Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP)

Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP) Explained

CHCBP is premium-based health coverage that bridges the gap between losing TRICARE and picking up civilian insurance. It exists for people who separate short of retirement and therefore cannot move onto a retiree TRICARE plan.

Three numbers define it:

• 60 days — the window to apply from losing TRICARE eligibility. This is the one that catches people.
• 90 days — the premium you must pay up front with the application.
• 18 months — the maximum coverage for a former service member. Spouses and children can have up to 36 months.

You apply on DD Form 2837, to Humana Military.

The benefit design mirrors TRICARE Select, so the coverage is familiar. What is not familiar is paying the full premium yourself — there is no government share, which is why comparing it against an employer plan or the marketplace is worth doing rather than assuming it is the default.

One disqualifier worth knowing: if you lost your TRICARE coverage through non-payment of premiums, you cannot buy CHCBP.

Who is eligible?

Former service members losing TRICARE eligibility, including former Guard and Reserve members whose TRICARE Reserve Select or TRICARE Retired Reserve coverage is ending.

Spouses and children can be covered, and for longer than the member — up to 36 months against the member's 18.

Certain former spouses can also qualify, with their own rules, so that is worth checking separately rather than assuming the member's terms apply.

The practical test is simply the calendar. Everything else about CHCBP is manageable; the 60 days is what decides whether it is available to you at all.

How do I apply?

• Count 60 days from your TRICARE end date and diarise it now: This is the whole ballgame.
• Have the 90-day premium ready: It is due with the application, not after approval.
• Use the current DD Form 2837: Download it fresh from TRICARE rather than reusing a saved copy.
• Send it to Humana Military: They administer CHCBP, not your former service and not the VA.
• Compare it against an employer plan first: You pay the full premium with no government share, so it is not automatically the cheapest option — but do the comparison inside the window.
• Enroll in VA health care as well: Separate system, separate eligibility, no reason to pick one.

Common questions

Learn More

• TRICARE CHCBP: eligibility, coverage length and current premiums. tricare.mil/chcbp
• TRICARE how to buy CHCBP: the form, the deadline and where to send it. tricare.mil/FAQs/General/CHCBP_How_to_Buy
• TRICARE separating from active duty: how CHCBP fits the other options. tricare.mil/LifeEvents/Separating