The Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) program, also called Chapter 35, offers education and training benefits to eligible dependents and survivors of certain veterans. This program is designed to support the educational needs of family members who have made significant sacrifices due to their loved one’s service in the military.
The DEA program offers up to 45 months of education benefits if you begin using the program before August 1, 2018. However, if you began your program on or after August 1, 2018, the benefits will last for only 36 months. You can use these benefits for on-the-job training, degree and certificate programs, apprenticeships, as well as correspondence courses for spouses. Other courses, such as remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses, may be approved under certain circumstances.
Note: “If you are eligible for both the Fry Scholarship and DEA, you will be required to make an irrevocable choice between the two programs when you apply. Dependents are not eligible to receive both DEA and Fry Scholarship based on the same event (like a service member dying in the line of duty) unless they are a child whose parent died before August 1, 2011.”
Fry Scholarship: The Fry Scholarship is an educational scholarship for children and surviving spouses of service members who died in the line of duty while on active duty on or after September 11, 2001.
Eligibility Criteria
You may be able to receive DEA benefits if both you and the veteran or service member meet certain eligibility requirements.
One of these descriptions must be true for the veteran or service member:
- The Veteran or Service member is permanently and disabled due to a service-connected disability, or
- The Veteran or Service member died in the line of duty, or
- The Veteran or Service member died as a result of a service-connected disability, or
- The Veteran or 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 Veteran or 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
And one of these descriptions must be true for you:
- You are 18 years old or older, or
- You completed high school or secondary education
Note: If you are the child of a veteran or service member, your marital status does not affect your eligibility for DEA benefits.
Benefits of the DEA Program
As an eligible person, you can receive up to 45 months of full-time or equivalent benefits for:
- Degree programs, undergraduate and graduate, at colleges or universities, including cooperative training programs and accredited independent study programs that may be offered through distance education
- Cooperative training is a full-time program of alternating school instruction and training in a business or industrial establishment
- Certificate programs, at colleges, universities, and other degree-granting institutions, including accredited independent study courses that can be offered through distance education
- Certificate programs at business, technical, or vocational schools
- Apprenticeships or on-the-job training (OJT) programs offered by companies or unions. Apprenticeships or OJT programs can offer an alternative to college or vocational school to help you gain experience in the field you choose
- Correspondence courses if you are a Spouse or Surviving Spouse
Special Restorative or Specialized Vocational Training: If you are handicapped by a physical or mental disability, you can be eligible to receive Special Restorative Training or Specialized Vocational Training. The disability must prevent you from pursuing an educational program.
How to Apply for the DEA Program
To apply for the DEA program, eligible dependents and survivors must complete VA Form 22-5490, “Dependents’ Application for VA Educational Benefits.” This form can be submitted online through the VA’s website or by mail. The application process involves providing detailed information about the veteran’s service and the applicant’s relationship to the veteran.
Apply online
Apply by mail
If you have already enrolled in a program
Mail your completed form to the regional processing office for the state your school or training program is in:
Eastern Region:
VA Regional Office
P.O. Box 4616
Buffalo, NY 14240-4616
Western Region:
VA Regional Office
P.O. Box 8888
Muskogee, OK 74402-888
Applicants are encouraged to contact the VA’s Education Call Center at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) for assistance with the application process and to ensure they meet all eligibility requirements. The VA also offers resources and support through its GI Bill customer service page, where applicants can search frequently asked questions or ask questions electronically.
