Separation Day: The ETS Cliff

TLDR

The day you separate, regular TRICARE ends for you and your family unless another category catches you — plan as if the cliff is the date on your orders.
A 180-day premium-free bridge, the Transitional Assistance Management Program (TAMP), exists, but only for listed categories — involuntary separations and several specific doors — and plain voluntary Expiration of Term of Service (ETS) alone is NOT one of them, though agreeing to join the Selected Reserve is.
The paid bridge is the Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP): up to 18 months at calendar year 2026 (CY2026) $2,103 a quarter individual / $5,339 family, bought inside a short window — 60 days for most, 30 if what you lost was TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS).

The day coverage ends

Ordinary active-duty TRICARE eligibility ends with separation, unless another eligibility category applies. Eligibility ends when you separate. Separation or loss of eligibility is a TRICARE Qualifying Life Event with a 90-day enrollment-change period; exact windows and effective dates are plan-specific.

The 180-day bridge: who actually gets TAMP

TAMP provides 180 days of transitional TRICARE for qualifying categories of separating members and eligible family members (10 United States Code (USC) 1145). TAMP's 180 days begin ON the date of separation (10 USC 1145(a)(4)). During TAMP, coverage is processed at active-duty-family-member cost-sharing levels even though the member is neither active duty nor a retiree.

The seven doors

The seven §1145(a)(2) TAMP categories are:

(a) Involuntary separation.
(b) Qualifying Reserve-component separation after 12304b or 101(a)(13)(B) active duty over 30 days.
(c) Involuntary retention under 12305 (stop-loss).
(d) Qualifying voluntary agreement to remain on contingency active duty for less than one year.
(e) Sole-survivorship discharge.
(f) Separation conditioned on joining the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve.
(g) Qualifying National Guard duty over 30 days under 502(f) responding to a federally supported national emergency.

Plain ETS? Read this twice

Ordinary voluntary ETS, standing alone, does NOT qualify for TAMP. However, an ETS member who agrees to become a Selected Reserve member under §1145(a)(2)(F) DOES qualify.

The paid bridge: CHCBP

CHCBP is administered by Humana Military; it is a separate continuation-coverage program, NOT a TRICARE health plan. CHCBP duration for former active-duty/Reserve members is generally up to 18 months. Duration for dependent spouses/children and qualifying former spouses is up to 36 months, and certain former spouses may qualify for more. CHCBP purchase windows are category-specific: generally within 60 days after losing regular TRICARE eligibility or TAMP, but within 30 days after losing TRS. CHCBP CY2026 premiums are $2,103/quarter for an individual and $5,339/quarter for a family.

Dental ends too

Active-duty dental eligibility ends with separation, unless another category applies; TAMP can preserve specified dental benefits for qualifying separations. The one-time Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) dental benefit requires all of the following conditions: the veteran must be a Persian Gulf War-era veteran, have 90+ days of active duty, apply for VA health care within 180 days of discharge/release, have a discharge under conditions other than dishonorable, and the veteran must not have received a complete dental examination and all appropriate treatment before separation.

The traps

Assuming coverage fades gradually — it ends when you separate.
Assuming every separation earns TAMP — ordinary voluntary ETS, standing alone, does NOT qualify.
ETS-ing without knowing the Selected Reserve door — an ETS member who agrees to become a Selected Reserve member DOES qualify for TAMP.
Missing the CHCBP window — generally within 60 days, but within 30 days after losing TRS.
Assuming CHCBP duration is the same for everyone — it is generally 18 months for former members, and up to 36 months for dependents and former spouses.
Assuming CHCBP is TRICARE — it is a separate Humana program costing CY2026 $2,103/quarter individual or $5,339/quarter family.
Letting the VA one-time dental 180 days lapse.
Missing the 90-day Qualifying Life Event enrollment-change period.

Where to go

Your transition office / TAPS — your separation category and TAMP determination.
The Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS)/identification (ID) card office — what your record shows.
The TRICARE contractor — Qualifying Life Event (QLE) changes and CHCBP purchase.
VA — the one-time dental benefit and health-care enrollment.