Chapter 35 (Dependents’ Educational Assistance - DEA)

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The Dependents’ Educational Assistance program provides education benefits for the eligible spouse and dependent children (includes step and adopted) of a Veteran or Servicemember who meets one of the following criteria:

  • Servicemember died in the line of duty;

  • Servicemember is currently missing in action or captured in the line of duty for more than 90 days.

  • Veteran is Permanently and Totally (P&T) disabled from service-connected conditions; or

  • Veteran died as the result of a service-connected disability/complications.

Eligibility Requirements for Dependent Children and Spouses

The following requirements apply to children and spouses who meet AT LEAST 1 of the following criteria:

  • The basis* that made the child/spouse eligible for DEA benefits is on or after August 1, 2023;

  • Turned 18 on or after August 1, 2023, or

  • Completed high school/obtained a GED on or after August 1, 2023.

*The date of the basis is date of the Rating Decision notification letter awarding DEA (NOT the Effective date of the award of DEA or the date of the rating decision itself) or date child/spouse became a dependent; whichever is later. (July 25, 2023: Procedural Advisory)

IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • For those who meet this eligibility, the benefit does NOT expire!

  • Children who are married ARE eligible.

  • Children who use DEA are PERMANENTLY REMOVED as Dependents off the Veteran’s disability compensation.

    • The exception to this are children who are incapable of self-support. (M21 VII.ii.1.B.2.a.)

    • Children do REMAIN eligible for CHAMPVA (as appropriate).

  • Spouses are NOT removed from the Veteran’s disability compensation when they use DEA.

  • Spouses divorced from their Veteran spouse will immediately lose eligibility.

  • If the Veteran/Servicemember dies and the former spouse remarries, they’ll no longer be eligible for the DEA benefits UNLESS:

    • New marriage was on or after January 1, 2004, and you were at least 57 years old, or

    • New marriage ends due to death or divorce.

  • Till August 1, 2026, children (18 or older) who attend an Approved high school can use DEA benefits for up to 5 months. (PL 117-328)

    • The 5 months do NOT count towards the DEA benefit limits.

    • The child’s high school campus counselor or College and Career Facilitator generally acts as the School's Certifying Official (SCO).

    • For a high school to be approved, the high school must request approval from the State Approving Agency of their state. Which is not generally a quick process meaning - if they are not already approved by now they likely won’t be before the program expires.

Eligibility Requirements for Dependent Spouses (Historical)

The following requirements apply to spouses who meet ALL of the following criteria:

  • The basis* that made the spouse eligible for DEA benefits happened to the Veteran or Servicemember BEFORE August 1, 2023;

  • Turned 18 BEFORE August 1, 2023; and

  • Completed high school BEFORE August 1, 2023.

*The date of the basis is date of the rating decision notification letter awarding DEA (NOT the effective date of the award of DEA or the date of the rating decision itself) or date child/spouse became a dependent; whichever is later.

If you are a spouse, benefits generally end 10 years from the date VA finds you eligible or from the date of death of the Veteran due to a service-connected condition.

However, if you are a surviving spouse of a Servicemember who died on active duty OR the Veteran was rated permanently and totally disabled, with an effective date that’s within 3 years after their discharge from Active Duty; your benefits end 20 years from the date of death/effective date of Permanent and Total.

NOTES:

  • If you remarry before age 57 your eligibility ends on the date of remarriage (in the case of death of a Servicemember).

  • If you divorce the Veteran your benefits end on the date of divorce.

Eligibility Requirements for Dependent Children (Historical)

The following requirements apply to children who meet ALL of the following criteria:

  • The event that made the child eligible for DEA benefits happened to the Veteran or Servicemember BEFORE August 1, 2023;

  • Turned 18 BEFORE August 1, 2023; and

  • Completed high school BEFORE August 1, 2023.

Children generally must be between the ages of 18 - 26 to get this benefit. In certain cases, it is possible to begin before age 18 and to continue after age 26. Getting married does NOT end your eligibility.

  • Click HERE for details.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • The child CANNOT use this benefit while on Active Duty. The VA can extend the child's period of eligibility by the number of months and days equal to the time spent on active duty. However, this extension CANNOT go past their 31st birthday.

  • Till August 1, 2026, children who attend an approved high school can use DEA benefits for up to 5 months.

    • The 5 months do NOT count towards the DEA benefit limits.

    • The child’s high school campus counselor or College and Career Facilitator generally acts as the School's Certifying Official (SCO).

    • For a high school to be approved the high school must request approval from the State Approving Agency of their state. Which is not generally a quick process meaning - if they are not already approved by now they likely won’t be before the program expires.

Benefit

This benefit may be used while in pursuit of an undergraduate or graduate degree, courses leading to a certificate or diploma from business, technical or vocational schools, apprenticeship, and on-the-job training programs. Benefits for correspondence courses are available to spouses only.

The program provides up to 45 months of payments for those who used their Chapter 35 benefits before August 1, 2018. If used on or after August 1, 2018 only a maximum of up to 36 months.

  • To see the amount of this monthly payment click HERE.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • This benefit does NOT directly cover tuition or fees. The dependent may use the money however they would like.

  • The benefit is paid directly to the eligible dependent.

  • EACH dependent gets their own individual entitlement of the benefit!

  • DEA CANNOT be used at the same time with the GI Bill or Veterans Readiness and Employment (VR&E).

  • Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under certain circumstances.

  • This benefit CANNOT be paid out for Flight school.

  • Children or dependent spouse who join the military themselves CANNOT use DEA while on Active Duty.

    • Once separated DEA can be used, but only if they did NOT get a dishonorable discharge.

  • This benefit CAN be used for Overseas programs.

  • Children CANNOT receive Dependency an indemnity Compensation (DIC) and DEA at the same time!

  • If a dependent is eligible for other education benefits DEA does NOT count against the maximum 48 months of educational benefits!

  • If the Veteran’s dependents became eligible AFTER the benefit could have been used; the dependents have one year from the date of the decision letter awarding the benefit to claim their benefits retroactively. (M22-4 Part 7: Subchapter 2. 1.106 Retroactive Payments)

    • For example: Veteran was awarded DEA October 21, 2025, effective from January 9, 2022. The dependents have one year from the date of the decision notification letter (October 21, 2026) to file a claim for retroactive benefits for any courses/training taken from January 9, 2022; if they want to be paid for those months. The dependents will need to get a Certificate of Eligibility (see applying section below) and work with their school/training to complete paperwork and get things lined up and submitted to the VA for retroactive payments.

  • This benefit CAN be retroactively paid up to a year AFTER you could have used the benefit but forgot to file for it. You MUST file within a year of the training/course.

  • VA pays DEA in arrears meaning: You are paid at the end of the of the month for the same month. So - September is paid at the END of September, etc. Also, benefits are paid out by the Treasury Department using a 10 business day window centered around the end of the month. Meaning - there is no specific date each month the Treasury is required to pay any VA education benefits.

  • DEA payments ARE prorated (for partial use months). This in turn means your remaining eligibility is also prorated (not using the full month).

Special Circumstance: Dual Eligibility

In the event a dependent is eligible for Chapter 35 under both parents, they may draw Chapter 35 benefits from BOTH parents at the SAME time! (M22-4 Part 7: Chapter 1 – Eligibility: Note 51)

SPECIAL NOTES:

  • You are still subject to the maximum terms of this benefit (36 or 45 months).

    • If your maximum benefit is 36 months and you used 32 months from your father's Chapter 35 already. Your using your mother's source of entitlement does NOT give you another 36 months, you could only get 2 months of double payments.

      • To provide another example: If you have eligibility based on both parents and have NOT started to use the benefit. You are able to draw DOUBLE Chapter 35 stipends at the same time for a total of your maximum benefit 18 months!

    • Same principles apply to those who have 45 months of benefits (22.5 months if using both entitlements at the same time).

Applying

  1. Click HERE to apply online.

  2. Once approved you will be given a Certificate of Eligibility (COE).

  3. Take your COE to your institution's School's Certifying Official (SCO), they will have you complete additional paperwork and send everything to the VA.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

  • The dependent, NOT the Veteran, needs to apply from their own account.

Frequently Asked Questions

    • No, DEA just provides money to the dependent. This money may be used for anything to include tuition and fees. However, the amount paid may not be enough to cover tuition and fees.

    • Not without an exceptionally petty act of self-harm:

      • The Veteran parent would have to manage to get their combined disability reduced to below 100%. At which point the VA would have also severed DEA for their dependents.

      • If the Veteran parent is a step-parent who has not adopted the child; getting divorced from the non-eligible parent will result in DEA being discontinued as well.

    • You will NOT lose entitlement based on them being incarcerated.

    • If they renounce their VA disability you will NOT lose your entitlement. (M21 X.iv.4.2.e)

    • Yes, unless they legally adopted you.

    • You would qualify under the current eligiblity criteria as VA bases eligibility based on the “latest date of the following: notification date, the veteran’s date of death (in the case of a service-connected death), the marriage date (in the case of a spouse or stepchild), or adoption date (in the case of an adopted child)”. (July 25, 2023: Procedural Advisory)

    • The money is YOURS to do as you want. The direct deposit information should lead to your own bank account; not your parents. If they are a joint owner on the account - you may want to consider opening another bank account at a new bank.

References