Program Overview
The TRICARE Retiree Dental Program, or TRDP, has been the premier dental benefits plan since it was created by Congress and made available to Uniformed Services retirees and their family members on February 1, 1998. In 2000, Congress authorized enhancements to the TRDP to provide an unprecedented comprehensive scope of benefits that included major services like crowns, bridges, dentures and orthodontics. Additional services were added in fall of 2008, and eligibility for this expanded scope of benefits was extended to Uniformed Services retirees worldwide.

The information on this site will introduce you to this unique program, from the rules that determine eligibility and a description of the worldwide service area that allows you expanded access to coverage, to your options in choosing a dentist here and abroad and instructions on how to enroll in the program—all designed around a comprehensive scope of benefits to help you and your family gain and maintain good dental health, no matter where you are in the world.

The TRDP is administered by the Federal Services division of Delta Dental of California under contract with the U.S. Department of Defense. Today, this valuable program offers:

• Comprehensive coverage for the most commonly needed and sought-after dental services—including dental accidents and composite fillings on back teeth—immediately upon the coverage effective date.
• The full scope of major benefits like crowns, bridges, dentures, dental implant services and orthodontics available after only 12 months.
• Coverage for dental emergencies when traveling outside the Enhanced TRDP service area described below.
• The choice to visit any licensed dentist in the service area, or for more cost savings, to select from over 100,000 network dentist locations nationwide--and a new, expanded list of dentists for enrollees living and traveling overseas.
• Affordable monthly premiums, low deductibles, and generous maximum allowances—including a lifetime orthodontic maximum of $1,500 per person.

Service Area
The TRDP offers covered services worldwide, with benefits based on whether you are enrolled in the Enhanced TRDP or the Enhanced-Overseas TRDP. The service area for enrollees in the Enhanced TRDP includes the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Canada.  When traveling outside this service area, enrollees in the Enhanced TRDP are eligible for emergency dental services only; however, dependents of Enhanced TRDP enrollees who are full-time students studying overseas are eligible for the full scope of services, with verification of their overseas student status.

Coverage under the Enhanced-Overseas TRDP, which matches the scope of coverage described in the chart below, is available  to enrollees who reside outside the Enhanced TRDP service area noted above. Upon their enrollment in the Enhanced-Overseas Program, enrollees receive a supplemental guide with details on the provisions that apply specifically to their overseas coverage.

Eligibility
You are eligible to enroll in the TRDP if you are:

• A member of the Uniformed Services who is entitled to Uniformed Services retired pay, even if you are 65 or older.
• A member of the retired National Guard/Reserve, including those in the “gray-area” who are entitled to retired pay but will not begin receiving it until age 60.
• A current spouse of an enrolled member.
• A child of an enrolled member, up to age 21 or to age 23 if a full-time student (proof of full-time student status required), or older if disabled before losing eligibility.
• An unremarried surviving spouse or eligible child of a deceased member who died while in retired status or while on active duty.
• A Medal of Honor recipient and eligible family members, or an unremarried surviving spouse/eligible family members of a deceased recipient.
• A current spouse and/or eligible child of a non-enrolled member with documented proof the non-enrolled member is: (a) eligible to receive ongoing comprehensive dental care from the Department of Veterans Affairs; (b) enrolled in a dental plan through employment and the plan is not available to family members; or (c) unable to obtain benefits through the TRDP due to a current and enduring medical or dental condition. Written documentation supporting any of these three situations must be submitted with your enrollment application.

Former spouses and remarried surviving spouses are not eligible at this time.
 
Benefits
This chart provides an overview of coverage under the Enhanced TRICARE Retiree Dental Program.

*The percentage paid by Delta is based on the allowed amount for each procedure. While the coverage percentage is the same for all TRDP patients, total out-of-pocket costs may be higher if care is received from a non-network or overseas dentist.

Covered benefits are subject to certain limitations.. For more information on all covered services and detailed information on benefit levels, limitations, exclusions, program policies and payments for non-network and overseas dentists, please see the Enhanced Program Benefits Booklet and Enhanced-Overseas TRDP supplement.

Dentist Network
As an enrolled member of the Enhanced TRDP, you may visit any licensed dentist within the service area for treatment. To save you even more out-of-pocket expenses, Delta Dental offers a dentist network with over 100,000 locations nationwide. These network dentists have agreed to pre-negotiated fees and to submit all claims paperwork for you.

If you go to an out-of-network dentist, Delta Dental pays the same percentage of covered services but cannot guarantee the dentist’s fees. Out-of-network dentists will bill you for their normal fees, which may be higher than the program allowed amount for the service. You will be responsible for paying your copayment plus any difference between the program allowed amount and the dentist’s billed charge.

Delta Dental does not maintain a participating TRDP dentist network overseas. Enhanced-Overseas TRDP enrollees who need to locate a dentist for covered services, Enhanced TRDP enrollees traveling overseas who may find themselves in need of emergency dental treatment and dependents of Enhanced TRDP enrollees who are full-time students studying overseas can search a list of dentists and dental clinics in nearly 200 countries, provided through International SOS Assistance, Inc. (I-SOS). Enrollees may also select an overseas dentist from the Host Nation Provider List (HNPL) provided on this web site. Dentists listed with I-SOS and on the HNPL are not contracted or otherwise affiliated with Delta Dental. 

Enrollment
Enrollment in the TRDP is voluntary. Each new enrollee electing to enroll must fulfill an initial enrollment period of 12 consecutive months. After the initial 12-month period, you become eligible for the full scope of benefits offered under the Enhanced TRDP and will continue your enrollment in the program on a month-to-month basis.

There is a grace period of 30 days from your coverage effective date during which you may rescind your enrollment agreement without any further obligation, provided you have not used any program services during that time. If you do not exercise your option to rescind within the 30-day grace period, you must remain enrolled in the program for the duration of the initial 12-month period without further opportunity for voluntary disenrollment. If you are a new retiree who elects to enroll within four months after your retirement from active duty or transfer to Retired Reserve status, you are eligible for a waiver of the 12-month waiting period for the full scope of benefits. Eligibility for this waiver includes retirees of the National Guard/Reserve in the “gray area”  who are entitled to retired pay but will not actually begin receiving it until age 60. A copy of your retirement orders, confirmation of your transfer to Retired Reserve status, or Chronological History of Drill Points must be submitted with your enrollment application to verify your eligibility for this waiver. Additionally, if you are retiring soon from the Uniformed Services and wish to enroll in the TRDP with no gap in coverage, it is recommended that you do so in the month prior to your retirement date to ensure your coverage under the TRDP begins as soon as your retirement is effective.

A two-month premium prepayment in U.S. dollars is required at the time of enrollment to ensure that you and all enrolled family members can receive benefits the first day your coverage becomes effective. Once your mandatory allotment is established, any unused portion of the prepayment will be refunded to you during the first few months of your enrollment.

There are three ways to enroll in the TRDP: online, by telephone or by mail.  To avoid delays in delivering and processing mail, online or telephone enrollment is strongly recommended, especially for enrollees in the Enhanced-Overseas TRDP, Coverage will begin on the first day of the month following the acceptance of your enrollment application and a two-month premium prepayment.

Once your enrollment is processed, you will receive a welcome packet containing your program identification cards, Enhanced Program Benefits Booklet and other pertinent information by mail.  Or, you have the option of receiving access to your welcome packet materials electronically by providing your e-mail address when you enroll.
Your coverage begins the first day of the month following your enrollment, whether or not you have received your welcome packet. Once your coverage begins, your eligibility can be verified by logging on to the Consumer Toolkit^® on this web site or by calling Customer Service.

Cost
The TRDP has been designed to provide you and your family with comprehensive dental benefits at an affordable cost. Monthly premium amounts for enrollees in the Enhanced TRDP will vary depending on where you live and the number of family members you elect to enroll. Although monthly premium amounts for enrollees in the Enhanced-Overseas TRDP do not vary by region, they are based the enrollment option selected.

Premium rates will change slightly on October 1 of each benefit year. To find out your current premium rate, please use the premium search available on the web site.

Federal law mandates that monthly premiums for the TRDP be deducted automatically from Uniformed Services retired pay. If it is determined that Uniformed Services retired pay is not available or is insufficient to allow the automatic deduction, Delta Dental will notify you of your premium payment options.