Vance TRICARE service center closing April 1 Published Feb. 18, 2014 By 2nd Lt. Justin Nichols 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The TRICARE Service Center at the Vance Clinic is scheduled to close April 1, along with approximately 200 other service centers across the nation. As TRICARE customer service increased in the form of telephone centers and website assistance, the need for walk-in customer care has become uneconomical, said Sharron Schaefer, the TRICARE Operations and Patient Administration flight commander here. Twenty years ago the perception was that beneficiaries had to have face-to-face interaction with TRICARE representatives, however, with modern web-enabled programs technology has come full force and changed the way business is conducted, said Schaefer. The estimated cost savings for the government is about $254 million over the next five years assuming $51 million in savings per year. This change supports the Department of Defense's efforts to mitigate the rising cost of supporting 9.6 million beneficiaries. There will be no change to the contractual support of TRICARE regional contractors in relation to military hospitals and clinics. "There will still be standards as far as answering the phone and responding to online inquiries in a timely manner," said Schaefer. The only difference is how beneficiaries manage their benefits. Instead of having a walk-in TRICARE office, members can now manage their benefits at home via the TRICARE website or through a regional TRICARE customer service hotline. If beneficiaries are concerned about accessibility, Schaefer said that the traditional TRICARE Service Centers were only open while the clinics were open. Now, Team Vance members can call the TRICARE hotline or go to the website at all hours of the day making it more accessible. For more information, contact TRICARE through their website at www.tricare.mil or call Schaefer at 580-213-6343.