When I enlisted in the US Navy, I was promised medical and dental..?

Question

Care for the rest of my life. Now, I am being denied dental care from the local military base. Do you find that a breech of contract?

I am retired from the US Navy. My original contract says free dental and medical for the rest of my life.

Answer 1

That is probably the least of the ways in which Veterans are presently getting shafted. Promises don't count any longer.

I have an Army veteran friend who has major prescription drug costs and thought the local VA hospital would make good on a promise to help him. They did not because the rules changed.

Answer 2

Depens on what you kept when you retired if you choose to just keep Tricare the you be placed at the bottom of the list and depending on if the have a opening you may not get seen. My advice would be to get Tricare Prime I live in the Hampton Roads area in Virginia and have Tricare Prime I pay $38 a mo for myself and my wife and its actually pretty good my has had major surgery once and I just had my knee operated on it very very inexpensive mine was no charge my wife was I think a couple hundred dollars. I also kept the dental plan I pay around $50 so for a whopping total of less than a$100 I get full medical and dental. I also work civil service they've lots of plans but I can tell you there way more than the $88 a month I pay. So look just roll with and thank your lucky stars that you have a pension for the rest of your life because there millions and millions of ppl who work more than 20yrs and are left out in the cold.

Answer 3

Unless you were discharged with a 100% rating for a disability or you retired you dont get free medical and dental for the rest of your life. I think there was obviously a miscommunication between you and your recruiter. There has never been a rule for that kind of service. If you currently have a medical disability which is service connected, you can be seen at a VA hospital tho. Good luck, but I would seriously read your enlistment papers again, as it will not say that anywhere.

Answer 4

In the military services a breach of contract can only be proved if the "promise" is made in writing, such as a bonus or duty station. Medical and dental coverage is offered to active duty service members and their families. The coverage does not apply to persons who have not yet left for basic training. The medical and dental coverage usually expires 90 after you complete your military contract. There are other guidelines with regards to the coverage. Medical and dental coverage for life is not granted in any contract during the initial enlistment.

Answer 5

First of all, you were not promised that. Nobody gets an unconditional promise like you are saying.

You were told you would be provided with full medical and medically required dental care plus bi-annual cleanings as long as you were active duty.

If you retired then you still get Tricare Medical for life with co-pays until you reach full retirement age and then you have to pay for dental just like everone else through an insurance plan like United Concordia. And that dental care is through a civilian dentist. Base Dental Clinics are for active duty members only.

Answer 6

being promised something and having something promised to you are too very different things, unless you have a signed contract with the dept. of the navy or DOD saying that after your enlistment even if you didnt do 20 years and retire that you would have full medical and dental then im sorry but your out of luck, retirement is the only way to get that or disabilty

Answer 7

Actually the promise of lifetime free medical and dental care after retirement, was made as late as 1991.

But that promise was broken in 1966.

Thats when the ilfated Champus program was started.

A health plan so bad, doctors refused to accept patients using it.

There were numerous Offical Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine publications that mentioned free life time medical and dental care for military retiress.

Including the offical reenlistment counciling pamplets used by all four branchs of the military, anlong with Miliarty print ads in major publications.

Below is quote from the Unifomed Service Journal, published in 1991.


Superb Health Care. Health care is provided to you and your family members while you are in the Army, and for the rest of your life if you serve a minimum of 20 years of Federal service to earn your retirement.


RPI 909.NOVEMBER 1991 U.S.G.P.O.1992 643-711

Sounds to me like a promise of life time medical care to me.

Answer 8

You only get medical and dental for life if you RETIRE, not if you just get discharged. If you finish out your contract and get out, the government's responsibility ends the day you get discharged. This isn't a new development, it has always been that way. Trust me, your contract doesn't say anything about life long free health care.

Answer 9

You only get it if you retire from the Military...not just serve....

We actually had a good Breach of Contract Argument while Billy Bob was President...when I joined the Army I was promised Medical and Dental for me and my family...Billy Bob took away our family's dental and made us start paying for insurance that didn't cover much...that was Breach of Contract...and some people want another Clinton...

Answer 10

if you read the fine print in the contract it says something to the effect that you only get free medical and dental care for the rest of your life if you as long as you are in the military or if you RETIRE (i.e., spend 20 +) years in the Military - if you get out after less than 20 years they don't owe you and won't give you squat

just read what you signed instead of remembering what the recruiter told you