DH in the States and me in Germany
So just wanted to see if any of you ladies been in our situation. I am still here in Germany because we wanted to wait for our paperwork(I need a visa because I am German) and I wanted to deliver in Germany and DH is stationed in the States. Here are some questions and maybe anyone got answers for me: Aren?t we eligible for BAH? I mean he is living in the barracks over there but I also need to pay my rent. I am currently Tricare Standard and my hospital wants me to pre pay the bill for delivery and then just claim it back.Does anyone know if I can be switched to Prime? When I move over there will the Army pay for my move?
I?ve already tried to get some answers but wasnt very successful so if anyone has been in the same situation or knows answers just dip in. TIA
Re: DH in the States and me in Germany
I'm not in that kinda situation...but my DH is in 1 state while im in another. I'm new to the military wife things but this is my experience:
I think if hes living in the barracks he cant claim BAH, even though you are married. Honestly im not sure how that works. I didnt think he could stay in the barracks if hes married- thats the way mine always explained it to me.
As for prime you can switch anytime- only problem with prime is you have to go to a military base for care- no matter where ur living. Theres also a waiting period...as in if you sign up now it may take 2 months to switch over, on which time you'd still be on standard til the switch. I was originally on prime- but since i live 2 hours away from the closet OBG military doc i switched back to standard. I havent heard anything about having to pre-pay for delivery- thats ridiculous. Tricare is just like any insurance- you have your procedure done, file a claim and if you have to pay something out of pocket THEN you pay, not before.
When you move the military SHOULD pay for it- theres a whole lot of paperwork for it. Either theyll pay up front, or youll be reimburse- which is what we're waiting on right now.
Hope that helps!
Tricare in Germany is a whole different ball game. When I was in Germany, I wasn't given the option to be on Standard - I went into the local MTF and they referred me to the local German hospital and EVERYTHING was covered. Also, in the States, if you're on Prime you don't HAVE to be seen at the MTF on base, you can petition to be seen off post or, in our case, we live off post and cannot use the MTF on post because they are full so we see off post civilian providers and don't pay a dime.
I didn't deliver in Germany so I'm not sure how that would work with Tricare paying for delivery but I would call Tricare and ask them about why you're being asked to prepay and if they can do anything to help that situation. Prenatal and delivery should be covered under global maternity and should be 100% covered even on Standard except for a very low fee for your hospital stay (I think mine was $19 a day).
Other ladies may be able to chime in with better info on this but I also think that if your husband is living in barracks, you should be able to get BAH. We've had friends that have done the same thing (he PCSd to Germany and lived in barracks while his wife and kids stayed in WA and got BAH).
My other problem is that I dont understand why Tricare says they wont switch me to Prime because I am in Germany. They told me I am not eligible for Prime because he is stationed in the States and it doesnt make much sense because we even have a post where I live. About the prepay I already called our Tricare personell and they told me that Tricare wanted it to be done this way. DH already talked to Tricare over there and they said they see if there?s anything they can do. Thanks for your answers ladies!
Have you gone into the Tricare office on post? Sometimes you end up having better luck talking to someone in person. I don't understand why they won't let you on Prime....better yet, I think what we were on was called Tricare Europe.
Sorry you're going through this - good luck getting it straightened out!
I can't help on the Tricare issue, but your husband is authorized BAH based on where his dependents are located.
In your case, that would be Germany regardless of where he is, and where he stays. He can stay in the barracks and still receive BAH.
When I was going to school and not living with DH, he had to live off post to receive BAH, and we had to pay both our rents out of it. (Barracks space was actually so precious that married guys weren't allowed to live in them at all, but if he had been able to we would not have received BAH.) The BAH was based off of where I lived since I'm the dependent. The only time he ever lived in the barracks and still got BAH, was the 30 days they gave him after coming back from a deployment to find a place off post. It sucks when you're living in two different places, but if they allowed him to live in the barracks AND gave him money for your housing as well they'd essentially be paying him double the BAH that everyone else gets and that's not fair.
I can't really help with the rest of it, sorry.
Do you still have german health insurance?
I?m German too and when we got married i still had german insurance. It was just easier that way. I could still see my doctor and didnt have to deal with Tricare.
Also, they will probably not pay your move. They didnt pay anything for me. DH left in March and I also had to wait for my visa. I went to the States in June and had to pay my own flight. Thank god i shipped all my things with him in March and stayed with my parents.
Are you on his orders?
They don't necessarily have to pay for the move just because you are on his orders. When I first got married, the only way they would pay to move my things with my husband's was if I had them all moved to his permanent residence first. I lucked out because it was only an hour's drive away, but I have known other spouses who have had to U-haul their belongings from the Southwest US all the way to her DH's home of record in Ohio. Also, if you are going to meet him at his current duty station, they won't pay to move your things in the middle. They like to assume that everything is taken care of in the initial move to the duty station, no matter how inconvenient that becomes for the family.
For Tricare, you may not be eligible for Tricare Prime, since he is stationed stateside. However, since you still have your German citizenship, that should be less of a problem. I know here in Okinawa, "local" spouses are kept on Tricare Standard, and allowed to be reimbursed for visits to their local Japanese doctors. I imagine it would be a similar situation for you in Germany. Try to call the local Tricare office on post, or if you can, visit their office to see what they say about your unique situation. They will be able to help you so much more than any of us would be able to.
There is so much miss information in this post that it blows my mind.
1. You do not have to be seen on post for care if you are on Prime. If you live more than a certain distance you can be seen my a provider that takes tricare. You can also request to been seen off post and pick an off post provider. I did this at Ft. Hood, and Ft. Huachuca. Also while my H was station overseas and we were stateside I was no where near a military inst. and still able to be on Prime and see a provider.
2. Per enrolling into Prime for the first time this meaning the first time you have ever done it. If you enroll before the 20th of the month your enrollement starts the 1st of the following month. Example if you enrolled today April 17, 2011 your benefits start May 1, 2011. If you enroll after the 20th your enrollement starts the the month after the following month. Example if you enroll on April 30, 2011 your benefits start June 1, 2011. If you are switching regions say from Tricare North to Tricare South your benefits of prime will switch over once they recieve and process your new enrollement.
3. Not always will the military move you. If she was not on the orders when he moved they will not pay to move them. Also if they have already moved his HHG back to the states they will not pay for a second move. She would be responsible for moving herself and her HHG. Now if they did not move any of his HHG and she was on his orders then she can call TMO and get a move set up.
Let's start from the top.
1. The only way to be on his orders is if you were command sponsored. He shuld have left a set of orders with you. He should have done an ILS as well which would have alleviated most if not all of your stress.
2. BAH does not apply in this situation. Before the barrcks lawyers get their panites in a twist, we utilize OHA. Much different. THAT is what your husband should be discussing.
3. Staying in Germany because you HAVE to is better than I WANT to. the Army is more likely to help for need vs want. Keep all reciepts for the visa for reimbursement. Are you getting help with getting your visa at all?
4. If you are not CS, you are not entitled to transportation at gov expense.
5. OS location is different than stateside and command sponsorship makes a huge difference with the type of care you recieve. Prime always gets seen regardless when OS. Standard...it is a little trickier.
Most people who have never experienced OS DYST do not understand that what goes on stateside is not necessarily what happens over here. If you want, you can PM me at some point and I will help you to the best of my ability. I am AD stationed in Bavaria and have some pretty good resources. Plus, there are a lot more questions that I would need answers to so that I can actually help you as each situation is different. I am senior admin and am pretty resourceful.