Children between 18 and 23 who are enrolled in school full-time can be added as dependents for additional VA disability compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1115 and 38 C.F.R. § 3.57(a), but this status is not automatic and does not carry over indefinitely. VA generally requires periodic proof of continued full-time enrollment, and if a child was removed as a dependent (for example, because a prior school-year certification lapsed or was not renewed), you will need to file again to have them reinstated.
The form used to add or re-add a school-age dependent is VA Form 21-674, Request for Approval of School Attendance. This form asks for details about the school, the expected graduation date, and current enrollment status, and VA may also require the school to complete a certification section. Filing this form again is not a wasted effort — it is the only way to reestablish the additional compensation for that dependent going forward.
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
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Analyze my claim free →On the question of back pay: effective dates for added dependents are governed by 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.31 and 3.401. If you file the request within one year of the date the child's eligibility was reestablished (for example, the date he resumed full-time enrollment in August), VA can typically make the award effective retroactive to that date, meaning you could receive back pay for the months in between. If you file more than a year after that date, the effective date is usually limited to the date VA receives your claim or request, with no retroactive benefit before that.
Because the one-year retroactivity window is time-sensitive, there is a real cost to waiting, even though the paperwork itself is straightforward and not a full re-adjudication of your disability rating — it only affects dependent compensation, not your service-connected rating itself.
The concrete next step is to submit VA Form 21-674 as soon as possible, along with proof of your son's current full-time enrollment dates, so VA can determine whether the effective date falls within the one-year retroactive window from when he resumed school.
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