My spouse retires at the end of the month. We already met our active duty family catastrophic cap for the year. When my spouse retires, does it reset to $0 or does it carry over and count towards our retiree catastrophic cap?
It carries over and applies to the retiree catastrophic cap. See examples below:
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|
Group A |
Group B |
|---|---|---|
|
2026 Family Catastrophic Cap Rates |
Active Duty: $1,000 |
Active Duty: $1,324 |
|
Retired: $3,000 (TRICARE Prime) $4,381 (TRICARE Select) |
Retired: $4,635 |
|
|
Example 1 |
While on active duty, family met the active duty catastrophic cap ($1,000) in full. Once retired, the family enrolled in TRICARE Prime. The family has $2,000 left to meet the retiree catastrophic cap under TRICARE Prime ($3,000 - $1,000). The catastrophic cap resets back to $0 on January 1, of each year. |
While on active duty, family met the active duty catastrophic cap ($1,324) in full. Once retired, the family enrolled in TRICARE Prime. The family has $3,311 left to meet the retiree catastrophic cap ($4,635 - $1,324). |
|
Example 2 |
While on active duty, family met $300 of the $1,000 active duty catastrophic cap. Once retired, the family enrolled in TRICARE Select. The family has $4,081 left to meet the retiree catastrophic cap ($4,381 - $300). The cat cap resets back to $0 on January 1, of each year. |
While on active duty, family met $300 of the $1,324 active duty cat cap. Once retired, the family enrolled in TRICARE Select. The family has $4,335 left to meet the retiree catastrophic cap ($4,635 - $300). The catastrophic cap resets back to $0 on January 1, of each year.
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Last Updated 12/30/2025