Yes, your spouse can use Chapter 35 benefits for spouses, formally the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) program, if your service record meets one of the VA’s qualifying conditions. The program pays a monthly stipend directly to the student for college, vocational training, apprenticeships, and other approved programs. For the 2025–2026 academic year, a full-time student receives $1,574 per month.1Veterans Affairs. Survivors’ And Dependents’ Educational Assistance
When the Veteran’s Service Opens the Door
Your spouse’s eligibility flows from your record, not theirs. The VA will approve DEA if any one of the following applies to you:
- You have a permanent and total service-connected disability rating.
- You died on active duty or from a service-connected condition.
- You are missing in action, captured by a hostile force, or detained by a foreign government for more than 90 days.
- You are hospitalized or receiving outpatient treatment for a service-connected permanent and total disability and are likely to be discharged for that disability.1Veterans Affairs. Survivors’ And Dependents’ Educational Assistance
That last category is the one families often miss. Your spouse can qualify before the discharge is finalized if the treatment situation and expected outcome are documented.
Which Spouses Qualify
Your spouse must be your legal spouse when they apply. Divorce ends DEA eligibility. If you die and your surviving spouse remarries, DEA generally ends as well, with two exceptions. The VA restores remaining DEA benefits if the remarriage occurred on or after January 1, 2004 and the surviving spouse was at least 57 at the time, or if the new marriage later ends by death or divorce.1Veterans Affairs. Survivors’ And Dependents’ Educational Assistance
DEA and the Fry Scholarship Are an Either/Or
If you died on active duty, your surviving spouse may qualify for both DEA and the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship. They cannot be used at the same time, and the VA requires an irrevocable election between the two at the time of application.2The Official Army Benefits Website. Survivors’ and Dependents’ Education Assistance Program (DEA) Fry generally pays at Post-9/11 GI Bill rates, which are often higher than DEA rates, so compare both before signing anything.
How Long Your Spouse Has to Use It
A 2023 change split this question in two, and outdated guides still get it wrong.
If the Qualifying Event Was on or After August 1, 2023
There is no time limit. Your spouse can start school whenever it fits their life.1Veterans Affairs. Survivors’ And Dependents’ Educational Assistance
If the Qualifying Event Was Before August 1, 2023
The old windows still apply. Benefits usually end 10 years from the date the VA determined the spouse became eligible.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 U.S. Code 3512 – Periods of Eligibility Two situations stretch that to 20 years:
- Death on active duty: the surviving spouse has 20 years from the date they become eligible.1Veterans Affairs. Survivors’ And Dependents’ Educational Assistance
- An early permanent and total rating: if the VA’s effective date for the P&T rating falls within three years of discharge, the spouse has 20 years from that effective date and must remain married to the veteran throughout the period.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 U.S. Code 3512 – Periods of Eligibility
Total Months of Entitlement
Whichever window applies, there is a cap on months of use. Spouses who began training on or after August 1, 2018 can receive up to 36 months of benefits. Those who started before that date may receive up to 45 months. Benefits also stop once the educational goal is reached.1Veterans Affairs. Survivors’ And Dependents’ Educational Assistance
A spouse who has earned their own VA education benefits through personal military service can potentially use DEA in addition, though not for the same enrollment period. Combined entitlement across programs can reach up to 81 months.
What DEA Pays and What It Covers
DEA pays a flat monthly stipend directly to the student rather than paying tuition to the school. For the October 2025 through September 2026 academic year, the rates for college and vocational programs are:
- Full-time: $1,574 per month
- Three-quarter-time: $1,244 per month
- Half-time: $912 per month
Your spouse uses that stipend for tuition, fees, books, and living expenses. At most community colleges and state universities the payment covers tuition with room to spare. At expensive private schools it may not, and some states offer separate tuition waivers for spouses of disabled or deceased veterans at public institutions that can close the gap.
Approved programs run well past four-year degrees: undergraduate and graduate degrees, vocational and technical certificates, on-the-job training, apprenticeships, licensing and certification tests, entrepreneurship training, and correspondence courses. Remedial and refresher courses may be approved if needed to complete the program.1Veterans Affairs. Survivors’ And Dependents’ Educational Assistance
DEA payments are tax-free, and your spouse should not report them as income. If they claim education tax credits like the American Opportunity Credit, they must subtract DEA payments received directly from qualifying expenses before calculating the credit.4Veterans Affairs. How VA Education Benefit Payments Affect Your Taxes
How Your Spouse Applies
Your spouse files VA Form 22-5490, the Dependents’ Application for VA Education Benefits. They can submit it online through the VA’s website or mail a paper form to a VA Regional Processing Office. The online route is faster and gives immediate confirmation of receipt.5Veterans Affairs. About VA Form 22-5490
The VA then verifies your qualifying condition and your spouse’s eligibility and issues a Certificate of Eligibility. Your spouse gives that certificate to the school’s VA certifying official, who certifies enrollment each semester. Monthly payments start once the VA processes that certification.