Death & Survivor Benefits
Pennsylvania Educational Gratuity for Children of Disabled and Deceased Veterans
Up to $500 a term for eight terms, $4,000 in total, paid to a Pennsylvania school for a child of a wartime veteran rated 100 percent or who died in service or of a service-connected disability. The child has to be 16 to 23, have lived in Pennsylvania for five years and show financial need.
Also called: educational gratuity, $500, DMVA, children of veterans, 16 to 23, five years, dependents, $4,000.
For: Child, survivor.
Where it applies
Written for the jurisdictions listed here.
- PennsylvaniaState
The Educational Gratuity Program pays a Pennsylvania school directly, up to $500 per term or semester per qualified child, for up to eight terms. The lifetime maximum works out to $4,000 per child.
It is a modest amount against modern tuition, and the state has widened it over time rather than raising the per-term figure. The value is that it stacks with other aid rather than being offset by it.
Eligibility runs through the parent. 51 Pa.C.S. 8701 names four kinds of "eligible disabled or deceased veteran": one killed in action or who died of wounds in a period of war or armed conflict, or of peacetime hostile fire or a terrorist attack; one who died in service during a period of war or armed conflict; an honorably discharged veteran "certified by the United States Veterans' Administration as a 100% disabled veteran" from such service; and an honorably discharged veteran who died of a service-connected disability from it. A lower rating does not qualify; the Department's page (read 2026-10-24) asks for "A 100% permanent and total service-connected disability rating", and an expeditionary medal can show wartime service.
The child has to meet four tests of their own (section 8703). They have to be between 16 and 23 years old, though a student who turns 23 mid-course is paid to its end. They have to have lived in Pennsylvania for the five years before applying. They have to attend an approved school within the Commonwealth, so this money does not travel out of state. And they have to show "a financial need for the educational gratuity".
Payment goes to the institution on proof of its bills for fees, tuition, board, room, books and supplies, not to the family, for no more than four scholastic years, and the Department may scale payments down to fit the appropriation (section 8702).
Apply through the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. A County Director of Veterans Affairs will help assemble the parent's service and disability documentation, which is usually the slow part.
A family whose service member was in the Pennsylvania National Guard and died in the line of duty should look at the Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program instead, which waives tuition, fees, and room and board rather than paying a flat $500.
Thresholds
| Gate | Rule |
|---|---|
| A parent with a wartime service-connected disability, or who died in wartime service | The gate is the parent's status: a wartime veteran certified 100 percent disabled, or who died in wartime service, of wounds, or of a service-connected disability (51 Pa.C.S. 8701). The rating belongs to the parent, so the rating filter does not test it. |
| The child is 16 to 23, with five years of Pennsylvania residence | The child has to be between 16 and 23, to have resided in Pennsylvania for the five years before applying, to attend an approved school within the Commonwealth and to show financial need (51 Pa.C.S. 8703). |
Sources
Updated
Last updated .
What changed then:
- Eligibility rule “A parent with a wartime service-connected disability, or who died in wartime service” now reads: “The gate is the parent's status: a wartime veteran certified 100 percent disabled, or who died in wartime service, of wounds, or of a service-connected disability (51 Pa.C.S. 8701). The rating belongs to the parent, so the rating filter does not test it.”
- Eligibility rule “The child is 16 to 23, with five years of Pennsylvania residence” now reads: “The child has to be between 16 and 23, to have resided in Pennsylvania for the five years before applying, to attend an approved school within the Commonwealth and to show financial need (51 Pa.C.S. 8703).”
- Summary reworded.
- And 4 more changes.
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Disclaimer
VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.