Educational Benefits
Educational assistance benefits are available to spouses who have not remarried and children of members who died from a service-connected injury or illness. Benefits may be awarded for pursuit of associate, bachelor or graduate degrees at colleges and universities, including independent study, cooperative training and study abroad programs. Courses leading to a certificate or diploma from business, technical or vocational schools also may be taken. Benefits may be awarded for apprenticeships, on-the-job training programs and farm cooperative courses. Benefits for correspondence courses under certain conditions are available to spouses only. Secondary-school programs may be pursued if the individual is not a high-school graduate. An individual with a deficiency in a subject may receive tutorial assistance benefits if enrolled half-time or more. Deficiency, refresher and other training also may be available. Eligible persons may receive educational assistance for full-time training for up to 45 months or the equivalent in part-time training. Schooling must be in VA-approved schools and colleges. Payments to a spouse end 10 years from the date the individual is found eligible or from the member’s date of the death. The VA may grant an extension. In addition to the Dependents Educational Assistance program, various programs are available to help children reach their education goals. For more information, contact the nearest VA office.
