Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS); TRICARE Dental Program. Office of the Secretary, DoD. Final rule

On October 23, 2000 (65 FR 63202), the Department of Defense published a final rule on TRICARE Family Member Dental Plan. The rule had an effective date that began during the Presidential Moratium on Rules, therefore, this rule is republished to change the effective date to April 1, 2001. This rule is published exactly as previously published. No changes have been made. It revises the comprehensive CHAMPUS regulation pertaining to the Expanded Active Duty Dependents Benefit Plan, or more commonly referred to as the TRICARE Family Member Dental Plan (TFMDP). The TFMDP limited eligibility to eligible dependents of active duty members (under a call or order that does not specify a period of thirty (30) day or less). Concurrent with the timeframe of the publication of the proposed rule, the Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 (Pub. L. 106-65, sec. 711) was signed into law and its provisions have been incorporated into this final rule. The Act authorized a new plan, titled the TRICARE dental program (TDP), which allows the Secretary of Defense to offer a comprehensive premium based indemnity dental insurance coverage plan to eligible dependents of active duty members (under a call or order that does not specify a period of thirty (30) days or less), eligible dependents of members of the Selected Reserve and Individual Ready Reserve, and eligible members of the Selected Reserve and Individual Ready Reserve. The Act also struck section 1076b (Selected Reserve dental insurance), or Chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code, since the affected population and the authority for that particular dental insurance plan has been incorporated in 10 U.S.C. 1076a. Consistent with the proposed rule and the provisions of the Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000, the final rule places the responsibility for TDP enrollment and a large portion of the appeals program on the dental plan contractor; allows the dental plan contractor to bill beneficiaries for plan premiums in certain circumstances; reduces the former TFMDP enrollment period from twenty-four (24) to twelve (12) months; excludes Reserve component members ordered to active duty in support of a contingency operation from the mandatory twelve (12) month enrollment; clarifies dental plan requirements for different beneficiary populations; simplifies enrollment types and exceptions; reduces cost-shares for certain enlisted grades; adds anesthesia as a covered benefit; provides clarification on the Department-s use of the Congressional waiver for surviving dependents; incorporates legislative authority for calculating the method by which premiums may be raised and allowing premium reductions for certain enlisted grades; and reduces administrative burden by reducing redundant language, referencing language appearing in other CFR sections and removing language more appropriate to the actual contract. These improvements will provide Uniformed Service members and families with numerous quality of life benefits that will improve participation in the plan, significantly reduce enrollment errors and positively effect utilization of this important dental plan. The proposed rule was titled the --TRICARE Family Member Dental Plan.