Veterans and military

Veterans, TRICARE and military retirees in Ohio: how Medicare fits

If you're a military retiree or a retiree's family member in Ohio, TRICARE For Life (TFL) starts automatically once you have both Medicare Part A and Part B, and you must keep Part B to stay eligible for TRICARE. VA health care is separate: it doesn't require Medicare, but VA encourages veterans to sign up at 65, because VA can't bill Medicare and Medicare pays for care outside the VA.

By the Benefits Life Editorial Team, licensed insurance agents · Reviewed November 13, 2026

Quick answers

Do I need Part B to keep TRICARE at 65?: Yes, if you're eligible for premium-free Part A and you're a retiree, a retiree's family member, a survivor or an eligible former spouse. Without Part B you lose TRICARE coverage, except for prescriptions filled at a military pharmacy.
What happens to TRICARE Prime at 65?: For retirees and their families, Prime ends and TRICARE For Life takes over automatically on the first day you have both Part A and Part B. Active duty family members can stay in Prime.
Do I need Part D with TRICARE For Life?: No. TRICARE pharmacy coverage is creditable, so you won't owe a Part D late penalty if you skip Part D. Part D is optional.
Does Medicare pay for care at a VA hospital?: No. VA can't bill Medicare, and Medicare doesn't pay for care you get from the VA. Each time you get care, you choose which benefit to use.
Who can help Ohio veterans with benefits?: Your county veterans service office (every Ohio county has one) and the Ohio Department of Veterans Services at 1-877-OHIO-VET (1-877-644-6838).

Who this guide is for

Ohio is home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, and the Ohio Department of Veterans Services says it serves about 700,000 veterans. This page covers how Medicare works with:

TRICARE For Life (TFL): military retirees, their family members, survivors and eligible former spouses who have Medicare.
VA health care: veterans enrolled with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
CHAMPVA: certain spouses, survivors and dependents of veterans.

Still on active duty, or covered by a spouse's job? See working past 65. Federal civilian retirees at Wright-Patterson or DFAS Columbus should also read FEHB and Medicare in Ohio.

How TRICARE For Life works with Medicare

TFL is Medicare-wraparound coverage. It's automatic once you have Medicare Part A and Part B, and TRICARE charges no enrollment fee for it. You keep paying your Part B premium ($202.90 a month for most people in 2026).

Your situation	Pays first	Pays next
Retired, Medicare and TFL only	Medicare	TRICARE (TFL)
You or your spouse still work and have employer group coverage	Employer plan	Medicare, then TRICARE last
Care outside the U.S. and its territories	TRICARE (Medicare doesn't pay)	You pay TRICARE's deductible and cost shares

With Original Medicare, providers bill Medicare, and Medicare sends the claim to TRICARE's TFL claims processor, so you usually don't file claims. TRICARE also pays Part B excess charges (up to 15% above the Medicare-approved amount) for TRICARE-covered services, so check what a Medigap policy would add before you buy one.

You can join a Medicare Advantage plan and keep TFL. TRICARE's TFL handbook says TFL can reimburse copayments you paid for TRICARE-covered services when you file a paper claim. Medicare Advantage plans may offer extra benefits such as dental, vision, hearing or fitness. Extra benefits vary by plan and county, may have limits and costs, and not every plan offers them. Check a plan's Summary of Benefits or Evidence of Coverage.

Why you need Part B

When you become eligible for premium-free Part A, Part B is required to stay TRICARE-eligible if you're a retired service member (including retired Guard and Reserve members drawing retired pay), a retiree's family member, a survivor, an eligible former spouse or a Medal of Honor recipient. Without Part B, TRICARE says you can only fill prescriptions at military pharmacies.

Exceptions: active duty service members and active duty family members don't need Part B to keep TRICARE while the sponsor serves, and can sign up later in a Special Enrollment Period (any time on active duty, or within 8 months after the sponsor retires or TRICARE coverage ends, whichever comes first). To avoid a break in coverage, sign up before active duty ends.
No premium-free Part A? If neither you nor your spouse qualifies for premium-free Part A, you don't need Part B to keep TRICARE. Bring Social Security's notice to an ID card office so your DEERS record is updated.
Late penalty: signing up for Part B after your Initial Enrollment Period can add 10% to your premium for each 12-month period you could have had it, for as long as you have Part B.

More on Medicare Part B and enrollment periods.

Turning 65: TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select end

TRICARE says retirees and family members who have Part A and Part B are covered by TFL and aren't eligible for other TRICARE health plans. So at 65, TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select ends for you and TFL begins the first day you have both parts.

Sign up for Part B on time. TRICARE advises enrolling no later than one month before your birth month (two months before, if your birthday is on the first) so there's no gap.
Check your DEERS record. TRICARE uses it to confirm your Medicare status.
Move family members under 65. If your spouse or children are under 65, they keep their own TRICARE plan. They can change plans within 90 days of your Medicare start date.
Review drug coverage. TRICARE pharmacy coverage continues; Part D is optional.

If you have Medicare because of a disability before 65 and also have Part B, you can stay in TRICARE Prime.

Prescriptions: military pharmacies, home delivery and Part D

TFL beneficiaries can use military pharmacies, TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery, TRICARE retail network pharmacies or non-network pharmacies. TRICARE's pharmacy handbook says military pharmacies can provide up to a 90-day supply of most drugs at no cost and that most accept prescriptions from civilian providers even if you aren't enrolled at that military hospital or clinic, but drugs that aren't on the military formulary generally aren't stocked. For certain brand-name maintenance drugs, TRICARE requires refills through home delivery or a military pharmacy.

Near Dayton, the 88th Medical Group runs the pharmacy at Wright-Patterson Medical Center. Hours, how off-base prescriptions are routed and which drugs are stocked change, so check with the 88th Medical Group at wrightpatterson.tricare.mil before you go. See can military retirees use the Wright-Patterson pharmacy?

TRICARE pharmacy coverage is creditable, so you can skip Part D without a late penalty. Some Part D plans cover drugs TFL doesn't; if you have both, the Part D plan pays first and TRICARE last. More on Part D in Ohio.

VA health care and Medicare

Medicare.gov says that if you have both, you can get treatment under either program, but Medicare and VA generally can't pay for the same service, so you choose which benefit to use each time. Medicare pays for Medicare-covered care; VA pays for VA-authorized care in a VA or non-VA facility.

VA doesn't bill Medicare. It may bill a Medigap policy for care of conditions not related to your service.
VA encourages signing up for Medicare at 65. Medicare covers you at non-VA hospitals and doctors, and VA funding or your priority group could change. If you delay Part B and need it later, you can owe a late penalty and wait for coverage.
VA drug coverage is creditable, so you can delay Part D without a penalty. If you join a Part D plan, you can't use both for the same drug at the same time.

Veterans with TFL and VA: TRICARE pays at most 20% of its allowable amount for VA care not related to your service, so TRICARE warns that you may owe the rest; Medicare providers are usually the less expensive choice for that care.

CHAMPVA

VA says that if you're eligible for Medicare, you must have Part A and Part B to get or keep CHAMPVA; a Medicare Advantage plan also meets this requirement. If you're 65 or older and don't qualify for Medicare, you send VA Social Security's notice of disallowance.

VA medical centers in Ohio

Facility	Address	Phone
Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center	10701 East Blvd., Cleveland 44106	216-791-3800
Dayton VA Medical Center	4100 W. 3rd St., Dayton 45428	937-268-6511
Chillicothe VA Medical Center	17273 State Route 104, Chillicothe 45601	740-773-1141
Cincinnati VA Medical Center	3200 Vine St., Cincinnati 45220	513-861-3100
Chalmers P. Wylie VA Ambulatory Care Center	420 N. James Rd., Columbus 43219	614-257-5200

VA also runs community clinics across Ohio; find the nearest at va.gov/find-locations. The Toledo area is served by the VA medical center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Where Ohio veterans can get help

County veterans service office: Ohio law (ORC 5901.02) gives every county a veterans service commission. Its office helps veterans, dependents and survivors file VA claims and find local help, at no charge. Examples: Montgomery County 937-225-4801, Greene County 937-562-6020, Franklin County 614-525-2500, Cuyahoga County 216-698-2600, Hamilton County 513-946-3300.
Ohio Department of Veterans Services: 1-877-OHIO-VET (1-877-644-6838), ohiovets.gov.
TRICARE and TFL: tricare.mil/tfl. VA benefits: 1-800-827-1000.
Medicare: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048). Social Security (Part B sign-up): 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).

If you're weighing Medicare Advantage or Part D alongside TFL or VA care, you can request a call from a licensed insurance agent, or meet licensed insurance agents in Ohio.

Sources

Every question in this guide

Frequently asked questions

Does VA drug coverage count as creditable coverage for Part D?

Yes. VA says its drug coverage is creditable, so you won't pay a Part D late penalty if you join a Part D plan later, as long as you don't go 63 days or more without creditable coverage.

Can I have CHAMPVA and Medicare?

Yes, but VA says that if you're eligible for Medicare, you must have Part A and Part B to get or keep CHAMPVA. A Medicare Advantage plan also meets this requirement.

Where are the VA medical centers in Ohio?

VA runs medical centers in Cleveland (Louis Stokes), Dayton, Chillicothe and Cincinnati, and the Chalmers P. Wylie Ambulatory Care Center in Columbus. The Toledo area is served by the VA medical center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Does Medicare pay for care at a VA hospital?

No. Medicare and VA generally can't pay for the same service, and VA doesn't bill Medicare. If VA authorizes care in a non-VA hospital but not every service during the stay, Medicare may pay for the Medicare-covered services VA didn't authorize.

Do Ohio National Guard and Reserve retirees get TRICARE For Life?

Yes. TRICARE says retired Guard and Reserve members who are drawing retired pay need Part B to stay TRICARE-eligible once they're eligible for premium-free Part A, and they get TFL when they have both Part A and Part B.

Do I need Part D if I have TRICARE For Life?

Usually not. TRICARE pharmacy coverage is creditable, so Part D is optional. TRICARE notes some Part D plans cover drugs TFL doesn't; if you have both, the Part D plan pays first.

Medicare in your Ohio county

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