Dependents Educational Assistance
Dependents Educational Assistance benefits are available to spouses who have not remarried and children of: (1) veterans who died or are permanently and totally disabled as the result of a disability arising from active military service; (2) veterans who died from any cause while rated permanently and totally disabled from service-connected disability; (3) servicemembers listed for more than 90 days as currently missing in action or captured in line of duty by a hostile force; (4) servicemembers listed for more than 90 days as currently detained or interned by a foreign government or power.
The termination of a surviving spouse?s remarriage ? either by death or divorce ? will reinstate Dependents? Educational Assistance benefits to the surviving spouse. If a surviving spouse ceases living with another person who has been held out publicly as the person?s spouse, there is no bar to granting Dependents Educational Assistance benefits to the surviving spouse.
Benefits may be awarded for pursuit of associate, bachelor or graduate degrees at colleges and universities, including independent study, cooperative training and study abroad programs. Courses leading to a certificate or diploma from business, technical or vocational schools also may be taken.
Benefits may be awarded for apprenticeships, on-the-job training programs and farm cooperative courses. Benefits for correspondence courses under certain conditions are available to spouses only. Secondary-school programs may be pursued if the individual is not a high-school graduate. An individual with a deficiency in a subject may receive tutorial assistance benefits if enrolled halftime or more. Deficiency, refresher and other training also may be available.
Monthly Payments
Payments are made monthly. The rate effective Oct. 1, 2004, is $803 a month for full-time school attendance, with lesser amounts for part-time training. A person may receive educational assistance for full-time training for up to 45 months or the equivalent in part-time training. Payments to a spouse end 10 years from the date the individual is found eligible or from the date of the death of the veteran. VA may grant an extension. Children generally must be between the ages of 18 and 26 to receive education benefits, though extensions may be granted.
Work-Study
Participants in the work-study program must train at the three-quarter or full-time rate. They may be paid in advance 40 percent of the amount specified in the work-study agreement or an amount equal to 50 times the applicable hourly minimum wage, whichever is less. Under the supervision of a VA employee, participants may provide outreach services, prepare and process VA paperwork, work at a VA medical facility, or perform other approved activities. They also may help at national or state veterans? cemeteries or assist in outreach services furnished by State Approving Agencies.
Counseling Services
VA may provide counseling services to help an eligible dependent pursue an educational or vocational objective.
Special Benefits
An eligible child over age 14 with a physical or mental disability that impairs pursuit of an educational program may receive special restorative training to lessen or overcome that impairment. This training may include speech and voice correction, language retraining, lip reading, auditory training, Braille reading and writing, and similar programs. Certain disabled or surviving spouses are also eligible for special restorative training. Specialized vocational training also is available to an eligible spouse or child over age 14 who is handicapped by a physical or mental disability that prevents pursuit of an educational program.
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