Manage dependents for disability, pension, or DIC benefits

You may qualify for higher disability compensation payments if both of these are true for you:

• You’re eligible for VA disability compensation, and
• You have a combined disability rating of at least 30%

You may qualify for higher pension payments if 1 of these is true for you:

• If you have a dependent child, their income and assets are within the limits to be eligible for pension benefits, or
• If you’re married, you and your dependent spouse’s combined income and assets are within the limits to be eligible for pension benefits

Note: You must report your spouse’s income and assets when you apply for pension benefits.

Learn about income and assets for pension benefits

You may qualify for higher DIC payments if both of these are true for you:

• You’re the surviving spouse of a Veteran, and
• You have 1 or more unmarried children (biological or adopted) under the age of 18, or under the age of 23 if attending school

Note: Surviving children and parents of Veterans may also be eligible for their own separate DIC payments.

Learn more about VA DIC rates for spouses and children

Learn more about VA DIC rates for parents

We don’t consider a former spouse—and any former stepchildren—to be dependents, unless you still provide more than half of a former stepchild’s financial support. After you get divorced, you’re not eligible for higher VA benefit payments anymore. Notify us right away by submitting a dependency claim (go to the next section on this page, How to add, remove, or update a dependent). You don’t need to send or upload supporting documents to show you’re divorced.

If you don’t notify us and we continue paying you higher VA benefit payments, you’ll have overpayment debt. We may withhold money from future payments until you’ve paid us back.

We track your child’s age based on their date of birth that you gave us when you submitted your claim. When your child turns 18, we’ll stop paying you higher VA benefit payments for a dependent child unless you tell us they’re attending school. Notify us right away (go to the next section on this page, How to add, remove, or update a dependent).

If you notify us before your child turns 18 years old, you’ll continue to receive your higher benefit payment.

If we stopped paying you higher VA benefit payments, those higher payments will start again after you notify us that your child is attending school. You’ll also receive any back pay we owe you.

If your dependent child is 18-23 years old and stops attending school, we no longer consider them to be a dependent. When your child isn’t a dependent any longer, you’re not eligible for higher VA benefit payments. Notify us right away (go to the next section on this page, How to add, remove, or update a dependent).

If you don’t notify us and we continue paying you higher VA benefit payments, you’ll have overpayment debt. We may withhold money from future payments until you’ve paid us back.

We use the school enrollment information you gave us when you submitted your claim, including the graduation date. When your child graduates, we’ll stop paying you higher VA benefit payments for a dependent child. If the graduation date changes, notify us right away (go to the next section on this page, How to add, remove, or update a dependent).

Or, you can call us at to tell us the new graduation date. We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET.

If you don’t notify us that your child will graduate earlier than expected and we continue paying you higher VA benefit payments, you’ll have overpayment debt. We may withhold money from future payments until you’ve paid us back.

If your child will graduate later than expected, you’ll need to notify us to continue receiving payments.

We track your child’s age based on their date of birth that you gave us when you submitted your claim. When your child turns 18, we’ll stop paying you higher VA benefit payments for a dependent child unless you notify us that they became permanently disabled before they turned 18. Notify us right away (go to the next section on this page, How to add, remove, or update a dependent).

You’ll also need to submit copies of these documents:

• Medical records showing your child’s permanent physical or mental disability existed before they turned 18 years old, and
• A statement from your child’s doctor describing the type and severity of the disability

If your dependent child gets married, we no longer consider them to be a dependent. When your child isn’t a dependent any longer, you’re not eligible for higher VA benefit payments. Notify us right away (go to the next section on this page, How to add, remove, or update a dependent).

If you don’t notify us and we continue paying you higher VA benefit payments, you’ll have overpayment debt. We may withhold money from future payments until you’ve paid us back.

If your dependent dies, you’re no longer eligible for higher VA benefit payments. Notify us right away (go to the next section on this page, How to add, remove, or update a dependent).

If you don’t notify us and we continue paying you higher VA benefit payments, you’ll have overpayment debt. We may withhold money from future payments until you’ve paid us back.

If your child is adopted, you’ll need to submit a copy of the final adoption decree, the placement agreement, or the child’s revised birth certificate.

If your child is permanently disabled and incapable of supporting themselves, you’ll need to submit copies of these documents:

• Medical records showing that your child’s permanent physical or mental disability existed before they turned 18 years old, and
• A statement from your child’s doctor that describes the type and severity of your child’s physical or mental disability

If you live outside the U.S., its bases, or territories, you’ll need to submit a copy of the child’s birth certificate.

If you were married by common law, you’ll need to submit copies of these documents:

• Copies of the birth certificates of any children born to you and your spouse in the common-law marriage
• 2 Statements of Marital Relationship (VA Form 21-4170)—1 that you complete and 1 that your spouse completes
  Get VA Form 21-4170 to download
• 2 Supporting Statements Regarding Marriage (VA Form 21P-4171) completed by 2 different people with knowledge about your marriage
  Get VA Form 21P-4171 to download

If you were married in a tribal ceremony, you’ll need to submit copies of these documents:

• Signed statements from you and your spouse. The statements must include the name of the tribe, date (month, day, and year) of marriage, place (city and state, county and state, or city and country) where the marriage ceremony happened, and the name and mailing address of the person who performed the ceremony.
• Signed statements from at least 2 people who were present at the tribal marriage ceremony. The statements must include the name of the tribe, date (month, day, and year) of marriage, place (city and state, county and state, or city and country) where the ceremony happened, and the name and mailing address of the person who performed the ceremony.
• A signed statement from the person who performed the ceremony. The statement must include the date (month, day, and year) of marriage, place (city and state, county and state, or city and country) where the marriage ceremony happened, and the person’s authority for performing the ceremony.

If you were married by proxy (someone else represented you or your spouse at the marriage ceremony), you’ll need to submit copies of all documents and certificates issued in connection with your proxy marriage.

If you live outside the U.S., its bases, or territories, you’ll need to submit a copy of your marriage certificate, church marriage record, or other public marriage document.

For higher disability compensation payments, we may pay you back to the date of your marriage or the birth or adoption of your child if you meet all of these requirements.

All of these must be true:

• You had already received a combined disability rating of at least 30% at the time of the marriage, birth, or adoption, and
• You file your claim for additional disability compensation for the dependent within a year of the marriage, birth, or adoption, and
• You respond within a year to our request for any more information or evidence needed to confirm your claim

If it’s been more than 1 year since you got married or had or adopted a child, we may not pay you back to the date of the marriage, birth, or adoption. Instead, we may pay you back only to the date we received your claim for additional disability for the dependent or, in some cases, up to a year before this date.

If both you and your spouse are Veterans with a combined disability rating of at least 30%, you both can get additional VA benefits for each other and for your children.

You should know: It’ll take us longer to process your claim if your spouse is also a Veteran. But if you file your claim online and we decide you’re eligible for additional disability compensation for your dependents, we’ll pay you back to the date you started the online claim process.

You can add a dependent when you file your original claim or after you file your claim.

If you haven’t yet filed a claim for disability compensation: You can file a claim for additional compensation for a dependent at the same time as you file your original claim for disability compensation. If you receive a combined disability rating of at least 30%, we’ll automatically consider your eligibility for additional compensation for your dependent.

Find out how to file a claim for disability compensation

If you didn’t claim 1 or more dependents when you originally filed for disability compensation: You can file a claim for additional disability compensation for a dependent now if you have a combined disability rating of at least 30%.

If something changes in your family after you received a combined disability rating of at least 30%: You can file a claim for additional disability compensation whenever you add a dependent. You can add a dependent if any of these life changes happen:

• You get married
• You have or adopt a child
• Your child is between 18 and 23 years old and enrolled in school
• We determine that your child, who’s at least 18 years old, became permanently disabled before turning 18
• You become the caregiver for a parent whose income and net worth is below a certain amount

We’ll begin paying you within 2 weeks after we approve your claim. We’ll include back pay from the date you became eligible for higher payments.