New to Fort Bragg: Setting Up Your PCM After a PCS | ProviderQuoHealth

When you arrive at Fort Bragg on PCS orders, the first health-care task is updating your address and personal information in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) through milConnect. This is not optional -- your TRICARE enrollment changes are tied to the date your address update takes effect in DEERS.

Once DEERS reflects your new duty station, you have 90 days to make plan and PCM changes. The 90-day window is set by your address change date in DEERS, not by your report date or the date of your orders. Update DEERS as soon as you arrive so the clock starts in your favor.

You can update DEERS and manage most enrollment tasks through milConnect at milconnect.dmdc.osd.mil. For technical support with milConnect, DMDC's Support Center is available at 800-477-8227.

In the TRICARE East Region (which covers all of North Carolina, including Fort Bragg), Humana Military administers enrollment. After updating DEERS, contact Humana Military at 800-444-5445 to enroll in a plan or change your region, plan, and PCM.

You can also change your PCM online through Beneficiary Web Enrollment (BWE) in milConnect. After you submit the change, wait six days, or until you receive confirmation from TRICARE East, before getting care from the new provider.

If you don't select a PCM, Humana Military will assign one for you. If you prefer a specific family medicine or internal medicine provider, it is worth choosing actively rather than accepting the automatic assignment.

When enrolling or re-enrolling at a new duty station, you will generally choose between TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select (active-duty service members are typically enrolled in Prime automatically; this section applies mainly to family members and retirees making their own enrollment choices).

TRICARE Prime assigns a PCM and requires referrals for most specialist visits. Costs are generally lower, but you have less flexibility in choosing providers. TRICARE Select lets you see any TRICARE-authorized provider without a referral for most visits, but costs more when you use out-of-network or specialty care.

The best choice depends on your family's care patterns: if you see specialists often and want flexibility, Select may be worth the higher cost-shares. If your family's needs are primarily routine, Prime's lower costs and coordinated care model often work well. Your regional contractor can walk through the specifics with you.

If you had active specialist referrals at your previous duty station, you don't have to start from scratch. The Defense Health Agency's August 2025 guidance on the Prime referral process describes the ability to transfer active referrals when moving to a new TRICARE region.

To make the transfer work smoothly, contact your previous regional contractor before you leave. Request that any active referrals be transferred. After you arrive and update DEERS, enroll in Humana Military's beneficiary portal so the new region has your information. Keep in mind that your specialty referral in your new location may be assigned to Womack Army Medical Center first if Womack can provide that care.

Your TRICARE coverage continues during your move -- do not disenroll from your current plan before you relocate. Coverage stays active, so if you or a family member needs care during the PCS transition, you remain covered under your existing plan.

Once you have your new PCM confirmed (and your confirmation letter or message received), wait for that confirmation before scheduling care with the new provider. Receiving care before your PCM change is confirmed can result in point-of-service costs.