INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS (Continued)
ITEM 21. IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW BEFORE MAKING YOUR SELECTION IN ITEM 21A OR 21B REGARDING
THE BENEFIT YOU ARE APPLYING FOR.
• To qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship, you must be the dependent child of an individual who
died in the line of duty while serving on active duty as a member of the Armed Forces after September 10, 2001.
• To qualify for Survivor's and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) you must be either:
(1) The child of a veteran who is permanently and totally disabled as a result of a service-connected disability; OR
(2) The child of an individual on active duty who has been listed as missing in action, captured in the line of duty by hostile force,
forcibly detained or interned in the line of duty by hostile force, or forcibly detained or interned in the line of duty by a foreign
government or power for more than 90 days, OR
(3) The child of a veteran who died of a service-connected disability or who dies while a service-connected disability was rated
permanent and total in nature, OR
(4) The child of an individual on active duty for which the evidence shows that the individual is hospitalized for receiving outpatient
medical care services or treatment; has a total disability permanent in nature incurred or aggravated in the line of duty in the active
military, naval, or air service; and the service person is likely to be discharged or released from such service for such disability.
PARENT'S DEATH PRIOR TO AUGUST 1, 2011 -
• The election you choose in Item 21 does not eliminate your eligibility for the alternate education benefit (either
Survivor's and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) and the Chapter 33 Post-9/11 GI Bill Marine Gunnery
Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship (Fry Scholarship)) based on the same event (i.e., your parent's line of duty death
that occurred prior to August 1, 2011).
PARENT'S DEATH ON OR AFTER AUGUST 1, 2011 -
• The election you choose in Item 21 does eliminate your eligibility for the alternate education benefit (either Survivors' and Dependents'
Educational Assistance Program (DEA) and the Chapter 33 Post-9/11 GI Bill Marine Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship (Fry Scholarship)),
based on the same event (i.e., your parent's line of duty death that occurred on or after August 1, 2011). Therefore, you must relinquish/give up
eligibility entitlement to the benefit that you are not applying for but only with regard to the entitlement arising from the same event
(i.e., your parent's line of duty death that occurred on or after August 1, 2011). By checking either box "A" or box "B" in Item 21, you agree and
understand that you are making an irrevocable election to receive the selected benefit and your election may not be changed.
IMPORTANT: Unlike spouses, children may be able to retain eligibility for both programs simultaneously if they qualify under different events and
individuals (i.e., a separate parent's line of duty death that occurred on or after August 1, 2011).
IMPORTANT: Eligibility for (DEA) will be terminated in the event that VA determines that the individual on whose account benefits are claimed is no
longer totally disabled or VA is notified that the individual is no longer listed as captured, missing in action, or forcibly detained.
NOTE: Before making your election selection, you can compare the differences between (DEA) and (FRY), and the benefits each provide in order to
help you make the best choice that suits your needs. This benefit comparison information can be found on the VA website at:
https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/docs/factsheets/fry_scholarship.pdf. You can also find additional information about each program by visiting the GI Bill
website at https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/, and using the comparison tool.
ITEM 22. Your election to receive Survivors' and Dependents' Education Assistance (DEA) or Chapter 33 Post-9/11 GI Bill Marine Gunnery Sergeant
John David Fry Scholarship (Fry Scholarship) in lieu of payments of compensation, pension, and Dependents' Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is final
and cannot be changed. This means that if you are 18 years old, payments of compensation, pension, and Dependents' Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
will be terminated upon issuance of a DEA or Fry Scholarship benefit payment. If you are under the age of 18, these benefits will be terminated on your
18th birthday. If you are planning to pursue a program of education for more than 36 months, you should consider deferring receipt of DEA or Fry
Scholarship benefits. We strongly recommend that you discuss your education or training plans with a VA counselor before making a decision.
ITEM 23B. Types of education or training programs are self-explanatory, except for the following:
"Licensing or Certification Test" - A "licensing test" is a test offered by a state, local, or federal agency that is required by law to practice an
occupation. A "certification test" is a test designed to provide affirmation of an individual's qualifications in a specific occupation.
"National Admission Exams or National Exams for Credit" - You may be reimbursed for the cost of approved tests for admission to or credit at
institutions of higher learning.
"Correspondence Course" - You may receive benefits for correspondence training. Payments for correspondence courses are made quarterly after
VA receives a certification showing the number of lessons completed. For more information on correspondence courses, you can go to the VA website
at: https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/correspondence_training.asp.
"Flight Training" - You must already have a private pilot's license. If you are taking an Airline Transport Pilot course, you must have a valid first-class
medical certificate on the date that you enter training. For all other flight courses, you must have a valid second-class medical certificate on the date that
you enter training.
ITEMS 23C AND 23D - Any individual eligible under the Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance program may receive Special Restorative
Training or Specialized Vocational Training if a VA counselor determines that a specialized program is needed to overcome the effects of a physical or
mental handicap. To be eligible for receipt of specialized training, the disability must prevent you from pursuing an educational program. Examples of
Special Restorative Training include speech and voice correction, language retraining, lip reading, and Braille reading and writing. Specialized
Vocational Training consists of specialized courses leading to a suitable vocational objective.
ITEM 26 - VA VOCATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL COUNSELING HELP AVAILABLE: VA offers a wide range of services to assist you in planning
your educational and/or career goals. Services include educational and vocational guidance and testing to develop a greater understanding of your
skills, talents and interests. For more information on VA counseling, call VA toll-free at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) or if you use the
Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD), the Federal Relay number is 711.
VA FORM 22-5490, OCT 2018
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