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Do Military Retirees Qualify for Free TSA PreCheck?

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Have you heard of TSA PreCheck? This is a program that the Transportation Security Administration offers for a fee to allow expedited security clearance at airports around the country. Any U.S. citizen can apply for it and pay $85 for a 5-year program membership.

When applying for the TSA PreCheck program, applicants pay the $85 fee, fill out an application online and then have to travel to an enrollment center for an interview, background check and finger printing. It takes a lot of time to do all that, especially if you don’t live near one of their enrollment centers. TSA PreCheck can be worth the hassle if you fly often and want to avoid standing in long security lines.

All active duty service members are granted TSA PreCheck and don’t have to go through that process. In fact, all they need to do is enter their DoD ID number in the known traveler number (KTN) field and their boarding pass will have the TSA Pre✓® mark on it.

Retirees do not have this same benefit though.

Why are active duty service members granted TSA PreCheck but retirees are not?

Their fingerprints are already on file and background checks have been made for many. If a service member flies using their DoD ID number in March for example and then retires a month later, they lose their TSA PreCheck membership but nothing has happened to make the person less credible. Shouldn’t they be grandfathered in?

Does TSA consider a service member trustworthy while on active duty but not once they retire?

What could have changed that makes TSA no longer offer them the same free membership?

Of course TSA PreCheck is a privilege, not a right, but it’s hard to understand why TSA chooses to take away the benefit when the member retires.

Money is a reason that comes to mind. That $85 membership fee is only supposed to cover background checks and administrative costs though. The background checks are contracted out however. There are no discounts available for retirees or for anyone at all.

If TSA isn’t willing to give military retirees free membership, shouldn’t they consider providing a discount?

I’m not the first person to question this.

In 2016 Rep. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey urged TSA to lower the membership fee for all veterans if they weren’t willing to exempt them from it. TSA started the PreCheck program in October 2011. All of this time has gone by and still there is no answer.

Some veterans groups are asking TSA to “do the right thing.” These groups include: Wounded Warriors Family Support, the American Legion, Marine Corps League, Non Commissioned Officers Association, Retired Military Officers Association and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Hopefully together they will be able to influence TSA into providing some sort of exemption for retirees.

It seems like a lot of fuss over something small, but if you travel a lot being able to go past the long security lines can be extremely helpful. There are over 5 million members in this program and that says something about its usefulness.

It works too. In February 2018 93% of members said that they waited less than 5 minutes to get through security at the airport. That’s a lot of time and frustration saved.

Have you paid for TSA PreCheck? Why did you do it? Was it worth the money?

Will Tricare’s Changes Impact Military Retirees?

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By now the cat is out of the bag and you’ve probably heard and maybe even read about all of the changes to Tricare coverage for active duty personnel starting in 2018.

But what about the changes to plans offered to military retirees?

Much like the changes for Tricare Prime and Tricare Select (formerly known as Tricare Standard and Tricare Extra), the changes depend on the plan you use.

Yes, there are changes and increases to fees, and yes, there are also some increases in coverage for certain types of care.

The good news is that 2018 will be a transition year for the permanent changes and just as in years past, retirees will be able to switch plans as they wish. However, starting in 2018 for coverage beginning in 2019, Tricare for Retirees and Tricare for Life will see enrollment periods opening once per year and any changes to plan enrollment will need to take place during the open-enrollment period from the middle of November to the middle of December.

Will Tricare's Changes Impact Military Retirees?

Will you be impacted by Tricare changes this year? What’s changing for your health insurance plan?

Changes in Prescription Fees

All beneficiaries will see a change in prescription fees starting in February 2018. A 30-day supply of name brand drugs will run retirees $28, while generics will cost $11. Ninety-day supplies via home delivery will be $24 for name brand and $7 for generics. There will continue to be no co-pay for prescriptions filled at military treatment facilities for eligible plans. Non-formulary co-pays will be $53 for both 30-day retail in-network filled and home delivery.

Changes to the Retiree Dental Plan

The current Retiree Dental Plan will be retired in December 2018. The plan will be replaced with the same plan currently offered to federal employees and more information about the plan and any additional changes will be put out later this year.

Changes to Tricare Retirees – Select

All retirees using Tricare were notified late last year about the enrollment requirement. Enrollment is required in order to continue care. Current Tricare Retirees-Standard (now called Select) will see out-of-network fees charged for any care received without enrollment, so if you use this plan and haven’t already enrolled, take the time to do so. It will save you money if you end up needing care this year.

In addition, Tricare Retirees-Select will continue to see no enrollment fees until 2021. After that an annual enrollment fee will be charged, similar to the Tricare Retirees-Prime fees already in place. These annual enrollment fees will be due in January 2021.

Medical retirees and survivors of service members killed in action using Tricare Retirees-Select however, will be exempt from the fee.

Other changes include upping the the catastrophic cap for retirees using the Standard plan staring in 2021 from the current $3,000 to $3,500.

For Select users starting in January 2018, in-network primary care visits will cost $35 and in-network specialty care will cost $45 per visit. In-network emergency room visits will run $116 per visit and urgent care $35 per visit.

Changes to Tricare Retirees – Prime

Tricare Retirees-Prime will continue to see much of the same coverage currently offered. Annual enrollment rates will see annual increases equal to COLA rates. Enrollment dates and fees will move from October to January starting in 2018.

For any point-of-service visits outside of a military treatment facility, retirees using Prime will pay $20 for in-network primary care and $30 for in-network specialty care. In-network emergency room visits will cost $60 and urgent care, $30.

Changes to Tricare for Life

Retirees using Tricare for Life will see almost no changes to their current coverage. The current $150 (single rate) and $300 (family rate) will remain the same for costs not picked up by Medicare.

Additionally, the catastrophic cap will remain the same. The only change Tricare for Life users will see is a change in the reset date for deductibles and cap. Instead of October, the plan will reset in January just like all of the other Tricare plans starting in 2018.

Tricare has done a pretty decent job of notifying its beneficiaries of the changes and more information about changes to specific plans can be found on their website.

Now that you know how military retirees will be impacted by major changes from Tricare, what other questions do you have?