Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Chapter 35)


Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) is a program administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that provides a monthly stipend to surviving family members or dependents of veterans with a permanent and total disability rating while pursuing post-secondary education. Each eligible dependent receives their own Chapter 35 entitlement.
 
  1. What you get:
    1. Up to 36 months of entitlement if your school or training started on or after August 1, 2018.
    2. Up to 45 months of entitlement if your school or training started before August 1, 2018.
    3. Monthly stipend for full-time enrollment of up to $1,536 for each full month
      1. Find more rates for Chapter 35 here. These rates change each year on October 1st.
    4. Although Chapter 35 is not a tuition-paying benefit, you may be eligible for in-state tuition rates at public schools, even if you are not a state resident. To qualify, you must live in the state when classes start and meet criteria as a qualifying individual. Visit the VA’s Veterans Choice Act webpage for more information.
 
  1. How to qualify:
    1. You must be the dependent of a veteran or Servicemember who:
      1. Has a 100% permanent and total service-connected disability rating from the VA or,
      2. Died as a result of a service-connected disability or in the line of duty.
    2. Spouse
      1. You can get both DEA and VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) payments. Learn about DIC.
      2. You are no longer eligible after divorce.
      3. If you join the military, you can’t use this benefit while you’re on active duty. You must have a discharge that is not Dishonorable to use Chapter 35 after leaving service.
      4. You are no longer eligible for DEA benefits if the veteran dies and you remarry (exceptions determined by the VA).
    3. Child
      1. Must be 18 years old or completed high school (or equivalent).
      2. You’ll need to give up VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) payments while using Chapter 35.
      3. You can be married or unmarried.
      4. If you join the military, you can’t use this benefit while you’re on active duty. You must have a discharge that is not Dishonorable to use Chapter 35 after leaving service.
 
  1. Period of eligibility:
    1. Spouse
      1. If the event that qualified you for Chapter 35 happened before August 1, 2023, you have 10 years in most cases to use your benefits.
        1. In some cases, including if the Servicemember died while on active duty, your benefits expire after 20 years.
      2. If the event that qualified you for Chapter 35 happened on or after August 1, 2023, there’s no time limit to use your benefits.
    2. Child
      1. If you became eligible for Chapter 35 before August 1, 2023, you can only use the benefit until your 26th birthday.
      2. If you became eligible for Chapter 35 after August 1, 2023, there’s no time limit to use the benefit.
 
  1. Using other education benefits:
    1. You cannot use another education benefit that pays you a monthly stipend while using Chapter 35. However, it’s very common for dependents to also take advantage of tuition-only benefits, like the Wisconsin GI Bill or Wisconsin Veterans Grant for Private/Nonprofit Colleges.

 
Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship

The Fry Scholarship is a program administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that provides educational assistance to children and surviving spouses of Servicemembers who died on or after September 11, 2001. Each eligible dependent receives their own Fry Scholarship.
 
  1. What you get:
  • Up to 36 months of entitlement.
  • Tuition paid directly to the school:
    • Up to 100% of in-state tuition and fees at public schools.
    • Up to $28,937.09 per year at private and foreign schools.
    • While using Chapter 33, you may be eligible for in-state tuition rates at public schools, even if you are not a state resident. To qualify, you must live in the state when classes start and meet criteria as a qualifying individual. Visit the VA’s Veterans Choice Act webpage for more information.
    • The Yellow Ribbon Program can help you pay for higher out-of-state, private school, foreign school, or graduate school tuition and fees that the Post-9/11 GI Bill doesn’t cover.
  • Book stipend paid directly to the student: Up to $1,000 per year.
  • Monthly housing stipend paid directly to the student:
    • The amount is based off the basic allowance for housing (BAH) rate for an E-5 with dependents for the school’s zip code for in-person classes.
    • If you are in an online program, the housing stipend is a flat rate nationally of up to $1,118.50 per month.
    • You must be enrolled more than half-time.
  • You can find current payment rates and approved schools, employers, licenses, etc. using the GI Bill Comparison Tool. 
  1. How to qualify:
  • You must be the dependent of a veteran or Servicemember who (one of the following must be true):
    • Died in the line of duty while serving on active duty.
    • Died from a service-connected disability within 120 days of being discharged from active duty or released from duty.
    • Was a member of the National Guard or Reserves and died in the line of duty other than active duty.
      • This can include active duty for training or inactive duty training. This does not include State Active Duty.
    • Was a member of the National Guard or Reserves and died from a service-connected disability.
  • Spouse
    • You can get both the Fry Scholarship and VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) payments. Learn about DIC.
    • If you remarry, you’ll keep your eligibility for the Fry Scholarship if you qualified for this education benefit through your previous marriage.
  • Child
    • Must be 18 years old or completed high school (or equivalent).
    • You’ll need to give up VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) payments while using the Fry Scholarship.
    • You can be married or unmarried.
  1. Period of eligibility:
  • Spouse
    • There is no time limit to use this benefit. If you had unused Fry Scholarship benefits that expired, the VA may restore those benefits for you to use any time after January 2, 2025, even if you’ve remarried. You can reapply for the benefit to have entitlement restored.
  • Child
    • If your parent was a Servicemember who died before January 1, 2013, you’re eligible for the Fry Scholarship until you’re 33 years old.
    • There is no time limit to use the benefit if one of the following applies to you:
      • Your parent was a Servicemember who died before January 1, 2013, but you turned 18 or graduated from high school after this date.
      • Your parent was a Servicemember who died on or after January 1, 2013.
      • You parent was a member of the National Guard or Reserves who died in the line of duty other than active duty or from a service-connected disability.
    • If you became eligible for Chapter 35 after August 1, 2023, there’s no time limit to use the benefit.
How do I apply for Chapter 35 or Fry Scholarship?
    1. Gather the following information:
      1. social security number
      2. bank account direct deposit information
      3. education history
      4. name of school you want to attend or are attending
    2. Apply for dependent education benefits online.
    3. The VA will mail you a certificate of eligibility (COE).
      1. Provide this to the School Certifying Official (SCO) at your school, so they can certify your enrollment to the VA.
How can I use these benefits?
    1. You can use your Chapter 35 or the Fry Scholarship while pursuing opportunities like undergraduate and graduate (including doctorate) degrees, on-the-job training, and apprenticeships.
    2. Your benefits can only be used while taking classes that are required for your degree. It’s often a good idea to declare your major early and verify your courses meet requirements with your SCO before starting classes.
    3. You can find approved institutions and other ways to use your benefits with the GI Bill Comparison Tool.
Can I use both Chapter 35 and the Fry Scholarship?
  • If you’re a spouse eligible for both programs, you must pick one or the other. Once you make this choice, you can’t switch to the other program.
  • If you’re a child eligible for both programs:
    • If your parent died in the line of duty before August 1, 2011, you may be eligible for both Chapter 35 and the Fry Scholarship. However, you can only use one benefit at a time. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will limit the combined benefits from both programs to a maximum of 81 months of full-time training.
    • If your parent died in the line of duty on or after August 1, 2011, you may be eligible to use both Chapter 35 and the Fry Scholarship if you also qualify for Chapter 35 due to a different qualifying event. You can use only one program at a time, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) limits the combined benefits from both programs to 48 months of full-time training.
What if I also have transferred Post 9/11 GI Bill® benefits?
You can’t use the Post 9/11 GI Bill at the same time as Fry Scholarship or Chapter 35. However, you can switch benefits once you’ve exhausted your entitlement for another. You can find more information on the transfer of education benefits (TEB) process here.
There is no one-size-fits all solution for what benefit to use first. This decision can be impacted based on your personal goals, period of entitlement, and whether or not you attend an in-state school. Please reach out to ngwi.edu@army.mil or 608.242.3447 or your School Certifying Official for assistance with determining what makes the most sense for you.


GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at the official U.S. government website.