# Chapter 35 DEA 2026-27: $1,621/mo for Dependents
> Chapter 35 DEA pays a Veteran's spouse or child $1,621/month for school from October 1, 2026. Who qualifies, the age-26 rule, and DEA vs Fry.
>
> Canonical: https://benefitry.io/guides/chapter-35-dea-survivors-education
> Publisher: Benefitry (benefitry.io). Benefits audit software for US veterans and military families.
> Last updated: 2026-10-30 · First published: 2026-06-16
> Official sources cited: https://www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/education-and-careers/dependents-education-assistance/ · https://www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/education-and-careers/dependents-education-assistance/rates/ · https://www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/education-and-careers/dependents-education-assistance/rates/past-rates-2025-2026/ · https://www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/education-and-careers/fry-scholarship/
> Note: Benefitry is informational software, not affiliated with the VA; it does not file claims or give claim advice (38 U.S.C. § 5901).
---
The Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance program, known as **Chapter 35** or **DEA**, pays the spouse or children of a Veteran who is permanently and totally disabled, or who died from a service-connected cause, a monthly stipend to go to school. It is one of the most valuable family benefits the VA offers, and it is entirely separate from the Veteran's own GI Bill: your dependent does not spend your GI Bill entitlement to use it.
This guide covers who qualifies, what it pays in 2026, and the one decision that trips families up: DEA versus the Fry Scholarship.
## Who qualifies
A spouse or child is eligible for Chapter 35 DEA if the Veteran or service member meets **one** of these conditions:
- Is **permanently and totally (P&T) service-connected disabled**, or
- **Died of a service-connected disability**, or
- **Died in the line of duty** or while on active duty, or
- Is **missing in action, captured, or forcibly detained** by a hostile force for more than 90 days, or
- Is hospitalized or being treated for a service-connected P&T disability and is likely to be discharged for it.
The first condition is the common one: a living Veteran rated **100% P&T** opens DEA for every eligible dependent. If you are rated total based on individual unemployability that is considered permanent, that can qualify too. See the [TDIU guide](/guides/tdiu-individual-unemployability) for how permanence is determined.
## What it pays in 2026
DEA pays a flat monthly stipend based on your training time. The rates change every October 1.
Institutional (classroom) training, October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026:
- **Full-time: $1,574.00/month**
- **Three-quarter time: $1,244.00/month**
- **Half-time: $912.00/month**
From October 1, 2026:
- **Full-time: $1,621.00/month**
- **Three-quarter time: $1,281.00/month**
- **Half-time: $939.00/month**
Payments are prorated for partial months of enrollment.
Source: [VA.gov Chapter 35 rates](https://www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/education-and-careers/dependents-education-assistance/rates/)
Unlike the Post-9/11 GI Bill, DEA does **not** pay tuition directly to the school or add a separate housing allowance. It is a single monthly check to the student, who uses it for tuition, housing, books, whatever is needed. That simplicity is why it pairs so well with state tuition benefits like the [California CalVet College Fee Waiver](/guides/state-benefits-california-deep-dive) or Texas Hazlewood: the state benefit covers tuition while DEA covers living costs.
## How long it lasts
- **36 months** of entitlement if the dependent first used the benefit on or after August 1, 2018.
- **45 months** if training began before August 1, 2018.
At full-time, 36 months of entitlement spread across roughly 9 enrolled months per academic year covers about **four academic years** of college, the length of a bachelor's degree.
## The eligibility window (delimiting dates)
This is where timing matters.
- **For a child:** historically the benefit was usable between ages 18 and 26. If the child became eligible, turned 18, or finished high school (or got a GED) **on or after August 1, 2023**, the VA removed the age cap: there is no time limit. If all three happened before that date, the old window generally still applies, ending at age 26 (with exceptions, for example a child who became eligible between 18 and 26).
- **For a spouse:** generally **10 years** from the date the VA finds the spouse eligible or from the Veteran's death, and **20 years** for surviving spouses of those who died on active duty. For events **on or after August 1, 2023**, there is **no time limit**.
If your qualifying event is recent, the newer no-limit rules are a major upgrade over what families faced a few years ago.
## DEA vs the Fry Scholarship: the decision that matters
If the service member **died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001**, the surviving spouse or child may qualify for the **Fry Scholarship** instead of, or in addition to, DEA. The two are very different:
| | Chapter 35 DEA | Fry Scholarship |
|---|---|---|
| **Who** | Spouse/child of a P&T disabled Veteran, OR a service-connected death | Spouse/child of a service member who died in the line of duty after 9/10/2001 |
| **What it pays** | Flat monthly stipend ($1,621 full-time from October 1, 2026) | Post-9/11 structure: tuition paid to the school + housing allowance + book stipend |
| **Best when** | You have separate tuition coverage (state waiver) and want cash for living costs | Tuition is the big expense and you want it paid in full |
A child eligible for both Fry and DEA can use only one program at a time, with a combined cap of 81 months (if the parent died before August 1, 2011) or 48 months (on or after, where the child can use both only if DEA comes from a different event). A surviving spouse must pick one program, and that choice cannot be switched later. Because Fry pays full tuition plus a housing allowance at the Post-9/11 rate, it is usually worth more at a school with high tuition. DEA wins when tuition is already covered by a [state benefit](/guides/state-benefits-california-deep-dive) and you want the monthly cash. Compare carefully before electing.
## How DEA fits with the Veteran's own benefits
DEA does not touch the Veteran's GI Bill: the two are independent. A Veteran can use their own [Post-9/11 GI Bill](/guides/gi-bill-comparison) or [VR&E](/guides/vre-vs-gi-bill) while their dependents separately draw Chapter 35. For a 100% P&T Veteran with college-age kids, that means one family can have the Veteran's education benefit, each child's DEA, and a state tuition waiver all running at once.
## Worked example
A child of a 100% P&T disabled Veteran enrolls full-time in college under Chapter 35:
- Monthly payment at the rate from October 1, 2026: **$1,621.00**.
- A 9-month academic year (September to May): 9 times $1,621.00 equals **$14,589** for the year. September 2026 itself is paid at the earlier $1,574.00 rate, so the 2026-2027 year comes to $14,542.
- Over the full 36-month entitlement: 36 times $1,621.00 equals **$58,356** total, roughly four years of full-time funding (the rate changes each October 1, so later years pay whatever VA sets then).
Pair that with a state tuition waiver that covers the actual tuition bill, and the family is funding a degree with very little out of pocket.
## What to do next
1. If you are rated 100% P&T, tell your spouse and kids: they likely have a DEA benefit and may not know it.
2. Apply with VA Form 22-5490 (the dependent applies, online through VA.gov is fastest).
3. If the service member died in the line of duty on or after 9/11/2001, compare DEA against the [Fry Scholarship](https://www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/education-and-careers/fry-scholarship/) before electing: the Fry's full-tuition structure often wins.
4. Stack it: use a [state tuition benefit](/guides/state-benefits-texas-deep-dive) for tuition and DEA for living costs.
Chapter 35 is one of the clearest wins in the entire benefits system for a disabled Veteran's family, real money toward a degree that does not cost the Veteran a single month of their own GI Bill.