Chapter 35 (DEA) Education Benefits: The Complete Guide

Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) is the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefit for families. Its rules sit in 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35, which is why most people call it Chapter 35.

It works differently from the Post-9/11 GI Bill. VA does not pay your school. It sends a flat monthly payment to you, and you pay tuition, rent and books out of it. The amount depends on how many credits you take, not on what the school charges.

This page covers the numbers and rules. The shorter Chapter 35 education benefits guide for survivors covers eligibility and applying only.

You may be eligible if you are the spouse or child of a veteran or service member who meets at least 1 of these:

• is permanently and totally disabled because of a service-connected disability, or
• died as a result of a service-connected disability, or
• died in the line of duty, or
• is missing in action, or was captured in the line of duty by a hostile force, for more than 90 days, or
• was forcibly detained or interned in the line of duty by a foreign entity for more than 90 days, or
• 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.

"Permanently and totally disabled" means VA has rated the veteran 100% and marked the rating Permanent and Total (P&T). A 100% rating that VA still plans to re-examine does not qualify by itself; the rating letter has to say permanent. The VA disability guide explains how P&T is decided.

For children, VA changed the starting rule in 2023. If you became eligible on or after August 1, 2023, "you can be any age to use these benefits." Before that, a child had to be 18 or have a high school diploma or GED. A child cannot use DEA while on active duty, and a dishonorable discharge from the child's own service bars it.

For spouses, divorce ends eligibility. Remarriage also ends it, unless you remarried after January 1, 2004 at age 57 or older, or the new marriage ended by death or divorce.

VA sets Chapter 35 rates by fiscal year, October 1 to September 30. The rates below apply at a college or university (an Institution of Higher Learning, or IHL) and at a Non-College Degree (NCD) program such as a trade school, measured by clock hours.

Source: https://www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/education-and-careers/dependents-education-assistance/rates/, effective October 1, 2025; future rates from https://www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/education-and-careers/dependents-education-assistance/rates/future-rates/, effective October 1, 2026.

VA pays "for each full month" of enrollment and prorates partial months by days. A worked example: a full-time student enrolled September 1 through December 15, 2026 gets $1,574 for September, the new $1,621 rate for October and November, and about half of $1,621 for December. The October 1 increase lands mid-semester and applies from that date forward.

On-the-job training (OJT) and apprenticeships pay a stepped rate. Full payment needs at least 120 hours of training in the month.

Source: https://www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/education-and-careers/dependents-education-assistance/rates/, effective October 1, 2025; future rates effective October 1, 2026.

Chapter 35 has 2 clocks: months of benefit used, and the deadline to use them, which VA calls the delimiting date.

Months of entitlement. You get up to 36 months of full-time benefits if you first used them on or after August 1, 2018, and up to 45 months if you started earlier. Part-time study uses months more slowly.

The deadline for children. There is no time limit if any 1 of these is true: you became eligible for DEA on or after August 1, 2023, you turned 18 on or after August 1, 2023, or you finished high school or got a GED on or after August 1, 2023. If all 3 happened before that date, VA says you "generally" have "up to 8 years to use your benefits before you turn 26 years old." 1 extension exists: if you joined the military, you can use DEA up to 8 years from your discharge date as long as you are under 31.

The deadline for spouses. If the event that qualified you (the P&T rating or the death) happened on or after August 1, 2023, there is no time limit. For earlier events, VA says "in most cases, your benefits end after 10 years." 2 exceptions matter. If VA rated the veteran P&T and the veteran later dies, you get "another 10 years of eligibility" from the death. If the service member died on active duty, your benefits end after 20 years.

Watch out: The 10-year and 20-year windows run whether or not you are in school. Your delimiting date is printed on your Certificate of Eligibility (COE). Ask VA about it before you assume you are out of time.

The survivor benefits guide shows where Chapter 35 fits alongside DIC, CHAMPVA and the other benefits that start when a veteran dies.

VA lists these approved uses: college and graduate degrees, vocational and technical training, on-the-job training and apprenticeships, licensing and certification tests, work-study, correspondence courses (spouses only), distance learning and entrepreneurship training.

Two test benefits are easy to miss. Chapter 35 reimburses licensing and certification test fees up to $2,000 per test, and national tests with no dollar cap. VA charges entitlement at 1 month for every $1,574 in fees paid, so a $300 test uses about 6 days.

Because the payment comes to you, Chapter 35 stacks with a state tuition waiver or a private scholarship: they cover tuition while DEA covers living costs. The scholarship programs guide lists aid that pairs well with it. Use VA's GI Bill Comparison Tool to confirm a program is VA-approved before you enroll.

Source: VA program pages for DEA, the Fry Scholarship and transferred benefits, checked September 2026.

The Fry Scholarship usually pays more where tuition is high, because it covers tuition and adds a housing allowance and a books stipend. Chapter 35 can come out ahead when tuition is already waived, because the $1,574 is yours to keep regardless.

The choice is not always open. VA's rule: "you can use only 1 program at a time." If the service member died on or after August 1, 2011, a spouse must "pick one or the other" and "can't switch," and a child who qualifies under different events can use both up to a combined 48 months. If the death was before August 1, 2011, you may qualify for both with a combined cap of 81 months. The Fry Scholarship guide works through these cases.

Transferred Post-9/11 GI Bill months are a separate track, and the veteran must have transferred them while still serving. A child can use transferred months and then Chapter 35; 38 U.S.C. 3695(c) caps the combination at 81 months. See the transfer of benefits guide. Yellow Ribbon, which tops up private tuition, works only with the Post-9/11 GI Bill at the 100% level, never with Chapter 35.

Children and DIC. Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a monthly payment to survivors. A child with their own DIC award, usually a child over 18 in school, has to choose. VA says: "If you're receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), you'll need to give up those payments when you start to use DEA." Compare the child DIC rate with the DEA rate for your enrollment level before you decide; a half-time student gets only $912.

Spouses and DIC. Different rule. VA says spouses can "get both DEA and VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation." Using Chapter 35 does not reduce a surviving spouse's DIC.

Work-study. A Chapter 35 student enrolled at least 75% in a degree, vocational or professional program at a school in 1 of the 50 states can apply for VA work-study on VA Form 22-8691. It pays the higher of the federal or state minimum wage, on top of the monthly benefit.

Apply early. VA reports an average of 30 days to process education claims.

1. Gather what VA asks for. Your Social Security number, direct deposit information, your education history, the veteran's details, and basic information about the school.
2. Complete VA Form 22-5490, Dependents' Application for VA Education Benefits. Apply online through VA's education application, or download the form and mail it. The same form covers Chapter 35 and the Fry Scholarship. If you qualify for both, this is where you choose.
3. Send a paper form to the right office. VA says to mail it to the regional processing office for the state where your school is. If you have not picked a school yet, use the office for the state where you live. Addresses are on the form.
4. Wait for the Certificate of Eligibility. The COE letter states your months of entitlement and your delimiting date. Keep it; you will need it every time you change schools.
5. Give the COE to your School Certifying Official. They certify your enrollment to VA each term, which is what triggers payment.
6. Report changes. If you drop a class, withdraw, or change program or school, tell the certifying official. VA's change-your-benefits page says a DEA student uses VA Form 22-5490 again to change benefits, effective at the next enrollment period.

Questions go to VA's GI Bill hotline at 888-442-4551, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET. A VA-accredited representative can also help you apply at no charge.

Watch out: VA cannot pay until the school certifies your enrollment, and it pays by the month. Budget for the start of a term without DEA money.

Many states waive tuition at public colleges for the children, and sometimes the spouses, of veterans rated 100% P&T or who died from service. The Texas Hazlewood Act and similar programs pay the school while Chapter 35 pays you. Rules on age, residency and the veteran's rating differ by state. Pick your state below or start at the state veteran benefits finder.