Suspend FEHB for TRICARE?
Or CHAMPVA: filing and return.
Suspend, never cancel. Cancelling is permanent.
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1. Who can suspend
Retirees, survivor annuitants and former spouses can suspend FEHB to use TRICARE (including TRICARE For Life), CHAMPVA, Medicare Advantage or Medicaid. Suspending stops your premiums and keeps your right to come back.
Employees can’t suspend. People on workers’ compensation ask their OWCP office, not OPM. Having Medicare alone is not a reason OPM accepts. For the Medicare Advantage version, see suspending FEHB for Medicare Advantage.
2. Should you?
Keeping both means FEHB pays first (after Medicare, if you have it) and TRICARE or CHAMPVA pays last, so you pay very little out of pocket. Suspending saves the FEHB premium, which rises 10.9% on average for 2027. That’s the trade.
- TRICARE For Life requires Medicare Part A and Part B. Medicare pays first and TRICARE pays last.
- CHAMPVA is for the spouse or child of a veteran rated permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected condition, and for the survivor of a veteran who died from one or was so rated at death, or of a service member who died in the line of duty. You can’t be eligible for TRICARE. Anyone in it who can get Medicare must have Part A and Part B.
- Your family loses FEHB too, because suspension stops the whole enrollment. Each person needs their own TRICARE or CHAMPVA first.
Comparing the premium you’d save? Use Warrior Insure’s FEHB premium estimator. More on TRICARE: TRICARE For Life and FEHB.
3. How to file
- Get Form RI 79-9, the November 2025 edition. Call OPM at 1-888-767-6738. Older editions aren’t accepted.
- Check “suspend,” pick the date you want, and sign and date it. OPM won’t process it unsigned.
- Attach proof. TRICARE: a copy of your military ID card, plus your Medicare card showing Part A and Part B if you’re 65 or older. CHAMPVA: a copy of your CHAMPVA card.
- Fax it to 202-606-1640, or mail it to OPM Retirement Eligibility and Services, 1900 E Street NW, Room 2416, Washington, DC 20415-0001.
When it starts: under the rule, on the date you chose if OPM gets your paperwork within 31 days before or after that date. Otherwise it starts with the first pay period after OPM receives it. OPM can’t change the date once it’s processed, so confirm it on the phone.
4. Getting FEHB back
- By choice: re-enroll in any plan during Open Season. Coverage starts in January. This year’s runs November 9 to December 14, 2026.
- If you lose TRICARE or CHAMPVA through no choice of your own: re-enroll from 31 days before to 60 days after it ends. Send proof of the end date. Coverage starts the day after the old coverage ends. Miss that window and you wait for Open Season.
There’s no waiting period and no pre-existing condition limit when you come back.
5. Mistakes to avoid
- Cancelling instead of suspending. A retiree who cancels generally can never re-enroll.
- Dropping Part B. TRICARE For Life and CHAMPVA both require it once you’re eligible for Medicare.
- Forgetting your family. They lose FEHB on the same day you do.
Veteran yourself? Warrior Disability’s calculator adds up VA disability, Social Security and your annuity. Still working? Federal Warrior’s FERS pension estimator projects the annuity you’d take FEHB into retirement with.
6. Frequently asked questions
Can I suspend FEHB to use TRICARE or CHAMPVA?
Yes, if you are a federal annuitant, survivor annuitant or former spouse. Suspending stops your FEHB premiums but keeps your right to come back. Employees can’t suspend; they can only cancel.
What form do I use to suspend FEHB?
Form RI 79-9, Health Benefits Cancellation/Suspension Confirmation, November 2025 edition. Call OPM at 1-888-767-6738 for it. Fax it to 202-606-1640 or mail it to OPM Retirement Eligibility and Services, 1900 E Street NW, Room 2416, Washington, DC 20415-0001, with a copy of your military ID card or CHAMPVA card.
How do I get FEHB back after suspending it?
Two ways. You can re-enroll in any plan during Open Season, with coverage starting in January. Or, if you lose TRICARE or CHAMPVA through no choice of your own, you can re-enroll from 31 days before to 60 days after the coverage ends, with proof of the end date.
Is suspending FEHB the same as cancelling?
No. A retiree who cancels FEHB generally can never get it back. Suspending keeps the right to return. On the OPM form, be sure you are suspending, not cancelling.
Does my family lose FEHB if I suspend?
Yes. Suspension stops the whole enrollment, so everyone on it loses FEHB coverage. Each family member needs their own TRICARE or CHAMPVA coverage first.
Do I need Medicare Part B for TRICARE For Life or CHAMPVA?
Yes. TRICARE For Life requires Medicare Part A and Part B. CHAMPVA requires both for anyone eligible for Medicare. Medicare pays first, and TRICARE or CHAMPVA pays after it.
Confirm dates and documents with OPM before you file. Not legal advice.