Survivors
Education & Career Benefits
Money for school or job training for family members through the Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance program (Chapter 35) or the Fry Scholarship.
Who this is for
There are two very different education benefits for a veteran's family, they pay very differently, and if you qualify for both the VA makes you pick one - permanently. Choose wrong and you can leave tens of thousands of dollars on the table. Here is how DEA and the Fry Scholarship actually compare, including the 2023 rule change that removed the expiration date most families were still planning around.
In plain language
What Education & Career Benefits covers
- DEA / Chapter 35 helps spouses and children of certain permanently disabled or deceased veterans pay for school and training
- The Fry Scholarship supports children and spouses of service members who died in the line of duty on or after Sept 11, 2001
- Fry pays tuition to the school plus a housing allowance; DEA pays a flat monthly stipend to the student
- A veteran may transfer unused Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to a spouse or child - but only while still serving
- Covers degree programs, certificates, apprenticeships, on-the-job training, and educational counseling
- Special restorative and vocational training is available for survivors with a physical or mental disability
DEA & Fry Scholarship (Survivors' Education)Official video - U.S. Dept of Veterans Affairs
5 things most veterans aren't aware of
These apply to nearly every VA claim - and they change how much you get and when.
Your filing date sets your back pay
Benefits are generally paid back to the day you file - not the day you are approved. Filing an intent to file today can protect months, even years, of retroactive pay.
One condition can trigger others (secondary claims)
A service-connected condition that causes another - like sleep apnea from PTSD, or a bad knee from a bad hip - can be rated on its own. Each secondary condition adds to your rating.
A medical nexus is what wins the claim
The VA needs a documented link between your condition and your service. A clear nexus opinion is often the difference between an approval and a denial.
Accredited help is free to file an initial claim
By law, an accredited agent cannot charge a fee to prepare and file your original claim. If someone asks for money up front to file, that is a red flag.
A denial is not the end of the road
You have three appeal lanes - Higher-Level Review, a Supplemental Claim with new evidence, and the Board of Veterans Appeals. Many denials are overturned on review.
$1,574.00/mo
2026 full-time DEA rate
No expiration
If the qualifying event happened on or after Aug 1, 2023
Irrevocable
Choosing Fry over DEA - or the reverse - cannot be undone
The full picture
Everything you need to know
Nothing hidden behind a click, and nothing you have to go looking for on another website. Here is the whole story in plain language - the facts and the figures first - so you can decide what fits your situation.
Key facts & current figures
- DEA (Chapter 35) pays a flat monthly stipend - $1,574.00/mo for full-time study in 2026 - directly to the student.
- The Fry Scholarship pays at the Post-9/11 GI Bill level: tuition and fees paid to the school, a monthly housing allowance, and a books stipend. For most students it is worth far more than DEA.
- DEA entitlement is 36 months if you first used it on or after Aug 1, 2018, and 45 months if you started before that date.
- The expiration date is gone for many families: if the qualifying event, the beneficiary turning 18, or finishing high school happened on or after Aug 1, 2023, there is no time limit to use DEA.
- If you qualify for both Fry and DEA, you must choose one - and the choice cannot be changed.
- A surviving spouse loses DEA on remarriage but keeps the Fry Scholarship, and can keep collecting DIC while using Fry.
- Apply on VA Form 22-5490. As of January 2026, DEA students must verify enrollment every month or payments are held.
General figures, current as of December 2025 and reviewed each year. Your exact amount depends on your situation - always confirm on va.gov.
DEA (Chapter 35) vs. the Fry Scholarship - which one actually pays more
- DEA / Chapter 35 is for the spouse and children of a veteran who is permanently and totally disabled from service, or who has died while such a disability existed. It pays a flat $1,574.00/mo for full-time attendance in 2026, with prorated amounts for part-time.
- The Fry Scholarship pays at the Post-9/11 GI Bill level for the children and spouses of a service member who died in the line of duty on or after Sept 11, 2001 - full tuition and fees at a public in-state school, a monthly housing allowance based on the school's ZIP code, and up to $1,000 a year for books.
- For a full-time student living off campus, the Fry housing allowance alone frequently exceeds the entire DEA monthly rate, before tuition is even counted. That is why Fry is usually the better benefit when both are on the table.
- DEA also covers MIA, captured, or detained service members, and service members hospitalized or in outpatient treatment for a disability that is expected to be totally and permanently disabling and likely to end in discharge - situations Fry does not reach.
How many months you get: the Aug 1, 2018 line
- DEA entitlement depends on when you first used the benefit, not when the veteran became eligible.
- First used on or after Aug 1, 2018: 36 months of full-time entitlement.
- First used before Aug 1, 2018: 45 months, or the part-time equivalent.
- An eligible child under Fry may be entitled to 36 months of tuition, housing, and book benefits. Part-time enrollment is prorated both ways - you get a smaller payment and it draws down less of your entitlement.
The Aug 1, 2023 change that removed the expiration date
- There is no eligibility time limit at all if any one of these happened on or after Aug 1, 2023: the qualifying event happened to the veteran or service member, the beneficiary turned 18, or the beneficiary finished high school.
- If the triggering event happened before Aug 1, 2023, the older limits apply: a surviving spouse generally has 10 years from eligibility or the veteran's death, 20 years if the service member died on active duty, and a dependent child generally uses it between 18 and 26 - with extensions sometimes granted.
- The Fry Scholarship has no expiration date for a child who turned 18 or graduated high school on or after Jan 1, 2013. A child who turned 18 or graduated before that date has until age 33.
- If a spouse's Fry benefits expired unused, the VA may restore them for use any time after Jan 2, 2025 on a new application. If you were told years ago that your window closed, that answer may be out of date.
Remarriage hits DEA and Fry very differently
- A surviving spouse loses DEA eligibility on remarriage, or on living with someone publicly recognized as a spouse.
- DEA eligibility can be regained if the remarriage was on or after Jan 1, 2004 and the surviving spouse was at least 57, if the remarriage ends by death or divorce, or if the cohabitation stops.
- A surviving spouse keeps the Fry Scholarship even if they remarry - and can continue receiving DIC while using it. That is a meaningful advantage Fry has over DEA.
- Dependent children do not lose DEA eligibility if the surviving spouse remarries before age 55. A remarriage does not close the children's door.
The DIC collision nobody warns a family about
- A surviving child who is 18 or older and receiving DIC in their own right generally cannot be paid DIC and DEA or Fry at the same time.
- That forces a real decision for an 18-to-23-year-old in school: take the monthly DIC payment, or take the education benefit. Run both numbers before choosing.
- This bar does not apply to a surviving spouse using Fry - a spouse can collect DIC and use the Fry Scholarship at the same time.
- The VA also will not pay DIC to a child 18 or older who is wholly supported at federal expense while attending school, such as at a service academy.
Applying, transferring the GI Bill, and the 2026 verification rule
- Apply for DEA or Fry on VA Form 22-5490, online at va.gov. If you have already begun a program, your school's certifying official submits VA Form 22-1999 through the Enrollment Manager System.
- If you qualify for both Fry and DEA you must pick one, and the decision is final. Compare the actual school's tuition and housing allowance first - not the brochure.
- A service member can transfer unused Post-9/11 GI Bill months to a spouse or child, but the request must be made while still serving and carries an added service commitment. It cannot be started after leaving the military, so this is an early-career decision.
- As of January 2026, DEA beneficiaries must verify enrollment at the end of every month or the VA holds payment until the verification is done. Set a monthly reminder - this is the most common reason a check stops arriving.
Your family’s complete benefit picture
36 months
The entitlement for anyone who first used DEA on or after August 1, 2018 - it was 45 months before that date
Two ways to move forward — both free
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Do not miss this
The DEA deadline was abolished - and most families still think it exists
For decades a surviving spouse had 10 years to use DEA and a child had to finish between 18 and 26. That changed. If the qualifying event - the veteran’s death, the permanent-and-total rating, the child turning 18 or finishing high school - happened on or after August 1, 2023, there is no time limit at all.
The old windows only apply to events before that date. We regularly meet spouses who were told years ago that they had missed their chance and never checked again.
Fry survives remarriage, DEA does not
A surviving spouse loses DEA on remarriage but keeps Fry - and can keep drawing DIC while using it.
Verify enrollment monthly
As of January 2026, DEA students must verify enrollment every month or the payment is held.
A clear path forward
Your step-by-step action plan
No rush and no pressure - but a little order helps. Applying is always free.
FIG. 01 - Gather your paperwork
First
Find out which program you qualify for
Fry Scholarship applies when the service member died on active duty or of a service-connected disability in the line of duty; DEA applies to survivors and dependents of veterans who died from or were permanently and totally disabled by service.
FIG. 02 - Fill out the form
Before you choose
Run the numbers for the actual school
Fry pays tuition directly to the school plus a housing allowance by ZIP code and up to $1,000 a year for books. DEA pays a flat monthly amount. The better deal depends entirely on the program.
FIG. 03 - File the claim
Apply
File VA Form 22-5490
One application starts either program. Once the election is made it is irrevocable, so do not sign until the math is done.
FIG. 04 - After you file
At the school
Get the enrollment certified
The school certifying official submits VA Form 22-1999. Payment does not start until that certification reaches the VA.
Who to call & where to go
These are free, official VA lines. Have your Social Security number handy when you call.
Education / GI Bill
GI Bill, DEA (Chapter 35), and the Fry Scholarship.
VA Benefits Hotline
Compensation, pension, and general claim questions.
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No phone tag, no hold music. Call our office and a real, VA-accredited person walks you through it - start to finish.
702-992-4883Not sure where to start?
File VA Form 22-5490 for DEA or Fry - online at va.gov is fastest. If you have already started a program, ask your school certifying official to submit VA Form 22-1999 enrollment certification.
More support for survivors & family
These often go hand in hand - tap any card to learn more.
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For veterans who’ve decided they want us on their claim — registering is free too, and it does not make you our client or obligate you to anything. Here is exactly how it works:
- You register. This simply starts the conversation — you are not our client yet, and you owe us nothing.
- You sign and return VA Form 21-22a. It appoints us as your accredited representative and gives us access to your VA file.
- Once we have your signed 21-22a and access to your case, we verify everything is in order.
It involves the registration form and signing VA Form 21-22a — by law we can’t accept your claim, work on it, or contact the VA for you until that power of attorney is signed. You decide whether to move forward.
Answers, in plain language
Common questions about Education & Career Benefits
What is Education & Career Benefits?
Money for school or job training for family members through the Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance program (Chapter 35) or the Fry Scholarship. There are two very different education benefits for a veteran's family, they pay very differently, and if you qualify for both the VA makes you pick one - permanently. Choose wrong and you can leave tens of thousands of dollars on the table. Here is how DEA and the Fry Scholarship actually compare, including the 2023 rule change that removed the expiration date most families were still planning around.
Who qualifies for Education & Career Benefits?
This benefit is generally for: Spouse, Dependent child, Surviving spouse, Surviving child. DEA / Chapter 35 helps spouses and children of certain permanently disabled or deceased veterans pay for school and training The Fry Scholarship supports children and spouses of service members who died in the line of duty on or after Sept 11, 2001
How do I apply for Education & Career Benefits?
File VA Form 22-5490 for DEA or Fry - online at va.gov is fastest. If you have already started a program, ask your school certifying official to submit VA Form 22-1999 enrollment certification.
What does it cost to get help with Education & Career Benefits, and are you VA-accredited?
The irreversible choice between Fry and DEA is the part that costs families money. Run the actual numbers for the actual school before you sign anything. At a state university with in-state tuition, Fry often pays two to three times what DEA pays once the housing allowance is counted - but for a low-cost online program with no housing allowance, DEA can come out ahead. It is free to talk with us, and no one may charge you to file a first-time VA claim. The Aging Veteran is led by Albert L. Thombs Jr., a VA-accredited claims agent (accreditation #45147) and disabled veteran; any appeal work is handled on a no-fee-unless-you-win basis.
