DD Form 137 Secondary Dependency Application: Documents and Filing

To fill out DD Form 137, download the current October 2024 version from the DoD forms site, gather documents proving both your qualifying relationship to the person and that you provide more than half their financial support, complete every field (marking inapplicable ones “N/A”), have the dependent sign the affidavit before a notary or authorized military official, and submit the package through the AskDFAS online portal or by mail to your branch’s processing address. The old 137-3, 137-5, 137-6, and 137-7 forms were consolidated into a single DD Form 137 on August 1, 2024, and branches began rejecting the obsolete versions on July 1, 2025.1Marines.mil. Secondary Dependency Application DD Form 137 Update

Confirm the Person You’re Claiming Qualifies

The form covers four categories of secondary dependent, and the category you’re claiming under changes which documents you’ll attach. Across all of them, you must provide more than half the person’s total support.2Department of Defense. DD Form 137 Dependency Application

  • A parent, stepparent, adoptive parent, parent-in-law, stepparent of a spouse, or someone who stood in loco parentis to you for at least five continuous years before you turned 21. For medical benefits under 10 U.S.C. 1072, the parent must live in your household.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 37 USC 401 – Definitions
  • An adult child over 21 who is incapable of self-support because of a mental or physical condition that began while they were still a dependent (under 21, or under 23 as a student).4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 1072 – Definitions
  • An unmarried full-time student aged 21 or 22 at an approved institution of higher learning. Part-time enrollment only counts for college seniors.5Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Army Secondary Dependency Student DD Form 137-6 Application Assistance
  • A ward of the court placed in your legal custody by a U.S. court for at least 12 consecutive months. Wards must be under 21, or under 23 and enrolled full-time, or incapacitated.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 37 USC 401 – Definitions

The financial test looks at every dollar coming into the dependent’s life. That includes Social Security, pensions, investment income, and contributions from other family members, all measured against what you send. Leaving any income source off the worksheet looks like concealment.

Gather Documents Before You Open the Form

Most rejected applications fail on documentation, not eligibility. You need two evidence packets: one proving the legal relationship, one proving the financial support.

Relationship Proof

For a parent claim, submit your birth certificate showing the person as your parent, or a marriage certificate linking you to a spouse whose parent you’re claiming. Adoptive parents need the adoption decree. For a ward, attach the court order establishing legal custody, and make sure the order shows custody for at least 12 consecutive months. If it says “temporary” without a duration, DFAS may ask for clarification.6Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Secondary Dependency – Ward of the Court For an incapacitated child, you need a medical statement signed by a physician, physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, or psychiatrist confirming the person cannot support themselves, the age the condition began, whether it’s permanent, and which activities of daily living need help.7Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Army Secondary Dependency Claim Incapacitated Child DD Form 137-5 Application Assistance

Financial Proof

DFAS accepts two methods for showing you provide more than half the support:8Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Secondary Dependency – General Information

  • A copy of your prior-year federal tax return showing the person claimed as a dependent. This is the simpler path if you already claim them.
  • The Worksheet for Determining Financial Support included with the DD Form 137, backed by a detailed accounting of the dependent’s total income and expenses and your contributions to each.

Either way, pull bank statements, cancelled checks, or electronic transfer records covering regular payments to or on behalf of the dependent. Collect every income document the dependent has: Social Security benefit statements, pension letters, dividend and interest statements, rental income, anything else coming in. The reviewer compares your contributions against the dependent’s total cost of living.

Extra Documents for Student Claims

If you’re claiming a full-time student aged 21 or 22, add a letter on school letterhead signed by a school official showing the enrollment date, full- or part-time status, and expected graduation date. Include a detailed billing statement for every semester you’re requesting BAH, showing what was billed and who paid. If a GI Bill covers any tuition, document those payments too.5Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Army Secondary Dependency Student DD Form 137-6 Application Assistance

Completing the Form

Download the current form, dated October 2024, from the DoD forms site at esd.whs.mil.9Department of Defense. DD 137 – Secondary Dependency Application Anything on an old 137-3, 137-5, 137-6, or 137-7 will be rejected.1Marines.mil. Secondary Dependency Application DD Form 137 Update

The form is a fillable PDF. Type your entries. Handwritten forms slow processing when the writing is hard to read, and illegible entries get flagged.

Section 8 is where the claim is won or lost. You’ll list the dependent’s monthly household expenses over a twelve-month period: housing, utilities, food, clothing, medical costs, transportation. The form divides the household total by the number of people in the household to isolate the dependent’s share, and your documented contributions must exceed that share. If the math contradicts your attached bank statements and receipts, the application comes back.

Fill every applicable field. Where something doesn’t apply, write “N/A” rather than leaving it blank, because empty fields trigger an incomplete flag during screening. The affidavit sections are sworn statements; the dependent, or a legal representative, must sign them in front of a notary public or a military official authorized to administer oaths. An unwitnessed signature will get the form returned.

Submitting the Package

The fastest submission route for every branch is the AskDFAS online portal, which issues a ticket number you can use to track the claim. DFAS does not accept applications by fax or email.8Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Secondary Dependency – General Information

If you’re mailing a paper package, use the address for your branch:10Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Secondary Dependency Contact Us

  • Army: DFAS-IN/Secondary Dependency, ATTN: JFLAKA DFAS INDIANAPOLIS, 8899 East 56th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46249-3300.
  • Navy parent, student, and ward claims: DFAS-Cleveland, ATTN: Dependency Claims, 1240 East 9th Street, Cleveland, OH 44199.
  • Navy incapacitated-child claims (not processed by DFAS): MNCC-424, Attn: Navy Project Office, 5720 Integrity Drive, Bldg 785 Rm 162, Millington, TN 38055.
  • Air Force and Space Force: submit through AskDFAS; the system routes the package to the Total Force Service Center. For questions call 1-800-525-0102 or open a myFSS ticket.11Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Secondary Dependency – Parents
  • Marines: submit to your local DEERS and Dependency Support Section (MFP-1) or through AskDFAS.

A complete package moves to a final determination in about six to eight weeks. Missing documents pause the clock; DFAS sends a request for additional information, and the timeline restarts once you reply. You’ll receive the decision by official military email or by formal letter to your address of record.12Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Secondary Dependency – Frequently Asked Questions

Plan for Recertification

Approval is not permanent, and how you document this application matters later. Any secondary dependent tied to a BAH claim must be recertified every year, and any secondary dependent holding a Uniformed Services ID card must be recertified every four years.8Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Secondary Dependency – General Information Missing a recertification suspends benefits and can create a debt if BAH was paid at the with-dependent rate during a lapsed period. You can start the recertification before the current period ends, but not more than 90 days early. Keep the records you assembled for this application; you’ll rebuild the same worksheet next cycle.

Sworn Statement, Real Consequences

The affidavit sections on the DD Form 137 are sworn statements. Knowingly signing a false official document or making a false official statement violates Article 107 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and can be punished as a court-martial directs.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 907 – Art 107 False Official Statements False Swearing Inflated or falsified claims can also lead to administrative separation and recoupment of any benefits improperly paid, including BAH back-payments and TRICARE costs. If the numbers on your worksheet don’t match your bank records, the discrepancy will surface during review.