To add a parent as a military dependent, you file DD Form 137-3 with documentation proving you provide more than half of that parent’s living expenses, then submit the package to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) or your branch’s processing office. Approval raises your Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) to the with-dependents rate and gives your parent limited access to military healthcare and, in some cases, a military ID card. Most rejections trace back to incomplete paperwork, so the work you do before submitting matters more than the form itself.
Who Counts as a Parent
Federal law defines “parent” broadly for this purpose. You can claim a biological parent, a current or former stepparent, an adoptive parent, or a parent-in-law (a parent, stepparent, or adoptive parent of your spouse). You can also claim someone who raised you in place of a parent (in loco parentis) for at least five continuous years before you turned 21.1Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Secondary Dependency Parents
One boundary to know up front: a person who qualifies only through in loco parentis cannot receive a military ID card (a USIP card) of their own. They can still be counted for housing and travel allowances, but they won’t get independent base access.
The 50-Percent Support Test
You must provide more than half of your parent’s total living expenses.2Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Secondary Dependency – General Information Add up everything it costs your parent to live: rent or mortgage, utilities, food, medical bills, insurance, clothing, transportation. Your contributions have to exceed 50 percent of that total.
Your parent’s own income counts on the other side of the ledger. Social Security, pensions, part-time work, anything coming in. If your parent takes in $1,800 a month and their expenses total $3,200, you need to be covering at least $1,601 of those expenses. A parent with income is not automatically disqualified; what matters is the ratio.
The support has to be ongoing. DFAS looks at a sustained pattern, not a single deposit made the week before you apply. And if your contributions later drop below 50 percent, the benefits tied to the claim end.
Does Your Parent Have to Live With You?
This is one of the most misunderstood pieces of the process, and the answer splits depending on what you’re after.
For pay allowances (BAH and travel entitlements), your parent does not need to live in your household. Congress removed that requirement in 1973. Under 37 U.S.C. § 401, financial dependency alone is enough.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 37 USC 401 – Definitions
For a military ID card, your parent must live with you. The USIP card is what gives your parent independent base access, commissary and exchange privileges, and space-available care at military treatment facilities. A parent living in their own home elsewhere can still be counted for allowances but won’t receive a card.1Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Secondary Dependency Parents
The Documents You Need
Getting the documentation right is the single biggest factor in whether your application clears on the first pass.
Relationship Proof
Your birth certificate showing the parent’s name. For a stepparent or parent-in-law, marriage certificates that trace the chain of relationship. If names don’t match because of marriage, divorce, or a legal name change, include the court orders or marriage licenses that explain the discrepancy.
Your Parent’s Income
Provide the full picture: the most recent federal tax return, Social Security benefit statements, pension statements, and records of any other income. This sets one side of the 50-percent equation.
Proof of Your Support
This is where most packages fall apart. DFAS wants a verifiable paper trail showing money moving from you to your parent. What counts:
- A discretionary military allotment to your parent, reflected on your Leave and Earnings Statement
- Canceled checks (front and back) made out to your parent
- Money order receipts payable to your parent
- Records of electronic transfers to your parent
- Bills you pay directly on your parent’s behalf, together with proof of payment
Cash contributions, store receipts, and ATM withdrawal slips are not accepted. If you have been sending cash, switch to a traceable method and build up several months of records before you apply.4Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Army Secondary Dependency Claim – Parents DD Form 137-3 Application Assistance
Shared Residency (Only If You Want an ID Card)
When your parent lives with you and you want them to have a USIP card, include documents proving the shared address: a lease with both names, utility bills at the same address, or a mortgage statement for the home where the parent resides.
Foreign-Language Documents
Anything not in English needs a full English translation. The translator has to certify the translation is complete and accurate and certify their own competence in the source language, and the translator cannot be the person submitting the document. Service members stationed overseas also need a written opinion from the Judge Advocate General or local Staff Judge Advocate confirming the foreign document is usable.5Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Additional Required Documentation When Submitting This Application – Parents-in-Law
Filling Out DD Form 137-3
The form is DD Form 137-3, “Dependency Statement — Parent.” Copies are available from your military personnel office, DoD forms sites, and the DFAS website.6Department of Defense. DD Form 137-3 – Dependency Statement – Parent
Sections are completed by both you and your parent (or their representative). You’ll break down your parent’s monthly income by source, itemize household expenses, state the dollar amount you contribute, and identify anyone else in the household who contributes financially. Use specific dollar figures. Vague estimates get flagged.
Some sections require notarization. Check every signature block and notarization before you send it, because a missing signature is one of the easiest ways to have a package returned unread. Keep a full copy of everything you submit.
Where to Send It
Routing depends on your branch:7Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Contact Us – Secondary Dependency
- Army and Navy: DFAS, either through the AskDFAS online portal or by U.S. mail. The portal is faster and issues a tracking ticket.
- Air Force and Space Force: the Air Force Personnel Center in Indianapolis.
- Marine Corps: Marine Corps Headquarters, Manpower and Reserve Affairs (MFP-1), Quantico, Virginia.
DFAS does not accept applications by fax or email. Many service members route the package through their unit S-1 or personnel office first, which can catch errors before submission.
After You Submit
Processing generally runs several weeks to a few months. If the reviewer needs additional documents or clarification, respond quickly; delays at this stage compound.
Approval comes as a letter from DFAS or your branch’s processing office. Hold onto it. You’ll need it for DEERS enrollment and as ongoing proof of the relationship.
A denial letter will state the specific reason and what to fix. There is no waiting period to reapply. Correct the issue, rebuild the package with updated documentation, and submit it on a new ticket.8Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Secondary Dependency – Frequently Asked Questions
Enrolling Your Parent in DEERS
Approval does not automatically enroll your parent in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System. You need to handle that step by taking your parent to a military ID card facility with:9TRICARE. Required Documents
- The DFAS approval letter
- Your birth certificate and valid photo ID
- Your parent’s photo ID and Social Security card
All documents must be originals or certified copies. If you can’t appear in person, your parent can complete enrollment with a DD Form 1172 you signed within the previous 90 days, or a valid power of attorney.
What Your Parent Actually Gets
Set expectations here, because dependent parents receive fewer benefits than a spouse or child.
Housing allowance. The biggest tangible benefit for you is BAH at the with-dependents rate. For a junior enlisted member living in the barracks or drawing single-rate BAH, that can be a meaningful monthly increase.
Travel allowances. During a Permanent Change of Station move, a dependent parent may be authorized travel and transportation allowances, including mileage reimbursement, per diem, and transportation costs.10Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Army PCS Dependents
Healthcare — limited. This is where expectations need the biggest adjustment. Dependent parents do not receive standard TRICARE coverage. They cannot see civilian providers at TRICARE’s expense, even with a military referral. What they can get:11TRICARE. Dependent Parents Eligibility
- Care at military hospitals and clinics on a space-available basis
- Prescriptions filled at military pharmacies
- Enrollment in TRICARE Plus if their local military treatment facility offers it
If your parent depends on regular access to civilian doctors, dependency status alone will not replace Medicare or other health coverage.
Keeping the Benefit
Approval isn’t permanent. You have to re-prove the dependency on a schedule, and missing the deadline has real cost.
- BAH: annual recertification.
- USIP card: recertification every four years.
You can submit up to 90 days before expiration, but not earlier. If certification lapses, your BAH drops to the without-dependents rate, no back pay is issued for the gap, and you may owe a debt for any BAH overpayment during the lapse.2Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Secondary Dependency – General Information
You also have a running obligation to report changes. If your parent’s income rises, if someone else starts covering their expenses, or if your share drops under 50 percent for any reason, benefits have to stop and you need to notify the office holding your claim.