFMP families should pair it with EFMP PCS planning.
Update DEERS first. A stale address can put Prime in the old region and send the bill to a house you no longer rent.
What to do this week
- See who uses this window. Open season is for TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select, including USFHP where it is offered. Active duty, TRICARE For Life, Reserve Select, Retired Reserve, and Young Adult do not use it.
- Compare 2027 costs. Read enrollment fees and copays for your group on tricare.mil/changes before you switch. Retiree costs follow the retiree COLA.
- Update DEERS. Fix your residential address, email, and family members in DEERS before you enroll.
- Submit by the early deadline. Finish Prime or Select by December 8, 2026. Finish military FEDVIP dental or vision by December 7, 2026, and confirm the cutoff on BENEFEDS.
Rules: TRICARE Open Season and the September 18, 2026 Federal Register notice.
