Editor’s Note: This article is part of MOAA’s 2025-26 TRICARE Guide, brought to you by MOAA Insurance Plans, administered by Association Member Benefits Advisors (AMBA). A version of the guide appeared in the November 2025 issue of Military Officer magazine. 

Are you satisfied with your current dental and vision plans? Just because you’ve been enrolled in a plan for years doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do an annual coverage review.

[RELATED: 2026 FEDVIP Premiums Announced]

Since 2019, most military retirees and survivors and their family members have been eligible for dental and/or vision plan coverage through the Federal Employee Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP).

Use the FEDVIP open season to review your dental/vision plans to ensure they meet your needs. Open season for 2025 is Nov. 10 to Dec. 8. The open season is generally from the second Monday in November until the second Monday in December.

If you make no changes during the open season or after a qualifying life event, you “roll over” with the same plan, with updated premiums, on Jan 1.

In 2025, choices include seven nationwide/international and five regional dental plans, plus five nationwide/international vision plans.

[LEARN MORE: BENEFEDS.gov]

The key to these choices depends upon plans the dentist or optometrist accepts. Here are some potential questions to ask and factors to consider for beneficiaries each year:

• Is your current plan providing you and your family with the necessary coverage?
• The plan you originally selected is no longer “in network” for your dentist. Does your dentist accept a different FEDVIP plan so you will no longer pay higher “out of network” copays?
• Are you “over” or “under” insured?
• You selected the “high” vision plan for the higher allowance for frames/lens. You no longer feel the need for that higher allowance and can switch from a “high” to a “standard” plan to lower your monthly premiums.
• Do the programmed premium increases for your current plan make another plan more palatable?

[MORE FROM MOAA’S TRICARE GUIDE: Who to Call With Questions]

Prior to each open season, the Office of Personnel Management announces the “average” premium increases for its FEDVIP plans. The average dental premium increase for 2025 was stated as 2.97%, but one plan was to increase 7.1%. Is another plan with similar coverage — one that your dentist accepts — more cost effective?

Visit BENEFEDS.gov for more information on FEDVIP eligibility or premiums, or call (877) 888-FEDS (3337).