Military Community Faces Key Health Care Enrollment Deadlines This Week

Important enrollment deadlines for health care, dental, vision, and tax-saving programs are imminent this week for members of the U.S. military community. The open season for Tricare concludes on Tuesday, December 9, at midnight Eastern time. In contrast, the Federal Benefits Open Season, which encompasses dental, vision, and flexible spending accounts, wraps up a day earlier on Monday, December 8.

Defense officials advised beneficiaries to promptly review their coverage, emphasizing that failing to meet the deadlines could postpone plan changes for a full year. “Now is the moment to take action,” officials stated, highlighting that most changes following the open season necessitate a qualifying life event.

During the Tricare open season, beneficiaries can change their plans, including switching between Tricare Prime and Tricare Select. This can be done through the online portals at tricare.mil/openseason or via the Beneficiary Web Enrollment system at milconnect.dmdc.osd.mil. All modifications will be implemented starting January 1, 2026. Individuals who are satisfied with their existing plans do not need to undergo re-enrollment.

This year's open season features a demonstration project that introduces a new Tricare Prime option in the metropolitan areas of Atlanta and Tampa. The program enables beneficiaries to consult in-network specialists without referrals, a change organizers have characterized as a “streamlined access model.”

Tricare open season is relevant for beneficiaries enrolled in or eligible for Tricare Prime, Tricare Prime Remote, the U.S. Family Health Plan, the Tricare Prime Demonstration Project, Tricare Prime Overseas, Tricare Select, or Tricare Select Overseas. This does not affect active-duty service members or individuals enrolled in Tricare for Life. 

Enrollment in Tricare for Life continues automatically for those with Medicare Parts A and B. Additionally, premium-based plans such as Tricare Reserve Select, Tricare Retired Reserve, and Tricare Young Adult are available for purchase year-round.

The Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, commonly known as DEERS, requires a review to confirm that contact and family information is up to date.

The Federal Benefits Open Season concludes at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time: December 8. Members of the military community who qualify can enroll in dental and vision coverage through the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) at benefeds.gov.

The enrollment deadline for health care and dependent care flexible spending accounts via fsafeds.gov remains the same. Service members can use these pre-tax programs to allocate up to $3,400 in 2026 toward health care expenses not covered by Tricare. Dependent care accounts allow contributions of up to $7,500 for child or dependent care expenses, depending on tax filing status.

Officials highlighted that flexible spending accounts require manual renewal and do not renew automatically. “Enrollment is required every year,” they stated.