Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS); TRICARE Dental Program

On October 23, 2000 (65 FR 63202), the Department of Defense published a final rule on TRICARE Family Member Dental Plan. The rule had an effective date that began during the Presidential Moratium on Rules, therefore, this rule is republished to change the effective date to April 1, 2001. This rule is published exactly as previously published. No changes have been made. It revises the comprehensive CHAMPUS regulation pertaining to the Expanded Active Duty Dependents Benefit Plan, or more commonly referred to as the TRICARE Family Member Dental Plan (TFMDP). The TFMDP limited eligibility to eligible dependents of active duty members (under a call or order that does not specify a period of thirty (30) day or less). Concurrent with the timeframe of the publication of the proposed rule, the Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 (Pub. L. 106-65, sec. 711) was signed into law and its provisions have been incorporated into this final rule. The Act authorized a new plan, titled the TRICARE dental program (TDP), which allows the Secretary of Defense to offer a comprehensive premium based indemnity dental insurance coverage plan to eligible dependents of active duty members (under a call or order that does not specify a period of thirty (30) days or less), eligible dependents of members of the Selected Reserve and Individual Ready Reserve, and eligible members of the Selected Reserve and Individual Ready Reserve. The Act also struck section 1076b (Selected Reserve dental insurance), or Chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code, since the affected population and the authority for that particular dental insurance plan has been incorporated in 10 U.S.C. 1076a. Consistent with the proposed rule and the provisions of the Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000, the final rule places the responsibility for TDP enrollment and a large portion of the appeals program on the dental plan contractor; allows the dental plan contractor to bill beneficiaries for plan premium