EDUCATIONVA program

Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA, Chapter 35)

Education and training for eligible spouses and children of permanently and totally disabled veterans, veterans who died from a service-connected condition, POWs, or those missing in action.

Available to dependents of 100% P&T veterans, POWs, or veterans who died from service-connected conditions

View on VA.gov

Example value

$1,621/moFull-time enrollment

Step-by-step guide

What VA looks for: Child of a veteran or service member

An event on the veteran side that opens the programOne of these must be true of the veteran or service member: rated permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability; died from a service-connected disability; died from any cause while rated permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability; died in the line of duty; missing in action or captured in the line of duty for more than 90 days; forcibly detained or interned in the line of duty by a foreign power for more than 90 days; or in the hospital or outpatient care for a service-connected permanent and total disability and likely to be discharged for it.
The starting point for a childFor an event before August 1, 2023, a child starts at 18 or on finishing high school or earning a GED. For an event, an 18th birthday, or a high school finish on or after August 1, 2023, a child can be any age. A child can be married or unmarried, cannot use the program while on active duty, and cannot have a dishonorable discharge.
The time limit, if one appliesNo time limit when the event, the 18th birthday, or the high school finish is on or after August 1, 2023. For earlier dates the general rule is 8 years ending at age 26, with later endings when the event came between ages 18 and 26, and up to 8 years after discharge, before age 31, for a child who served.
Giving up school-based DIC or pension once DEA startsA child who starts DEA gives up Dependency and Indemnity Compensation or survivors pension paid because they are in school at 18 or older. If you are 18 or older, it stops once DEA starts; if you start DEA before 18, those payments end on your 18th birthday. They do not restart when DEA ends. If the veteran is living, added compensation or pension for you as a school child 18 or older stops the same way. A spouse keeps both.

Source: VA.gov: Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.3021 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.3040 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.3041 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: DIC for spouses, children, and parents (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.3023 (opens in new tab); VA Form 22-5490 (opens in new tab)

Which situation is yours?

Child of a veteran or service member
VA checks the event that opens the program on the veteran side, whether you have reached the starting point, and whether an older time limit still applies to you.
Source: VA.gov: Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.3021 (opens in new tab)
Spouse or surviving spouse
The same program for the husband or wife of a veteran with a permanent and total rating, or the surviving spouse of a veteran who died from a service-connected disability or while rated permanent and total.
1. An event on the veteran side that opens the programThe same list as for a child, above.
2. Still married, or a surviving spouse who has not remarriedDivorce ends the program for a spouse. A surviving spouse who remarries loses it, unless the new marriage was on or after January 1, 2004 at age 57 or older, or the new marriage ends by death or divorce. A spouse cannot use the program while on active duty and cannot have a dishonorable discharge.
3. The time limit, if one appliesNo time limit when the event is on or after August 1, 2023. For an earlier event, most spouses had 10 years; a spouse of a veteran rated permanent and total gets another 10 years if the veteran later dies; a surviving spouse of a member who died on active duty had 20 years; and a rating with an effective date within 3 years of discharge usually gave 20 years from that date. A spouse kept from training by a disability can ask VA for more time.
4. One program, DEA or Fry, not bothA spouse who could use either DEA or the Fry Scholarship picks one, and the choice does not change.
Source: VA.gov: Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.3021 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.3046 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.3047 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Fry Scholarship (opens in new tab)

What to gather, and what it shows VA

Documents for this benefit: what each is, what it shows VA, and how VA gets it
Document	What it shows	How VA gets it	Have it?
VA Form 22-5490 The application for a spouse or child under DEA or the Fry Scholarship. Filed online or mailed to the regional processing office for the state of your school, or your home state if you have not picked one.	That you are asking VA for the program, and which program you choose	Apply online on VA.gov or download the form and mail it to VA.
The veteran's rating decision or death record VA's own record of the permanent and total rating, the service-connected cause of death, or the missing or captured status. VA already holds it.	That the event on the veteran side happened, and on what date	VA will request this for you from its own files and the service department. Keep any rating letter you hold in hand.	Yes
Birth certificate or marriage certificate The record that ties you to the veteran: a birth or adoption record for a child, a marriage certificate for a spouse.	That you are the child or spouse of the veteran	You send it to VA if VA asks; many families already have it on file from a compensation or DIC claim.	Yes
High school diploma or GED Proof that a child whose event came before August 1, 2023 has finished high school or earned a GED, which opens the program before the 18th birthday.	That the starting point was reached early	You send it to VA if VA asks for it.
Your DIC award letter The letter that shows a child receives Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. VA stops school-based payments to a child once DEA starts, or at 18 if DEA started earlier, and they do not restart.	Which payments a child gives up by using the program	VA already holds it. Keep your copy to check the dates.	Yes
VA's decision letter (the COE) The letter VA sends after it decides the application. It names the program, the months you have, and the time limit if one applies.	That VA approved the program, and for how long	VA mails it after deciding. Give a copy to the school certifying official.	Yes
The school's enrollment certification What the school certifying official sends VA each term: your courses, hours, and charges. For on-the-job training, the employer sends the training agreement and monthly hours instead.	That you are enrolled in an approved program, and at what rate	The certifying official or employer sends it to VA; you do not file it.

The veteran's rating or death record is already with VA, and your school sends its own enrollment certification. BeneVets does not ask for copies of anything.

Steps, in order

Get free help from a VSO
Free help: an accredited VSO can file this with you. Find one near you in the BeneVets VSO directory at Find an accredited VSO near you.
Source: VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab)
Pick DEA or Fry if you could use either
A spouse chooses one program and cannot switch later. A child whose parent died in the line of duty before August 1, 2011 may hold both, one at a time. If the death was on or after August 1, 2011, a child picks one program for that death and the choice is final; a child holds both only through a separate DEA event. Compare the DEA monthly rate with the Fry rate (tuition, housing, books) before you file.
Source: VA.gov: Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Fry Scholarship (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Chapter 35 rates (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Fry Scholarship rates (opens in new tab); VA Form 22-5490 (opens in new tab)
Check that the school or employer program is approved
Use the GI Bill Comparison Tool, or ask the school certifying official which programs VA has approved.
Source: VA.gov: GI Bill Comparison Tool (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) (opens in new tab)
Apply with VA Form 22-5490
Apply online on VA.gov, or mail VA Form 22-5490 to the regional processing office for the state where your school is, or your home state if you have not chosen a school.
Source: VA Form 22-5490 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.3030 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.1030 (opens in new tab)
Answer any request from VA within a year
If VA writes asking for a record, you have one year from the letter to send it. VA will request service and rating records for you, and asks you only for what it cannot get on its own.
Source: 38 CFR 21.1031 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.1032 (opens in new tab)
Tell the certifying official you applied
Ask the school certifying official to submit your enrollment to VA online. VA pays nothing until the certification arrives.
Source: VA.gov: Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.3130 (opens in new tab)
Read the decision letter
The letter states the months you have and any time limit. If VA denies the application, the letter lists your review options.
Source: VA.gov: after you apply for education benefits (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.1033 (opens in new tab)
Verify enrollment each month
The monthly payment comes to you after you confirm you are still enrolled, by text or by other means VA offers.
Source: VA.gov: verify your school enrollment (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) (opens in new tab)
Ask for educational and career counseling
VA offers free educational and career counseling to people using DEA: help choosing a program, a school, or a career path. Apply on VA Form 27-8832 or online.
Source: VA.gov: Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: educational and career counseling for family members (opens in new tab)

Good to know

36 months, or 45 for older starts

If you first used DEA for school or training on or after August 1, 2018, the limit is 36 months. If your first use was before that date, it is 45 months. Months do not have to be used in a row. Combined with other VA education programs, a combined month limit also applies; the decision letter states your months.

Source: VA.gov: Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.3044 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.4020 (opens in new tab)

A monthly payment to you, not the school

VA pays a monthly rate to you, set by the kind of training and how much of it you take. The rate is prorated for a partial month. At less than half time the payment cannot exceed the cost of tuition and fees; when tuition and fees are below the monthly rate, VA sends one payment at the start of the term.

Source: VA.gov: Chapter 35 rates (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.3131 (opens in new tab)

What the program covers

Undergraduate and graduate degrees, vocational and technical training, on-the-job training and apprenticeships, entrepreneurship training, licensing and certification tests, national tests, co-op training, work study, correspondence training for spouses, and independent or distance learning. Tutorial assistance is available, and educational and career counseling comes with the program.

Source: VA.gov: Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.3130 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.4236 (opens in new tab)

A child with both DEA and Fry

If the parent died in the line of duty before August 1, 2011, a child can hold both programs, use one at a time, and is capped at 81 months combined. If the parent died on or after August 1, 2011, the child picks one program for that death and the choice is final; a child holds both only through a separate DEA event, one at a time, under a combined month limit that the decision letter states.

Source: VA.gov: Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Fry Scholarship (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.3044 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.4020 (opens in new tab); VA Form 22-5490 (opens in new tab)

One VA education benefit at a time

A person with DEA and another VA program (the Montgomery GI Bill, VR&E, VEAP, the Post-9/11 GI Bill, or Selected Reserve benefits) chooses which to draw for each period of training.

Source: 38 CFR 21.3022 (opens in new tab)

BeneVets is informational and is not an accredited representative. Free help: an accredited VSO can work through VA benefits with you at no cost. Find an accredited VSO near you