Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance
If you’re the child or spouse of a Veteran or service member who has died, is captured or missing, or is permanently and totally disabled due to a service-connected disability, you may be eligible for the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) program. Keep reading to find out if the DEA program, also called Chapter 35, may be able to help you pay for school or cover expenses while you’re training for a job.
Am I eligible for education benefits through the DEA program?
You may be eligible for these benefits if both you and the Veteran or service member meet certain eligibility requirements.
1 of these descriptions must be true for the Veteran or service member:
- The Veteran is permanently and totally disabled due to a service-connected disability, or
- The Veteran died as a result of a service-connected disability, or
- The service member died in the line of duty, or
- The service member is missing in action or was captured in the line of duty by a hostile force for more than 90 days, or
- The service member was forcibly detained (held) or interned in the line of duty by a foreign entity for more than 90 days, or
- The service member is in the hospital or getting outpatient treatment for a service-connected permanent and total disability and is likely to be discharged for that disability
More eligibility information
If you’re the child
You can be married or unmarried.
If you join the military, you can’t use this benefit while you’re on active duty. And if you want to use this benefit after you leave the service, you can’t have a dishonorable discharge.
If you’re receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), you’ll need to give up those payments when you start to use DEA.
When can I start using these benefits if I’m eligible as a child?
If you became eligible before August 1, 2023, one of these must be true for you to use these benefits:
- You’re 18 years old, or
- You completed high school or have a GED
If you became eligible or turned 18 years old or completed high school on or after August 1, 2023, you can be any age to use these benefits.
As an eligible child, is there a time limit for me to use these benefits?
It depends.
There’s no time limit if 1 of these is true:
- You became eligible for DEA benefits on or after August 1, 2023, or
- You turned 18 years old on or after August 1, 2023, or
- You completed high school or received your GED on or after August 1, 2023
Generally, you have up to 8 years to use your benefits before you turn 26 years old, if all of these are true:
- You became eligible for DEA before August 1, 2023, and
- You turned 18 before August 1, 2023, and
- You completed high school before August 1, 2023
In some cases, the 8-year time limit doesn’t end when you turn 26 years old. If any of these describe your situation, you may still be able to use DEA benefits after you turn 26 years old:
- You became eligible for DEA when you were between 18 and 26 years old, or
- Your parent died when you were between 18 and 26 years old, or
- You joined the military. In this case, you can use your DEA benefits up to 8 years from your discharge date as long as you’re under 31 years old.
Can I use both DEA benefits and the Fry Scholarship as an eligible child?
- If your parent was a service member who died in the line of duty before August 1, 2011, you may qualify for both the DEA program and the Fry Scholarship. But you can use only 1 benefit at a time. In this case, we cap combined DEA and Fry Scholarship benefits at 81 months of full-time training.
Learn about the Fry Scholarship - If your parent was a service member who died in the line of duty on or after August 1, 2011, you may use both DEA and the Fry Scholarship only if you qualify for DEA under a different event. You can use only 1 program at a time. In this case, we limit combined DEA and Fry Scholarship benefits at 48 months of full-time training.
If you’re the spouse
You can get both DEA and VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) payments.
If you get divorced, you’ll no longer be eligible for DEA benefits.
If you join the military, you can’t use this benefit while you’re on active duty. And if you want to use this benefit after you leave the service, you can’t have a dishonorable discharge.
If the Veteran dies and you remarry, you’ll no longer be eligible for the DEA benefits that you qualified for through that eligible Veteran. There are 2 exceptions listed here. If you remarry after the Veteran dies, we’ll restore your remaining DEA benefits if either of these describes your situation:
- Your new marriage was on or after January 1, 2004, and you were at least 57 years old, or
- Your new marriage ends due to death or divorce
When can I start using these benefits if I’m eligible as a spouse?
Your benefits start on the date we determine that you’re eligible or on the date of the Veteran or service member’s death.
As an eligible spouse, is there a time limit for me to use these benefits?
It depends.
If the event that qualified you for DEA happened before August 1, 2023, there’s a time limit to use your benefits:
- In most cases, your benefits end after 10 years.
- If we rated the Veteran as permanently and totally disabled, and the Veteran later dies, you’ll get another 10 years of eligibility.
- If the service member died on active duty, your benefits end after 20 years.
- If we rated the Veteran as permanently and totally disabled, with an effective date that’s within 3 years after discharge from active duty, in most cases your benefits end 20 years from that effective date.
If the event that qualified you for DEA happened on or after August 1, 2023, there’s no time limit to use your benefits.
Can I use both DEA benefits and the Fry Scholarship as an eligible spouse?
No. You’ll need to pick one or the other. Once you make this choice, you can’t switch to the other program.