When a service-connected disability gets in the way of your ability to work and provide for a spouse, child, or parent, the financial challenges can quickly become overwhelming. That’s why the VA provides many veterans receiving VA benefits additional compensation and benefits for family members. Adding dependents to VA disability benefits can lead to a significant increase in your monthly checks.
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In this article about adding dependents to your VA disability benefits:
How can dependents affect my VA disability?
Veterans with a combined VA disability rating of 30% or higher can add eligible dependents to their VA claim. The VA provides veterans with additional compensation and benefits if they have spouses, eligible children, or dependent parents, to assist with the financial challenges of supporting family members.
Additional benefits with dependents can include:
- Increased monthly compensation: The VA acknowledges the added financial responsibilities of veterans with families. Therefore, veterans with dependents can receive higher compensation rates than those without dependents. We’ll show you how to calculate these increased rates below.
- Healthcare benefits: Dependents may qualify for healthcare through programs like CHAMPVA or TRICARE, depending on the veteran’s service-connected disability.
- Educational and training benefits: Spouses and dependent children can access school or job training benefits, such as the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Education Assistance Program.
- Employment services: Dependents eligible for VA education benefits can receive free educational and career counseling.
- Life insurance: There are options for dependents to obtain life insurance coverage.
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Who does the VA consider a dependent?
The VA has specific criteria defining who qualifies as an eligible dependent. Dependents can include spouses, children, and parents.
Spouses of veterans
The VA recognizes spouses in opposite-sex, same-sex, and common-law marriages as dependents.
If both you and your spouse are veterans with a disability rating of at least 30%, you can both receive additional disability compensation for each other and your children.
Children of veterans
Eligible children can be biological, adopted, or step-children. The child must be unmarried and meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Under the age of 18, OR
- Between 18-23 years old and attending school full-time, OR
- Permanently disabled before turning 18.
When a child turns 18 but remains in school full-time, the veteran must update the child’s school information to continue receiving additional disability compensation.
Otherwise, when the child turns 18, the VA will automatically stop paying additional disability compensation for them. The VA keeps track of this using the birth dates you provide for any children.
Dependent parents of veterans
Parents can be considered dependents if the veteran is in charge of caring for them, and their income is below the limit set by law.
If there are other family members a veteran’s parents are obligated to care for due to age or disability, a veteran may be eligible for additional compensation to help support them.
Checking, adding, or modifying current dependents
When life circumstances change, you may need to add or remove a dependent.
Though veterans can add or modify dependents by submitting the appropriate forms by mail, in person at a VA regional office, or electronically, the most common way veterans review or update their dependents is through the VA’s online eBenefits system.
Veterans are encouraged to update their dependents quickly when there is a change. Failure to notify the VA might result in you receiving more benefits than you are owed, and in such cases, the VA may withhold money from future payments to recover overpaid amounts.
To check, add, or modify dependents online, veterans should:
- Sign in. Access VA.gov with a verified account, such as an ID.me, or Login.gov account.
- Navigate to dependents. Once signed in, select the “Manage Benefits” section, to view the list of current dependents on your VA disability benefits.
- Add or remove dependents. If you need to add or remove dependents or make changes to your current dependents’ information, you can do so here.
Cases of common-law marriage or a dependent parent require specific forms and cannot be managed through the portal. We explain more about these forms below.
What happens once I make a change to my dependents?
If you need to add dependents to an existing, approved benefit claim, the VA could process your request in as little as two days when filed online.
While the VA’s online system is convenient, you may still want to follow up on your claims and dependent requests. Unfortunately, the VA has reported significant numbers of claims lost after a veteran attempted to change a dependent online. Checking to confirm your request was received and is being processed can ensure you aren’t lost in the system. You can use the eBenefits platform to check the status of your claims online or check your status via telephone or by visiting your regional VA office.
Forms for VA dependents
Using the correct form when you make changes to dependents on a VA claim by mail or in person is important. Below, we explain the four forms you may run across when adding, removing, or changing your dependents.
VA Form 21-686C
Form 21-686C, “Application Request to Add and/or Remove Dependents,” can be used to manage the dependents on your VA benefits instead of the online eBenefits system. Spouses and children can be added using this form, but common-law marriages and dependent parents require different forms, detailed below. You’ll need everyone’s social security numbers and additional information about birth or marriage dates and locations so the information can be verified.
VA Form 21-4170
VA Form 21-4170 is used to claim benefits for spouses and prove your marital status. While you cannot add a common-law spouse to your claim via the online system, you can add them with this form. You’ll need evidence that shows you are operating as a married couple. Examples of proof may include leases, joint bank statements, or other documents that show you are living as a couple.
VA Form 21-674
VA Form 21-674 is used to claim benefits for an eligible child between the ages of 18 and 23 attending school. This update can be handled online or with this form. The form includes questions about the student’s school. Keep in mind, if this form is not submitted when your child turns 18, you will stop receiving additional benefits for them.
VA Form 21P-509
VA form 21P-509 is used to claim parents who are dependent on you for support, which cannot be done through the online system. You’ll need to have everyone’s social security numbers and information about a dependent parent’s income. This form can also be used by parents of veterans who died as a result of their service.
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Calculating additional compensation from dependents
Calculating the specific increase in your disability compensation can be complex, but the VA provides a detailed rate table to help veterans determine these amounts accurately.
The amount of additional compensation depends on the veteran’s disability rating and the number of dependents. Here’s a simple example for a veteran with a 30% disability rating, one spouse, and three dependent children under 18.
- Find the correct table. Start with the basic rate table for veterans with dependents, including children. On the VA’s website, this chart is found second, below the basic rate table for veterans with a spouse or dependent but no children.
- Find the basic rate. Find the row for a veteran with a spouse and one child (additional children will be added later). In the 30% disability rating column, you will find the amount of $632.31.
- Add amounts for dependents. Add the amount for each additional child. In this case, each additional child adds $31.00 to the total. So, for two additional children, $62.00 will be added.
- Calculate the total monthly payment. Add these amounts to the basic rate to get the total monthly compensation. Using the above example, the total would be $694.31.
$632.31 basic rate (one spouse, first child under 18)
+$31 (second child under 18)
+$31 (third child under 18)
Total $694.31
How Woods and Woods can help
Navigating VA disability benefits can be challenging, but keeping your dependents updated ensures you receive the full VA disability compensation you are owed. Contact Woods and Woods today for free assistance with an initial claim or a case evaluation to see how we can help. If we take your case, you only pay us if we win.
Talk to Us About Your Claim:
(812) 426-7200
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The VA has specific criteria defining eligible dependents, which can include spouses, children, and parents. The VA recognizes spouses in opposite-sex, same-sex, and common-law marriages as dependents. Children can be biological, adopted, or step-children, but must be unmarried and either be under the age of 18, between 18 and 23 but in school, or be permanently disabled before turning 18. Parents can be considered dependents if the veteran is directly caring for them and their income and net worth are below the limit set by law.
Though veterans can add or modify dependents by submitting appropriate forms by mail, in person at a VA regional office, or electronically, the most common way veterans review or update their dependents is through the VA’s online eBenefits system.
Neil Woods
VA disability attorney
Woods & Woods
Neil Woods is the firm’s owner and president. He received his law degree from Western Michigan University.
