Dependency claims

If you have a 30% evaluation or higher, you should have your dependents added to your disability compensation; VA pays an additional "stipend" for each depedent you have to your disability compensation. To do so, simply fill out VAF 21-686c and attach copies of your marriage certificate, copies of any divorce decrees nullifying any previous marriages from you and your spouse (if applicable), and copies of any birth certificates of your minor children. You should also use this form to notify VA of any change in your dependency as well i.e. divorce or death of your spouse, marriage of a dependent child, or a school-age child no longer attending school.

If you reside overseas:

Veterans living overseas must submit copies of their dependency documents with their VAF 21-686c. Also if your dependent(s) do not have a U.S. SSN, you can still have them added to your compensation. To do so, you'll need to explain why they don't have a U.S. SSN in the "remarks" section (block 25) of the VAF 21-686c.

School-aged children from 18 to 23:

If your dependent child turns 18 and subsequently attends a secondary school, you can have them re-added to your running award until they turn 23 or stop attending school, which ever occurs first. To add your school-aged child to your compensation simply fill out the VAF 21-674 and submit it to VA.

• Attending a foreign school:  If your school-aged child is attending a foreign school, you'll need to submit an affidavit from the Governing authority of the school (not the school itself!) stating that the school in question is indeed accredited under their authority to offer the course, or courses, being taken by the school-aged child. If you are unable to obatin such a statement from the Governing authority of the school, you should contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the country where the school is located and they may be able to assist in this statement.

Apportionments:

If you're the estranged spouse of a veteran and/or have custody of the veteran's child/children and they are not contributing to your/their support, you may be eligible for an 'apportionment' of his/her benefits; see §3.450 and §3.451. To file a claim for an apportionment of the veteran's compensation, you'll need to fill out the below VAF 21-0788 and submit it to VA.

Note: The veteran does not need to be in receipt of the additional "stipend" for the child the apportionment is being requested.

Note: A dependent parent may also be eligible for an 'apportionment' of a veteran's compensation.