The loss of a veteran during their service duty can be extremely difficult for family members. Not only do they need to process their grief, which has an incredible emotional toll, but they can also experience the financial burden. Which is why the VA developing a veterans assistance program called Chapter 35 VA benefits, otherwise known as VA dependents and Educational Assistance.
The Chapter 35 benefits aim to help the eligible family members of the veterans who sustained grave injuries or died during their active line of duty. However, it can be challenging to obtain these veteran benefits, especially for their dependents, which is why we encourage you to visit our page, seek the help of certified veteran coaches, and understand who is eligible for VA benefits if the veteran is gone.
Eligibility Requirements for Chapter 35
The VA sends out a monthly payment to support the eligible dependent on their education. They are entitled to receive up to 36 to 45 months (about 4 years) of educational benefits the VA dependents and educational assistance program can consist of the following:
- College, vocational or technical programs
- Online distance learning, correspondence courses or independent studies
- GED programs, or High School Diplomas
- Career and educational counseling programs
If you are an eligible dependent, and you chose to enroll for a non-college degree program, then you need to verify your enrollment every month to acquire the monthly payments. If you enrolled in a college degree program, then verification of enrollment will no longer be necessary.
To obtain these VA education benefits of Chapter 35, you may either be the child or spouse of a service member. Additionally, one of these descriptions should be confirmed by the service member.
- Death during active service;
- Reported Missing in Action (MIA), either the result of combat or by capture of an enemy force;
- Detainment from foreign government or authority for more than 90 days (about 3 months);
- Likely to be discharge due to a service-connected permanent and total disability;
- 100% VA rating due to one or more service-connected disabilities.
If you are the child of the veteran, you must take note that you need to be between the age of 18 and 26 to be eligible for the benefit. Please bear in mind that if you decide to join the military, this benefit is not applicable during active duty. Moreover, to access this benefit after your military service, a dishonorable discharge renders you ineligible. Although military service may extend your eligibility, this extension typically concludes upon reaching the age of 31.
If you are the spouse, you must understand the following requirements to be eligible:
- You can receive the benefit as soon as the VA concludes your qualification, or on the date of the veteran’s death.
- If the veteran received a rating from permanent disability, with the effectivity that is 3 years after getting discharge from their duty. You are qualified for the VA chapter 35 benefit for 20 years of that effective date. This policy was signed and approved on October 10, 2008, the VA however, would compensate you for the training you started before the approved date.
- Death of the service member on active duty only lasts for up to 20 years from the date of death.
- You can still get the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) from the VA, a tax-free monetary benefit even if you are eligible, as long as you are an official spouse of the service member.
Other related benefits under Chapter 35
Other related benefits that fall under the Chapter 35 VA benefits are the following:
Special Restorative Training
It is a training program that can be available to some dependents eligible for Chapter 35. It is training that helps overcome or reduce the outcomes of a physical or mental disability to help achieve or complete an education program.
This benefit, however, does not include medical care, nor does it include psychiatric treatments
It can include speech and voice correction, language training, writing and typewriting.
VA Special Vocational Training
It is a program approved for eligible dependents that requires special programs due to mental and physical limitations.
How to Enroll for Educational Assistance Program
Choosing a non-college degree program requires you to verify your enrollment every month, you will need to download the PDF file from this link.
You will then need to upload your completed form and submit it through Ask VA.
The enrollment or application process can be one of the most complicated processes in Chapter 35, which is why it is also advisable to seek the help of accredited veteran coaches such as Just4Veterans. Here in Just4Veterans it is our goal to make your VA claims processing as simple as possible. If you meet all of the criteria that make you eligible for the Chapter 35 VA benefits, then you may book a FREE strategy call to directly reach our veteran coaches by clicking this link. You may also visit our VA claims assistance page to know more about us.
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