United States Uniformed Services Identification and Privilege Card -Dependents of: active-duty Service members of the regular components; Reserve component Service members on active duty for more than 30 days; retirees; Medal of Honor recipients; former members in receipt of retired pay; Transitional Health Care Members (TAMP); 100% Disabled American Veterans (DAV); and Ship's Officers and Crewmembers of NOAA Vessels.
DEERS registration is essential for your family to be eligible for TRICARE and other benefits.
What Is DEERS
DEERS is a computerized database of military sponsors, families and others worldwide who are entitled for TRICARE and other benefits. Active-duty and retired service members are automatically registered in DEERS, but you must register your family members and make sure all the information is correct to ensure TRICARE coverage.
Verifying and Updating DEERS
You can verify your DEERS information by contacting your regional TRICARE managed care support contractor, your local TRICARE service center or the nearest personnel office (ID card facility). Sponsors or registered family members can make address changes, but only the sponsor can add or delete family members, and documentation is required. To update your DEERS information:
- Visit your personnel office or contact the Defense Manpower Data Center Support Office at 800-538-9552. You can find your nearest personnel office at: http://www.dmdc.osd.mil/rsl/.
- Visit the DEERS website at https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/bwe/indexAction.do.
- Go online to TRICARE to update your information: http://www.tricare.mil/DEERS .
Things to Keep in Mind:
- Each family member's eligibility record must be updated separately when changes occur.
- Any changes that impact you or your family (e.g., marriage, birth, divorce, death) need to be reported to DEERS so that eligibility can start or stop.
- If you are active duty and re-enlist, separate, retire, or move, make sure your information gets updated in DEERS as soon as possible. If you do not, you and your family might experience a break in eligibility, which means a break in health care coverage.
- As soon as you re-enlist, take your reenlistment paper to your personnel office or ID card facility so your information can be updated instead of waiting for it to clear the chain-of-command.
- Once you retire, you need to make sure DEERS reflects your change from active duty to retiree status.
Note: If you or your family were previously TRICARE Prime under your active duty status, you need to re-enroll in TRICARE Prime under your retiree status. Contact the regional managed care support contractor (MCSC) in your retirement location to find out if TRICARE Prime is offered in your retirement area ZIP code.
- It is important to update your and your family's home addresses because TRICARE Program information will be sent to that address.
- Retail network pharmacies check TRICARE eligibility through DEERS. Your prescriptions will be filled only if you are in the system.
- If you have a child that is over age 21 and a full-time student, you need to enter their student status into DEERS so that TRICARE eligibility remains.
- If you or a family member is Medicare-eligible, entitled to Part A and enrolled in Part B, DEERS must be updated to reflect Medicare Part A and B status to retain TRICARE coverage. When you turn 65, the medical section of your military ID card may also need to be updated.
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Related Topics
BenefitsTRICARETo ensure enrollment in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS), and provide Common Access Cards (CAC) and/or Official Identification Cards to Soldiers, Family Members, Retirees as well as Civilian and Contract Employees working on Fort Meade. Please be advised that the Fort Meade CAC/ID Card Section is an issuing facility and has no authority to change any record that has already been verified in the RAPIDS system.
Contact Information
Location: Max J. Beilke, Bldg / Human Resources Center
Bldg. 2234 Huber Road Fort Mead, MD 20755
Official Mailing Address:
ATTN: ID Cared Section
Bldg. 2234, Huber Rd. Room 110
Fort Meade, MD 20755
Telephone: (301) 677-3342
DSN: 622-3342
Appointment Hours of Operation
- Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Closed last Wednesday of each month from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Note: Once 10 minutes has elapsed from scheduled appointment time, the customer will be added to walk-in list so that regularly scheduled appointments will not be delayed.
Walk-in Hours of Operation
- Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Note: Last Wednesday of each month closed 7:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., open at 12:30 p.m.
- Note: There will be limited service between 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. daily.
- Note: Common Access Cards (CAC) are not issued after 2 p.m.
- Note: Military in uniform by them self-have priority from 7:30 - 8:30 a.m.
- Note: All documents must be original or original court certified copy.
- A/O Fall 2016, children 18 years and older must provide two forms of ID, Primary must be a photo ID.
- The ID card facility is closed all Federal Holidays and last Wednesday of each month from 7:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m
- Issue Identification Cards and enroll family members in DEERS.
ID Card Requirements
Click here for more details.
Additional Resources
- Dependents ID Card Self Service (DD-1172-2 Application)
Reference
- Air Force Instruction 36-3026_IP 17 June 2009
- By order of the secretaries of the Air Force, the Army, the Navy, the Marine Corps, Homeland Security, Commerce, Health and Human Services
- Army Regulation 600-8-14; BUPERS Instruction 1750.10c; Marine Corps Order 5512.11d; Commandant Instruction M5512.1a; NOAA Corps Directives, Chapter 1, Part 5; Commissioned Corps Manual 29.2; Instructions 1 and 2 17 June 2009 Personnel Identification Cards for Members of the Uniformed Services, Their Eligible Family Members, and Other Eligible Personnel