Did you know that if you receive a VA disability rating of 30% or higher you can receive an additional payment for your dependents? You do now. Here is a brief summary of rules and forms that you will need to know.

Spouse:

You can claim your current spouse on VA form 21-686c. You cannot claim a former spouse but you will need to let the VA know about all former spouses. Common law marriages may not be recognized by the VA. You can file this form through eBenefits if you already have a VA rating. If you file through eBenefits, your dependency claim may be adjudicated in as little as one day.

If you are filing your first claim, you will have to complete this form separately and upload the form with you other claim documents in eBenefits. Suggested evidence: Marriage certificate, divorce decrees, and social security cards.

Children:

You can claim children under the age of 18 on VA form 21-686c. Use VA form 21-674 to claim children aged 18 to 23 that are attending school. VA form 21-674 must be re-submitted every year. This form is not yet available in eBenefits so you will have to complete it on paper. You can fax or mail it to the VA Claims Intake Center once it is done.

If you are filing your first claim, you can upload the form with you other claim documents in eBenefits. Suggested evidence: Birth certificates, social security cards, adoption decrees, statement from primary care physician for severely disabled children.

Parents:

You can claim parents that you support using VA form 21P-509. This form is not available in eBenefits either, so you will have to complete it on paper. You can fax or mail it to the VA Claims Intake Center once it is done.

If you are filing your first claim, you can upload the form with you other claim documents in eBenefits. Suggested evidence: Birth certificates, social security cards, marriage certificates, death certificates, proof of income.

Pro Tips:

Save a copy of everything that you send to the VA. If the paperwork gets lost you can send them another copy.

When you are uploading a document to your claim using eBenefits, you must identify the document type. When the document reaches the VA system, the document type becomes the name of the document.

Read all instructions carefully and answer all of the questions on the form. If the question doesn’t apply, you can put N/A in most text boxes on VA fillable forms.

There are income and marriage limitations for dependent children and parents. Make sure that you qualify for the benefit before you apply.

If you already have a VA rating of 30% or higher AND you are filing VA form 21-686c in eBenefits DO NOT add documents to your claim. The VA uses a Rules Based Processing System (RBPS) to evaluate those claims. If you add documents, your dependency claim will be kicked out of RBPS and will sit in queue to be manually adjudicated.