JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
Effective May 1, 2012, MetLife will become the dental carrier for the TRICARE Dental Program (TDP). MetLife will begin providing dental coverage to over 2 million family members of uniformed service active duty personnel, members of the Selected Reserve and Individual Ready Reserve, their eligible family members, and Survivors.
Beneficiaries will have access to MetLife's network with over 164,000 providers, and this number continues to grow.
Additional information about the contract is available at www.tricare.mil/TDPcontract and benefit updates are available at www.tricare.mil.
Please note that the change to MetLife is for the TDP program only. The Active Duty Dental Program will still be administered by United Concordia and the Retiree Dental Program will still be administered by Delta Dental of California.
All current TDP enrollees are being notified about the transition to MetLife and will receive a welcome packet with a new TRICARE Dental Program Benefit Booklet in March 2012.
To avoid a potential break in coverage, beneficiaries should contact MetLife to reauthorize their recurring premium payments between now and April 20, 2012. If you pay premiums by automatic deduction from your military payroll account, you do not have to take any action. You can contact MetLife by:
· Calling MetLife Customer Service at 1-855-638-8371
· Completing the Credit Card/EFT Authorization at http://www.tricare.mil/TDPcontract/CreditCardEFT.pdf and mail it to MetLife at the following address:
MetLife TRICARE Dental Program
Enrollment and Billing Services
P.O. Box 14185
Lexington, KY 40512
Changes to the TDP will include enhanced dental coverage at a lower premium share than before. MetLife will distribute program information, provider network details beginning in first quarter 2012. Highlights to the benefits and enhancements are listed below:
· Coverage of posterior resin (tooth colored/white) fillings
· Increase in the annual maximum to $1,300 per enrollee (formerly this was $1,200)
· Increase in the lifetime orthodontic maximum to $1,750
· $1,200 per year for services related to dental treatment due to an accident as defined in the TDP handbook
· No cost shares for scaling and root planing (deep cleaning) for diabetics
· Coverage of an additional (3rd) cleaning for women during pregnancy
· Expansion of the survivor benefits to surviving spouse and child(ren)
If you would like to check if your dentist is already part of the MetLife network, please go to https://mybenefits.metlife.com/tricare and click "Find a Dentist" on the right and search for a DPPO provider. If the dentist is not a member, dentists can easily request an application on our website for dentists, http://www.metdental.com/. Please note, claims will continue to be processed as they are now and changes in the mailing address, claims processing, etc. will be provided in early 2012.
The TDP plan year will be from May 1, 2012 to April 30, 2013 when MetLife assumes the program.
MetLife customer service numbers and the new website for the TRICARE Dental Program are operational.
· CONUS Service Area: 1-855-638-8371
· OCONUS Service Area: 1-855-638-8372
· TDD/TTY: 1-855-638-8373
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https://mybenefits.metlife.com/tricare