Space-A Travel
By Capt. Bud Schneeweis, USCG-Ret., Director; Lt. Col. William A. Pierce, USA-Ret.; Cmdr. Katherine O’Neill Tracy, USNR-Ret.; and Phil Dyer, CFP Benefits Information

Has stateside Space-A travel for servicemembers’ families been extended?

Yes, the one-year test to expand Space-Available travel privileges to family members of active duty and retired servicemembers traveling within the continental United States has been extended until further notice, according to Air Mobility Command’s air transportation division officials. The extension will continue until defense officials complete their evaluation of the test. Under the Space-A test, family members can travel Space A aboard military flights when accompanied by their sponsors. The test does not apply to gray-area retirees. For additional information on Space-A travel, go to MOAA’s Web Base, www.moaa.org/benefits.

CHAMPVA Extension

Can surviving spouses who remarried still apply for CHAMPVA?

Yes, the deadline has been extended to Dec. 16, 2004, to allow more time for some remarried surviving spouses of veterans to seek health care insurance under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA). The extension applies to CHAMPVA-eligible spouses who remarry after a veteran’s death. Previously, the surviving spouse lost benefits if he or she remarried before turning 55 and before Feb. 4, 2003. Before the deadline was extended, those survivors had until Feb. 4, 2004, to apply for reinstatement of their CHAMPVA coverage.

Family members of veterans who have a permanent and total service-connected disability, who died of a service-connected condition, or who were totally disabled from a service-connected condition at the time of death are eligible for CHAMPVA. Surviving spouses who remarry at a younger age and lose their CHAMPVA benefits can have the benefits re-stored if their later marriage is annulled or ends because of death or divorce. To apply, contact the VA’s Health Administration Center at (800) 733-8387.

TRICARE Dental Program

When a military member dies on active duty, what dental benefits are authorized for surviving family members?

Surviving family members enrolled in the TRICARE Dental Program (TDP) will continue to receive TDP benefits for three years from the month following the sponsor’s death, and the government will pay 100 percent of the premium. Two conditions must be met to receive this expanded benefit: The sponsor’s active duty orders must be for a period of more than 30 days, and the family members must be enrolled in TDP at the time of the sponsor’s death.

The expanded benefit includes survivors whose family previously was enrolled in TDP but disenrolled due to transfer to a duty station where dental care was provided to the member’s eligible family members under another program. This TDP benefit also applies to enrolled family members of Selected Reserve and Individual Ready Reserve (early mobilization only) sponsors who die while in Selected Reserve and Individual Ready Reserve (early mobilization only) status, regardless of whether the sponsor was enrolled at the time of his or her death. For additional information, go to www.tricare.osd.mil.

Address Changes

My spouse and I live part of the year in one location and the rest of the year in another. Do I need to change our address, phone number, and e-mail address in the Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System (DEERS) every time we move, even though it is temporary?

Yes. The quickest way to update your address, phone number, or e-mail address is through the deers Web site. To do so, go to www.dmdc.osd.mil and click on “DoD Community.” You also can call the Defense Manpower Data Center Support Office at (800) 538-9552 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., Eastern time, Wednesday through Friday.