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Chapter 35 retro pay for spouse?

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page1006

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My husband died due to service-connected disability and I fought the VA for over 6 years. He died in April of 2010 but my 9 year old son and I didn’t start receiving benefits until October of 2016. The effective day is April of 2010. I was in college when he died and did not complete my degree until 2016. I am now using the chapter 35 benefits to pay for graduate school. However, I got my bachelors degree after my husband died and was wondering if I’m entitled to any retroactive pay when it comes to educational benefits. I have accumulated some student debt from my bachelors degree. Any way I can at least get help paying for the debt?

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Chapter 35  will pay retro under certain circumstances. They paid me about 6  thousand in retro 

My posts on all that are available here under a search.

My initial DEA entitlement date was based on my deceased husband's 100% SC P & T award.

When it ran out I had to pay for the tuition for the rest of my courses to finish my degree, with no reimbursement from the VA.

I had no student loans or Pell Grants.

When the VA awarded my next claim, direct SC death due to AO  in 2010, I immediately pulled out my  1995 REPS app, my Chap 35 stuff, and also the funeral bill, and my FTCA offset info from OGC.

They owed me plenty on many issues .And paid it all after a few major and minor skirmishes.

(My past DIC award was due to death by VA ( Section 1151 DIC) that had offered No ancillary benefits such as Chap 35 or CHAMPVA) I only had those benefits due to the 100% SC PTSD P & T posthumous award.

My DMII AO claim changed everything.

I sent CHAP 35 VA Edu dept proof of my tuitions paid since the DEA first limiting date had run out -this was a print out of my student record that also showed I had graduated from AMU in 2007 and had a list of the courses etc etc as well as the proof of paid tuition.

to the VA counselor I had at the college, with copy to their Financial aid office, and again after a little battle ( VA EDU can be an oxymoron) ,the check was in the mail.

The school must be VA Approved.Most of them are. Your college has  a web site that should  have an area for GI Bill students as well as Chapter 35 students.

Mine didn't -but does now- I was their first Chapter 35 student and first civilian student. The info you need might well be under their GI bill info, if they do not have a specific area for Chapter 35.

Hope this helped- we have had others who used this info here to gain retro Chap 35.

CHAMPVA also is retro as far as any paid out of pocket  medical expenses go, back to the Entitlement date.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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