Servicemembers give so much to their country. Sometimes in the course of their service, they will become injured, disabled, or killed. In other cases, members of our Armed Services have gone missing in action, or been detained for months or years and returned home having been imprisoned by a hostile foreign power.
Congress recognizes their service, and created the Dependent Survivor Educational Program.
If you are spouse or dependant who is interested in going to school, and you are the survivor or dependant in this type of category, you may be eligible for funds under the Survivors and Dependents Assistance program. This is an educational support program that gives training and education support to those dependents and spouses of certain veterans.
This program can offer as much as forty five months of benefits for education. These funds can be used to complete various programs including certificate programs, on the job training, apprenticeship, and degree and college diploma programs. There are even opportunities in certain cases for refresher and remedial training. For spouses, there are opportunities for correspondence or distance learning
If you are a spouse, you may take a correspondence course. Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under certain circumstances.
Nothing can replace a Servicemember who has given their life for their country, or who has endured a service related injury or imprisonment. But being able to attend college or receive job skills and training in their memory can certainly help. If you are the daughter or son of a veteran in one of these categories, you have to be older than age 18, and under age 26 to receive assistance under this program. There are some circumstances where earlier than 18 years of age is possible, or continuing after you reach age 26.
If you are currently in the Armed Forces yourself, you cannot receive these benefits during the period in which you serve on active duty. You must be separated from active duty honorably; being dishonorably discharged from duty will make you ineligible. If you wish to participate, it sometimes is possible to apply and have the Veterans Administration extend the time that you have to participate by the amount of time you spent on active duty.
Being married is not a disqualification for these benefits. For the most part, these benefits have to be started before the age of 31 years old. Once the Veterans Administration for the Dependent Survivor Education program declares you eligible, you have ten years to complete your benefits. Surviving spouses enrolled in this program are granted twenty years from the date of the death for the Servicemember involved.
