Let’s walk through all of this — including Chapter 35 benefits and how they impact your pay — so you don’t get caught off guard.

Basic Eligibility Requirements

To add dependents to your VA benefits, you need to meet two main requirements (straight from VA.gov):

• You must be eligible for VA disability compensation.
• Your combined disability rating must be at least 30%.

That’s it — easy peasy.

Recognized Dependent Types

1. Spouse

The VA recognizes all legal marriages, including same-sex and common-law marriages. If you get legally divorced, not just separated, you must notify the VA. If you don’t, you’ll owe a debt once the VA finds out.

2. Parents

This one is trickier. Parents can be dependents if you’re financially supporting them. You’ll need to prove their income and net worth fall below a certain threshold. That’s done by submitting VA Form 21P-509. The form requires detailed financial information — everything from home equity to bank accounts.

3. Unmarried Children

Your children count as dependents if they meet at least one of the following:

• Under 18 years old
• Between 18 and 23 and enrolled in school
• Permanently disabled before turning 18

This includes biological, adopted, and stepchildren.

4. Children Living with the Other Parent

Even if your biological children primarily live with your ex, you can still claim them as dependents. This is especially important because military and veteran divorce rates are high, and this scenario is very common.

Important Info About Chapter 35 (DEA)

If your dependent is using Chapter 35 (Dependents’ Educational Assistance), you need to remove them from your VA pay. Why? Because the VA will automatically recoup any benefits you’ve received for that dependent during the time they were using Chapter 35.

This is especially important if you’re not 100% Permanent and Total (P&T). P&T veterans don’t need to worry as much — their dependents are expected to use DEA — but for everyone else, you have to stay on top of it.

Dependents are automatically dropped when they turn 18 unless you add them back as a student, so make sure to update the system if your child is in school.

Dual Veteran Families

If both you and your spouse are veterans, you can both claim each other and your children as dependents. Think of it like BAH — both can qualify independently.

Best Way to File for Dependents

Here’s my personal recommendation: Just call the VA. Seriously. It’s the one time I’ll tell you to deal directly with them. Make sure you have all the documents ready — Social Security numbers, marriage or birth certificates, etc.

You can also file online, by mail, or through a VSO (Veterans Service Organization), but I’ve had the most success just calling. In one case, it took almost a year for my dependent claim to go through — and I had to keep calling to push it along.

Timing Matters

Adding dependents is a VA claim just like any other. It uses your Intent to File date. So if you’re planning to file both a disability claim and a dependent claim, do them at the same time. Otherwise, you may only get backpay for one, and miss out on extra compensation you’re entitled to.