Education Benefits for Military Spouses and Veterans' Dependents: Which Program Fits You

Most families qualify for 1 or 2 of these, not all 5. The deciding facts: is the member still serving, is the veteran rated permanent and total (P&T), and did the veteran die in the line of duty or from a service-connected condition.

Source: https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply/, https://www.va.gov/education/benefit-rates/chapter-35-rates/, https://www.militaryonesource.mil/benefits/spouseworks-scholarship/; Chapter 35 rate effective October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026.

The GI Bill programs comparison covers the veteran's own benefits; this page is only about money for a spouse or child.

Which one fits: a decision table by situation

Source: VA and DoD program pages listed under Sources, checked September 2026.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill is the only VA education benefit a service member can hand to family, and the Department of Defense (DoD), not VA, decides who may do it. The member must have completed at least 6 years of service, agree to serve 4 more, and request the transfer through milConnect while still serving. Family members must be in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). Up to 36 months can move. The full process, including divorce and the sponsor's death, is in the transfer of benefits guide.

Once transferred, the months pay like the sponsor's Post-9/11 benefit at the sponsor's percentage tier. For August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2027: net in-state tuition and fees at a public school, up to $30,908.34 at a private or foreign school, a monthly housing allowance (MHA) based on Basic Allowance for Housing for an E-5 with dependents, and up to $1,000 a year for books.

Spouses and children follow different clocks:

• Spouses can use the months right away. If the sponsor separated before January 1, 2013, you have 15 years from separation. If the sponsor separated on or after that date, there is no time limit. You get no MHA while the sponsor is still on active duty.
• Children can start only after the sponsor has completed at least 10 years of service, and only once they have a high school diploma or equivalent or have turned 18. They must finish using the months before age 26. A child can receive MHA even while the parent is on active duty.

Watch out: The old rule that every spouse has 15 years is wrong for anyone whose sponsor left service in 2013 or later. Check the separation date.

Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA), also called Chapter 35, is the benefit for families of veterans who never had, or never transferred, the Post-9/11 GI Bill. You may be eligible if the veteran or service member meets at least 1 of these:

• is permanently and totally disabled due to 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 for more than 90 days.

DEA pays a flat monthly amount to you, not to the school, with no separate housing allowance or book stipend.

Source: https://www.va.gov/education/benefit-rates/chapter-35-rates/, effective October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026.

You get up to 36 months if you started training on or after August 1, 2018 (45 before that). A child generally has an 8-year window between ages 18 and 26. A spouse whose qualifying event was on or after August 1, 2023 has no time limit; earlier events carried a 10-year limit, or 20 in some cases. Divorce or remarriage ends a spouse's eligibility, with narrow exceptions. DEA also reimburses licensing and certification tests up to $2,000. The Chapter 35 guide covers the application and child age rules.

The Fry Scholarship is for the child or surviving spouse of a service member who died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001, or from a service-connected disability within 120 days of discharge, including certain Selected Reserve deaths. It pays like the Post-9/11 GI Bill: tuition and fees to the school, a housing allowance and books, for up to 36 months.

A child whose parent died on or after January 1, 2013 has no time limit. For earlier deaths, the child has until age 33, unless they turned 18 or finished high school after January 1, 2013. A surviving spouse keeps Fry eligibility after remarriage, and VA may restore Fry benefits that expired.

Most Fry-eligible families also qualify for DEA. You can use only 1 program at a time, and for deaths on or after August 1, 2011 the combined cap is 48 months. Fry usually pays more at a costly school because it covers tuition directly; DEA's flat payment can win at a low-cost school. The Fry Scholarship guide compares the two.

The SpouseWorks Scholarship, formerly MyCAA, is a Department of Defense program run through Military OneSource, not VA. It pays up to $4,000 toward a license, certification or associate degree, or for continuing education needed to keep a license or certification. DoD's page lists licenses, certifications and associate degrees; it does not list bachelor's degrees.

DoD now describes eligibility as spouses of active-duty, National Guard and Reserve members serving under qualifying Title 10 orders in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Space Force, "across all ranks and pay grades." Older guides list a pay-grade cap; the current DoD page does not.

You apply through the MyCAA portal or start with a Military OneSource career coach. Because the sponsor must be serving on Title 10 orders, use this benefit early. It pairs well with a transfer: SpouseWorks for a credential now, transferred Post-9/11 months for a degree later.

Private scholarships fill gaps VA leaves, such as a child of a living veteran rated below 100%. Three with long track records:

• Fisher House Foundation, Scholarships for Military Children. For unmarried dependent children under 23 with a valid Uniformed Services ID whose sponsor is active duty, Guard or Reserve, retired or deceased. The foundation lists 500 awards of $2,000 for the 2027–28 year.
• Folds of Honor. Need-based awards for dependents and spouses of fallen or disabled service members, up to $2,500 per term ($1,250 part-time). Applications run February 1 to March 31 each year.
• Pat Tillman Foundation, Tillman Scholars. Open to service members, veterans and military spouses in a full-time degree program. Awards vary with need.

The scholarship programs guide lists more.

Yellow Ribbon. The Yellow Ribbon Program covers private-school tuition above the Post-9/11 cap; the school sets a contribution and VA matches it. It requires the Post-9/11 GI Bill at the 100% level. A child using benefits transferred by a veteran qualifies, a spouse using an active-duty member's transferred benefits qualifies, and Fry Scholarship recipients qualify. DEA students do not, because DEA is not a Post-9/11 benefit. Find schools with VA's Yellow Ribbon finder or the GI Bill Comparison Tool; the Yellow Ribbon guide has details.

Work-study. If you are enrolled at least 3/4 time using the Post-9/11 GI Bill (own or transferred) or DEA, apply for VA work-study on VA Form 22-8691. It pays the higher of the federal or state minimum wage.

Test reimbursement. Post-9/11 and DEA both reimburse national tests such as the SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT and CLEP. VA charges entitlement based on what it pays back.

Career counseling. Personalized Career Planning and Guidance (Chapter 36) is free educational and career counseling open to dependents who qualify for VA education benefits. Apply online or on VA Form 27-8832; the career counseling guide explains a session.

The application page on VA.gov routes each program to a different form. Have your Social Security number, direct deposit details, education history and the school's name ready.

• Transferred Post-9/11 benefits: VA Form 22-1990e, Application for Family Member to Use Transferred Benefits. A dependent who is 18 or older applies online with their own ID.me or Login.gov account, after the sponsor's DoD transfer is approved.
• DEA or Fry: VA Form 22-5490, Dependents' Application for VA Education Benefits. The same form covers both; if you qualify for both, you choose 1 on the form.
• SpouseWorks: the MyCAA portal on Military OneSource, not a VA form.

VA reports an average of 30 days to process education claims. Approval comes as a Certificate of Eligibility for the school's certifying official.

File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as well. It is the gateway to Pell Grants and most school-based aid; the financial aid office can tell you how your VA or DoD benefit affects the rest.

Many states waive tuition at public colleges for children and spouses of veterans who are P&T or who died of a service-connected cause, and the waiver often stacks with DEA because DEA pays you, not the school. Florida's Scholarships for Children and Spouses of Deceased or Disabled Veterans covers dependents of veterans who died from a service-connected disability or are 100% P&T. Texas has the Hazlewood Act for veterans and certain spouses and children. Residency rules and age limits vary, so check your state's page.

Can a veteran transfer the GI Bill to a spouse after leaving service?

No. The Department of Defense approves Transfer of Entitlement only while the member is still serving, after at least 6 years of service and with an agreement to serve 4 more. After separation, the veteran can move or revoke months already transferred but cannot add a new spouse or child.

How long does a spouse have to use transferred GI Bill benefits?

If the sponsor separated before January 1, 2013, 15 years from separation. If the sponsor separated on or after that date, there is no time limit. Children must use theirs before age 26 either way.

Who qualifies for MyCAA?

MyCAA is now the SpouseWorks Scholarship. It is open to spouses of active-duty, National Guard and Reserve members serving on qualifying Title 10 orders in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Space Force, across all ranks and pay grades. It pays up to $4,000 toward a license, certification or associate degree.

Do children of 100% disabled veterans get free college?

Not free from VA, but close in many states. Federally, a child of a veteran rated permanent and total gets Chapter 35 DEA at $1,574 a month full-time (October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026) for up to 36 months, paid to the student. Many states add a tuition waiver at public colleges, such as the Texas Hazlewood Act.

Does a spouse using a transferred GI Bill get the housing allowance?

Only once the sponsor is off active duty. A spouse using transferred benefits while the member is still serving gets tuition and fees but no monthly housing allowance. A child can receive the housing allowance even while the parent is on active duty.