GI Bill and Military Education

DEPENDENTS' EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE (DEA)
Sending Heroes' Kids to School

There are excellent military educational programs that support those upcoming military brights - your military children. If you are a spouse or dependent of a veteran, the Dependents' Educational Assistance offers up to 45 months of education benefits, for degree and certificate programs, apprenticeship, and on-the-job training, and/or correspondence courses. Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved.

You are eligible for the DEA benefits if you are the son, daughter, or spouse of:

• A veteran who died or is permanently and totally disabled as the result of a service-connected disability. The disability must arise out of active service in the Armed Forces.
• A veteran who died from any cause while such service-connected disability was in existence.
• A service member missing in action or captured in line of duty by a hostile force.
• A service member forcibly detained or interned in line of duty by a foreign government or power.

Make sure your selected program is approved for VA training. If you're not sure, the VA can inform you and the school about the requirements. If you are a veteran's son or daughter and wish to receive benefits for attending school or job training, you must be between the ages of 18 and 26. VA can extend your period of eligibility by the number of months and days equal to the time spent on active duty, all the way up to your 31st birthday. If you are a spouse, benefits end 10 years from the date VA finds you eligible or from the date of death of the veteran.

The new Post 9/11 GI Bill also allows serving troops to transfer education benefits to a spouse or to one or more children. The Secretary of Defense has yet to issue regulations on how this program will be implemented, but there are some general guidelines. In order to give education benefits to a spouse, the service member must serve or commit to serve for at least ten years. Transferability is available once a service member has served six years and has reenlisted for at least four more. Spouses will have 15 years to use the benefits. And, in order to give education benefits to a dependent, the service member must have served for at least ten years. Children will have until age 26 to use their benefits.