Enrolling Your Newborn in the US Family Health Plan
Ensure continuous coverage for your newborn from day one.
Welcoming a new baby is an exciting time! To make sure your child is covered from birth, it’s very important to understand how newborn coverage works under the US Family Health Plan at Martin’s Point—and the steps you’ll need to take within the first 90 days.
If you have questions at any point, please call a Martin’s Point US Family Health Plan representative at 1-866-659-0210.
Newborn Coverage
How coverage for newborns works
Understand Conditional Enrollment and Why It Matters |
Conditional Enrollment provides temporary coverage for your newborn under the US Family Health Plan for their first 90 days of life.
What this means:
Your baby can be covered from their date of birth—even before they are officially registered in DEERS. This allows you time to complete the Department of Defense (DoD) enrollment steps without losing coverage.
How Conditional Enrollment helps you
- Martin’s Point can begin paying claims for your baby’s covered services right away.
- Any needed authorizations for care can be approved during the first 90 days.
- It prevents any gap in coverage while you complete DEERS registration.
Baby’s Eligibility
To qualify for Conditional Enrollment, your newborn must have at least one immediate family member already enrolled in the US Family Health Plan at Martin’s Point at the time of birth. This ensures your baby can be covered immediately following delivery, without waiting for DEERS registration to be completed.
Family Enrollment Advantage
Birth is a Qualifying Life Event (QLE) for your household. It allows eligible family members to enroll (or make allowed enrollment changes) within 90 days of the newborn’s date of birth. When a parent or sibling enrolls under this birth QLE, your newborn may be conditionally enrolled at the same time, with coverage starting from the newborn’s date of birth.
Why it matters:
Conditional Enrollment gives you peace of mind knowing your newborn is protected from day one while you complete the remaining steps for full enrollment.
Next step: Once you understand how Conditional Enrollment works, continue to the next section to learn how to start the process right after your baby is born.
How to Begin Your Newborn’s Conditional Enrollment |
Congratulations on your new arrival! Once your baby is born, the first step is to begin a Conditional Enrollment. This temporary coverage starts before your newborn is officially registered in DEERS and ensures that claims and authorizations can be processed from their date of birth. To maintain continuous coverage, complete this step within 90 days of your baby’s birth.
How to Begin
Call the US Family Health Plan at Martin’s Point as soon as possible after your baby’s birth to start your conditional enrollment:
- Phone: 1-888-241-4556
- When calling, have your newborn’s Primary Care Provider (PCP) name, address, and supervising provider (if applicable) ready.
- You may also print, fill out, and mail or fax the Enrollment Form (DD Form 2876).
Next Steps
After completing your conditional enrollment, move to the next section to register your newborn in DEERS and finalize full enrollment.
Important Note: Newborns cannot be conditionally enrolled via the Beneficiary Web Enrollment (BWE) system. The system can only be used once your newborn is registered in DEERS. Using the BWE system too early may result in coverage starting from the date you complete the action, rather than from your baby’s date of birth.
Register Your Newborn in DEERS to Maintain Coverage |
After completing the conditional enrollment, your next step is to register your baby in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). This confirms your newborn’s eligibility for TRICARE coverage and must be completed within 90 days of birth to avoid any lapse in coverage.
Important: Need more time?
If you’re unable to complete DEERS registration within the 90-day window, call
1-888-241-4556 to reach Inside Sales. We’ll document your situation and guide you on next steps to help prevent a gap in coverage.
What You’ll Need
- Your baby’s birth certificate and Social Security card.
- To apply for a Social Security Number, visit the Social Security Administration website or call 1-800-772-1213.
Where to Register
- The sponsor must bring these documents to a Military ID Office for DEERS registration.
- You can also schedule an appointment online through the ID Card Office system.
Check or Update Your DEERS Information
After registration, make sure your family’s contact information in DEERS is up to date. You can review or update it using the following options:
- Online: Visit ID Card Office Online and select “My Profile.”
- Phone: Call 1-800-538-9552 (TTY/TDD: 1-866-363-2883).
- Fax: Send updates to 1-800-336-4416 (primary) or 502-335-9980 (alternate).
- Mail:
DMDC/DEERS Support Office
Attn: COA
400 Gigling Rd.
Seaside, CA 93955-6771
Source: TRICARE.mil/DEERS
Once your newborn has been successfully registered in DEERS, continue to the next step to notify Martin’s Point and complete full enrollment.
Notify Martin’s Point to Finalize Enrollment |
Once your newborn is registered in DEERS, please contact Martin’s Point right away to complete the final step of the enrollment process. This ensures there is no lapse in your baby’s coverage.
Why You Need to Call
- Verify your newborn’s DEERS registration in our system to complete full enrollment and issue your baby’s member ID card.
How to Complete Enrollment
Call 1-888-241-4556 once your baby’s DEERS registration is complete.
Important Note: Newborns cannot be conditionally enrolled through the Beneficiary Web Enrollment (BWE) system. The BWE system should only be used after your child is registered in DEERS. Using it too early may result in incorrect start dates that do not align with your baby’s date of birth.
To learn what happens after this 90-day period, visit the “After 90 Days” tab.
After 90 Days | Full Enrollment or Disenrollment |
At the end of your baby’s 90-day conditional enrollment period, coverage will continue or end depending on whether all required steps were completed.
If All Steps Are Completed
- Your newborn’s conditional enrollment automatically transitions to full enrollment once Martin’s Point verifies DEERS registration.
- Coverage continues without interruption, and a member ID card is issued.
- Claims and authorizations remain active with no gap in coverage.
If Steps Are Not Completed
- If DEERS registration or notification to Martin’s Point is not completed within 90 days of birth, your newborn will be disenrolled on Day 91.
- Claims submitted after disenrollment cannot be paid until enrollment is finalized.
- To reinstate coverage, complete DEERS registration and contact Martin’s Point to re-enroll your child. Coverage will begin based on the date the application is received and processed—not the date of birth.
Need help? Our Member Services team can assist with DEERS verification, re-enrollment, or claims questions.
Call 1-888-241-4556.
To avoid any gap in coverage, please complete all required enrollment steps and notify Martin’s Point within 90 days of your baby’s birth.
Coverage for Newly-Adopted Children
To enroll a newly adopted child, you will need to register them in DEERS first, then contact us to enroll them in the US Family Health Plan within 90 days of the date of the adoption.
Their date of enrollment will be backdated to the date of adoption.
Important note: If you’re unable to get your child’s DEERS registration or enrollment completed within the 90-day window, call our Inside Sales team at 1-888-241-4556. We’ll document your situation and provide next-step instructions to help prevent a gap in coverage.
Need help? We're here for you.
Whether you’re exploring plan options or already a US Family Health Plan member, our team is ready to help.
Prospective Members: Call us at 1-855-759-0657
Current Members: Call Member Services at 1-888-674-8734