Military Family Parents: Understand How to Access TRICARE for Your Newborn

PHOENIX (July 12, 2025) – Welcoming a new child brings excitement, and concerns, too, as parents begin a newborn’s care and nurturing.

For military family parents of newborns, the Defense Health Agency (DHA) says one of their first priorities should be registering their child in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS).

A military sponsor parent’s registration in DEERS enables their beneficiaries’ care, but newborns aren’t covered until specifically added in DEERS.

Next, a newborn’s birth date and its sponsor parent’s military status also impact its TRICARE coverage. For active duty parents, once a newborn is registered in DEERS the child is automatically covered by TRICARE, DHA says.

However, newborns of military retirees or sponsors with TRICARE Reserve Select or TRICARE Retired Reserve are not automatically covered, DHA emphasizes.

DEERS military sponsors expecting newborns should read this recent TRICARE News article to know the steps for getting TRICARE coverage for your child.