leannapgriffin

This has been an incredible thread to read! A vast amount of information. My father was a 21 year USAF Veteran who passed away last week. In helping my Mother file for DIC at the VA, the Director commented on my Father's 'success story' with retroactive concurrent receipt which was awarded to him in 2011. Unbeknownst to me, my Father was awarded 100% disability backdated to 1996-when I was just 16 years old. The letter went on to explain that as his dependent I was eligible for DEA as of that same date. I graduated from high school in 1998 & went on to graduate from the University of Northern Iowa in 2002. As he was disabled, my parents were on a very fixed income & so I worked 3 jobs & took out several student loans to support myself. 9 years after I graduated, my father's 100% disability determination was made. The VA director recommended I reach out to the VA Education Benefits department as I was eligible for DEA/Chapter 35 while I was in college. I did that & spoke to a very unhelpful woman who simply directed me to their website to fill out a 22-5490. She said if eligible, they will send me a certificate via mail. I'm not at all confident she had any idea what I was asking... I'm now 38 years old & clearly well past the 26 year maximum for eligibility. However, had the VA made their determination sooner, I would have qualified for DEA when it was needed. Has anyone had experience with this? I will continue to flip through this thread for additional information. Thank you in advance for any wisdom you may have.