Your child turns 23: TRICARE Young Adult
Regular TRICARE ends. Here’s what replaces it, and what it costs.
Dental ends too. TYA doesn’t cover dental or vision, and a child on TYA can’t stay on your FEDVIP plan.
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1. When regular TRICARE ends
Your child keeps regular TRICARE until 21. It runs to 23, or graduation if that comes first, if they’re unmarried, studying full time at an approved school, and you provide more than half their support — and only if that student status is recorded in DEERS.
TYA isn’t automatic. Your child has to enroll, paying the first two months’ premiums up front. Apply before regular TRICARE ends so there’s no gap.
2. Prime or Select
| TYA-Select | TYA-Prime | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly premium, 2026 | $363 | $794 |
| Monthly premium, 2027 | $394 | $893 |
| Doctors | Any TRICARE-authorized provider | Primary care manager, referrals for specialists |
| Other costs | Deductible and cost-shares | Prime copayments |
| Retiree’s child can use it | Anywhere | Only in a Prime Service Area |
For a healthy young adult, Select usually costs far less over a year. Prime can win for someone with a chronic condition and regular visits, if they live near a military hospital or clinic. For how TYA compares with your own retiree coverage, see TRICARE Prime, Select and For Life.
3. The dental and vision gap
TYA covers medical care and prescriptions only. And there’s a second loss most families miss:
Your FEDVIP dental and vision plan covers children to 21, or 23 for full-time students. BENEFEDS is explicit that a child enrolled in TRICARE Young Adult can’t enroll in FEDVIP. Plan on a separate dental policy for them.
More on how the program works: FEDVIP dental and vision, explained.
4. When TYA isn’t the best deal
- A job with health benefits. If your child can enroll in an employer plan through their own job, they’re not eligible for TYA at all — even if they don’t take the plan.
- The marketplace. Losing TRICARE opens a special enrollment window on HealthCare.gov. A young adult with modest income may qualify for a subsidized plan cheaper than TYA-Select.
- Marriage. Getting married ends TYA eligibility, and the new spouse’s job-based plan may be the better route.
5. CHAMPVA families
If your children are covered by CHAMPVA because you’re a permanently and totally disabled veteran, the cutoff comes sooner and there’s no young adult buy-in: CHAMPVA covers children to 18, or 23 while in school. Bills to extend CHAMPVA to 26 have been introduced in Congress but haven’t become law. Warrior Disability covers the program in depth in its CHAMPVA family health care guide.
6. Frequently asked questions
When does TRICARE end for a military retiree’s child?
Regular TRICARE ends at age 21. It continues to age 23, or graduation if sooner, for an unmarried child who is a full-time student at an approved school and receives more than half of their support from the sponsor, as long as the student status is registered in DEERS.
What does TRICARE Young Adult cost?
For 2026, TYA-Prime is $794 a month and TYA-Select is $363 a month. TRICARE has published 2027 premiums of $893 and $394. Prime has copayments; Select adds a deductible and cost-shares.
Can my child keep FEDVIP dental and vision on TRICARE Young Adult?
No. FEDVIP coverage for children ends at 21, or 23 for full-time students, and BENEFEDS says children enrolled in TRICARE Young Adult are not eligible to enroll in FEDVIP. TYA itself excludes dental and routine vision.
Who qualifies for TRICARE Young Adult?
An unmarried adult child of an eligible sponsor who is at least 21 (or 23 after full-time school) but under 26, is not eligible for an employer health plan through their own job, and is not otherwise eligible for TRICARE. Children of retirees can use TYA-Prime only in Prime Service Areas; TYA-Select is available everywhere.
Does CHAMPVA have a young adult option?
No. CHAMPVA covers children to 18, or to 23 if enrolled in school, and there is no buy-in after that. Bills to extend CHAMPVA to age 26 have been introduced but have not become law.