Dental benefits for the retiree
Dental benefits for the military retirees are available through the federal employee’s dental and vision insurance program (FEDVIP), offered by the office of personal management. There are commonly
Two types of insurance, one is the FEDVIP and the other is TRICARE. This allowance of insurance is also for the retiree’s dependent under certain conditions. Now, coming to FEDVIP, It is nothing but a voluntary enrollee-pay insurance program. FEDVIP is sponsored by the U.S office of personal management (OPM). This allows the eligible participants a choice between ten dental insurance companies. There is a choice of carriers coming under this plan:
AETNA DENTAL,DELTA DENTAL,DOMINION DENTAL,EMBLEM HEALTH,FEP BLUE DENTAL,GEHA,HUMANA,MET LIFE,TRIPLE-S . These insurance plans can be availed throughout the world unless they go out of the desired conditions.
Who can avail of services offered by FEDVIP?
*Those who are aged 65 and above and those who get the military retirement pay.
*Those who are included in certain other sectors of militants such as retired guard
*un-remarried spouse
*current spouse of a retired member
*eligible child of a member who died in the service
*eligible immediate family member
*child of a deceased member who is disabled
TRICARE military dental plans
TRICARE is a government-run program. TRICARE provides dental benefits to retired armed forces personnel and their dependents. This is a part of the U.S Department of Defense military health system. Currently, there are three types of military dental plans which is available through the TRICARE
*TRICARE active duty dental plan-this is basically for active duty service members.
*TRICARE dental program-for family members, of militants on active duty
*TRICARE retired dental plan – for the retired militants and their personnel(TRDP)
TRICARE Retiree Dental Program(TRDP)
TRDP is provided by a different provider called DELTA DENTAL. DELTA has signed this contract since 2012.
Under this scheme, retirees can avail of the services either in the united states or internationally.
The dental treatments being covered in TRDP
*include the complete denture prosthesis, removable dental prosthesis, partial denture prosthesis
*includes implant treatments, of certain materials like zirconia.
*orthodontic treatment which includes space closures, and braces.
*accident cases like Ellis fractures, anterior teeth restorations.
*trauma cases, which includes emergency cases.
Who are eligible for TRDP?
Retirees can avail of the service of TRDP, spouses and children up to the age of 21 years or it can extend to 23 years if they are full-time students. Members have to sign in within 4 months of retiring their services to skip the one-year waiting period that usually comes within certain major treatment procedures.
Which dentist to visit? In the case of the TRICARE dental plan
DELTA DENTAL claims that if you visit a dentist within TRDP, you can save twenty-two percent of the charges. Now the statistics say that majority of dental accidents and diagnostic and preventive treatments are paid for by the delta insurance plans. Almost three-quarters of basic fillings and emergency pain treatment and sixty percent of root canal treatment, periodontal treatment, and extractions are provided by the delta insurance plan. In the case of the major procedures however, the rates decrease to fifty percent. Major treatments include crowns, Onlays, bridges, dentures, implants, and orthodontics.
Coverage Of FEDVIP
In the case of coverage FEDVIP, one can join or change your FEDVIP dental coverage only during certain months of the year usually it starts from mid-November to mid-December every year. In certain cases, you can get an allowance in case of certain life events such as marriage, loss or other dental coverage, the birth of a child, death, or moving to other places .your child will get under the insurance for up to twenty-two years of age. Now, if you die your family member can avail the insurance and continue their coverage.
Average Cost Of Retired Military Dental Insurance
The FEDVIP marketplace gives you several discounts on dental insurance. Expect to pay between dollar ten and dollar fifteen a month for an individual plan and dollars thirty and forty a month for an individual plan and family plan respectively.
The above article gives an idea of various kinds of insurance plans which can be availed by the retired militants. FEDVIP, TRICARE, DELTA DENTAL INSURANCE. It is up to the retiree to choose among them depending on the availability of their nearest dental clinic. Health insurances cover almost cost of the healthcare and it is becoming increasingly important these days since there is an increase in the cost of treatment.
