The Pentagon is closing a loophole that made service members ineligible for healthcare for six months after retiring. Tens of thousands of troops could see an increase in coverage, Task & Purpose reported. 

The change comes after a retiring Navy Reservist, Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Gontarz, sued the Pentagon when he was deemed ineligible for Transition Assistance Management Program insurance, that kicks in for six months after long-term active-duty orders.  

While the Pentagon did not say that the suit led to the potential rule change, it will address the same loophole that Gontarz faced. Reservists and Guard members now no longer need to have proof their service was “in support of a contingency operation,” and can be reimbursed if healthcare was withheld from them in the past six years. 

Air Force photo by Shayna Hodge