TRICARE For Life

TRICARE For Life Electronic Claims Submission
WPS administers the TRICARE For Life program. We are pleased to announce that your TRICARE For Life claims may now be submitted electronically. While most TRICARE For Life claims are electronically crossed from Medicare, some are not – including situations such as the beneficiary having a Medicare Advantage Plan. We also understand that provider's practice management systems/software require claim submission in certain situations (i.e. if claim payments are not received within a certain number of days etc.). When these situations occur, WPS encourages you to take advantage of the benefits of electronic claim submission.

If you are a new clearinghouse/billing service or currently submit your TRICARE West Region claims electronically, please complete the TRICARE for Life Billing Service/Clearinghouse Contractor Agreement (PDF). You will be required to submit a test file of claims that are applicable to your practice (i.e., office visits, x-rays, lab work), so we can ensure your future production claims will process in an efficient manner.

If you are a provider that is new to WPS, or that currently submits TRICARE West Region claims electronically, you should complete a TRICARE For Life Provider agreement (PDF) to enroll for electronic claim submission.

If you are a non-Medicare certified provider, you can now submit your claims electronically throughout online Internet claim entry application available at www.tricare4u.com.

TRICARE for Life Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) is now available for TRICARE for Life providers. EFT replaces the paper checks you currently receive for TRICARE for Life claim payments. This process allows your payment to be deposited directly into your checking or savings account, and eliminates the delay or inconsistencies you may encounter with mail procedures.

EFT payments are typically deposited into your specified bank account two business days following TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) budget approval. Electronic Funds Transfer payments have a different number sequence than your current paper checks.

The number of EFT transactions initiated by WPS is dependent on the number of bank accounts to which your office requires EFT payments to be posted. If you currently use more than one legacy provider number or NPI there will be more than one EFT transaction per day.

Your Electronic Remittance Advice will be your office’s notification of the payment that is posted to your accounts. Notification of your payment into your accounts will come from your bank. Contact your bank for their notification procedures.

If you wish to begin using EFT it will be necessary to complete an EFT Authorization Form with WPS. Once the completed agreement form is received, WPS will complete the pre-note process with your bank to ensure a problem-free conversion to EFT for your office. WPS encourages your office to take advantage of the benefits that EFT offers.

Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA)
Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA) is an electronic version of your Explanation of Benefits and allows you the ability to automatically post your accounts, minimizing data entry by eliminating your manual posting procedures.

When you choose to receive Electronic Remittance Advice or ERA, your files will be sent to you in the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) X12 835 format, version 4010A1, and can be downloaded from the WPS Bulletin Board System (BBS), or through our secured Internet site.

To enroll, please download and complete the Electronic Remittance Advice (PDF) document.