Recent Posts
Topic: May be touchy subject for some so *CAUTION*
Hey everyone! Ok, so my husband has been deployed since August and isn't due back home until November. Well, the last few times he's called me he has been EXTREMELY "turned on". 
I'm sure that most of you have dealt with this at one time or another, so what did you do? I just don't know a whole lot of what I can do while he's over there LOL
PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks!
~*Amber*~ 
I'm sure that most of you have dealt with this at one time or another, so what did you do? I just don't know a whole lot of what I can do while he's over there LOL
PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks!
~*Amber*~ 
Topic: RE: New/want to learn about lap band
Tricare will cover lap band but only if you find a doctor at a MTF that does the procedure. Officially, they do not cover if but I know of people who have had it done and Tricare for it because it was done at a MTF. If you go with a different surgery type then you don't have to go through that but for the lap band you do.
Raven
Topic: RE: New/want to learn about lap band
Krissy,
Isn't there some out-of-pocket expenses with Standard though? With Prime you can choose your PCM too, just call them up and as long as the dr is in network, they'll switch you. But yeah, still have to do the referral stuff.
I guess if you don't go to the dr alot, and you need to pick your own Dr out of network, Standard would do the job. But for me, with 3 kids, it seems like I'm going to the Dr. monthly if not bi-monthly. And I found a great PCM. (And luckily the surgeon I chose happened to be in-network) So I'll take having to wait the < 24hrs for a referral approval to save a couple hundred $$. Prime works excellent for my family's situation.
It is always great to have options!!
Thanks,
Andi
Topic: RE: New/want to learn about lap band
Actually, my DH is Active duty as well (Navy) and In Iraq as well. I am 4 hours from a MTF (Colorado Springs... Air Force Academy) and I can see any Dr. I want and Dont have to have a referral and still have the same coverage really. I like being able to choose who I get to go see... 
Krissy
Krissy Topic: RE: New/want to learn about lap band
Maybe it is because my DH is active duty, but I have Tricare Prime and I live in Oregon (he is currently in Iraq) about 3.5 hrs from the closest MTF (up in Fort Lewis). I'm assigned a civilian PCM and had to have a referral for the surgeon.
I guess maybe reserves/national guard it is different, automatically going to Tricare Standard?
Thanks for clarifying!
Andi
Topic: RE: New/want to learn about lap band
Actually, if you dont live near a post, they wont assign you a PCM at all. If you dont live near a post then you aren't eligible for Tricare Prime so you will have Tricare Standard and if you have standard they dont assign a PCM it's your choice. You can go to any PCM you want, you also dont need a referral to a Surgeon, you can choose as long as they accept tricare.
Just wanted to clear that up since I'm 100 percent sure of that since I'm going through it since I live in Colorado 4 hours away from any military Post.
Krissy
Topic: RE: hello
Hey Shel, My best advice is to just try and go through it with the doc that accepts Prime. I know that it seems like it will take a long time, but maybe talk to them about speeding it up... The problem is that its at an MTF and as most of us know... the Military doesn't really feel the need to speed things up when it comes to paperwork, etc. Are there any other MTF's near you? Best case Scenerio... it takes 9 months (if you get all of the things on your end done quickly it may move even faster, then just pester them about it... keep on them and follow through) and you have the surgery in say Feb or March... well thats before your May/October deadline that you were talking about leaving in. So I would say that the best route is to do everything that you can to try and get it done quickly.
If you have any other questions you can ask me, or any of the other wives in here cuz they all seem to be pretty good sources of information.
Krissy
Topic: RE: DEERS?
Once you get married your sponsor (husband) will put you into DEERS and this will determine your life for the rest of your career as a military Wife... LOL. Just make sure your hubby know that once you get married and you are in there... that he updates it Constantly. Right now I'm on Tricare STANDARD because my retarded husband didn't update his deers when he went out to sea... But once you get Enrolled in DEERS you will get your Dependant ID card (DONT LOSE IT) and it gives you benefits like Discount at the Exchanges whether it be Base Exchange, Naval Exchange, Doesn't matter... and other things... but you will have to be in DEERS to be Enrolled in TriCare after that, you should be good to go. By the way, if your Hubby doesn't go with you to get it... make sure he fills out the application and gives you the ORIGINAL (they wont take copies) of the Application otherwise... You WONT get it... My hubby was overseas and His Personell Officer E-mailed it to me... yeah, No go... drove 10 hours (5 there, 5 back) to get it and No luck. It was a big mess. They aren't always helpful at the MPF!!!
Krissy
Topic: RE: DEERS?
DEERS stands for Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System. Basically DEERS records and keeps track of the service members family's benefits (including Tricare). When a new dependant comes along (marriage or new born, etc) the service person reports this to DEERS, so they can get the benefits for being a military dependant.
Hope that helps a bit! 
Most Active
Recent Topics
Metropolitan Height Weight scale - what end of range does Tricare look for?
lissachelle · 0 replies · 742 views
lissachelle · 0 replies · 742 views