Dependent age compensation

[Combat eng]

Is there an increase in dependent compensation if your child is 18 but is still in highschool  until next year cor is the increase just for her after she starts college?

[brokensoldier244th]

if your HS has a school certifying official that fills out the form then they should get the higher rate- its the same form whether they are in HS or college. DEA can be used in HS as well, though it still takes away time 1:1 so you would have fewer months for college DEA payments (Chap 35).

[Vync]

I have been through this. Took the dependent verification form to the high school office and they signed off. We also used Chapter 35 DEA, but elected to wait for my kid to begin college. @brokensoldier244this right about it eating time 1:1 from the DEA window. At the college, we had to go to the college's VA agent and get them to help with the DEA forms. It took a couple of months for the DEA compensation to be awarded, but it came in as retro like other VA claims. Just note that the DEA funds are awarded to your kid, not you, and they periodically have to certify they are still attending class and are in good standing. The VA also dropped the child dependent payment from me, which was ok because the DEA amount was higher and my kid needed it.

[brokensoldier244th]

Always remember to put in, either paper or electronically, that you want that dependent removed. If you don't and you get dependent pay while they are receiving DEA YOU will will have to pay back the dependent portion for however many months they over lapped. At 280-ish or whatever it is now a month, that adds up fast. You can opt for a payment plan to have it come off you comp every month, but better to either set it aside, or have them removed. When I have changed a childs status (my own) it usually takes a few weeks to a month. If I wait and let VA do it (did this once a few years ago before I knew better) it was several months before it was noticed, flagged, and the dependent removed.