This Computer Matching Agreement verifies the eligibility of Military Health System (MHS) beneficiaries who are Medicare eligible to receive TRICARE Benefits.
Office of the Secretary, Department of Defense (DoD).
ACTION:
Notice of a new matching program.
SUMMARY:
This Computer Matching Agreement verifies the eligibility of Military Health System (MHS) beneficiaries who are Medicare eligible to receive TRICARE Benefits.
DATES:
Comments will be accepted on or before September 24, 2026. This proposed action will be effective the day following the end of the comment period unless comments have been received from interested members of the public that require modification and republication of the notice.
ADDRESSES:
You may submit comments, identified by docket number and title, by any of the following methods:
*
Federal Rulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
*
Mail:
Department of Defense, Office of the Director of Administration and Management, Oversight and Compliance Directorate, Regulatory Division, 4800 Mark Center Drive, Attn: Mailbox 24, Suite 05F16, Alexandria, VA 22350-1700.
Instructions:
All submissions received must include the agency name and docket number for this
Federal Register
document. The general policy for comments and other submissions from
( printed page 54854)
members of the public is to make these submissions available for public viewing on the internet at
www.regulations.gov
as they are received without change, including any personal identifiers or contact information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ms. Rahwa Keleta, Chief, Privacy and Civil Liberties Division at (703) 571-0070.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The DoD, Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) will provide the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) a list of specific data elements for all DoD eligible beneficiaries both over and under the age of 65. CMS will: (1) match the individuals provided by DMDC against the information found in CMS's “Enrollment Database (EDB)” system of records; (2) validate the identification of the individual against CMS beneficiary records based on Social Security Number (SSN) and date of birth; (3) provide the individual's Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI), Medicare enrollment status, and address in the response file to DMDC. After receipt of the response file from CMS, DMDC will update the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) with appropriate Medicare information provided in the response file. The verified identification of eligible beneficiaries and their current Medicare enrollment status is maintained in DEERS for use by the Defense Health Agency in the management of its programs.
Participating Agencies:
The Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center, and the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Purpose(s):
The purpose of this matching program is to verify the eligibility of MHS beneficiaries who are Medicare-eligible to receive TRICARE benefits.
Categories of Individuals:
The categories of individuals whose information is involved in the matching program is all eligible MHS beneficiaries both over and under the age of 65 (
e.g.,
dependent family members, legal guardians and other protectors and prior military members eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits). Data for these individuals is matched against Medicare beneficiaries assigned a CMS MBI found in CMS's Enrollment Database.
Categories of Records:
The categories of records involved in the matching program are SSN, date of birth, sex code, first name, last name, and Medicare eligibility and enrollment data. DMDC will provide CMS with a finder file for the Under and Over 65 Populations to match against information in CMS's EDB. The finder file sent from DMDC will contain SSN, date of birth, sex code, and first and last name. CMS will provide DMDC with a response file which will contain SSN, date of birth, sex code, first name, last name, and Medicare data.
System of Records:
“Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS),” DMDC 02 DoD, published in full at 87 FR 32384 (May 31, 2022). “Military Health Information System (MHIS),” EDHA 07, published at 85 FR 36190 (June 15, 2020). “Enrollment Database (EDB),” 09-70-0502, published in full at 73 FR 10249 (February 26, 2008), updated at 78 FR 23938 (April 23, 2013), 81 FR 8204 (February 18, 2016), and 83 FR 6591 (February 14, 2018).
Dated: August 20, 2026.
Aaron T. Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
www.regulations.gov
10 U.S.C. 1086(d)