Part I: Applicant information
Social Security number, sex, date of birth, name, mailing address, mobile and home phone numbers, email address and direct deposit routing number, account type and account number.
22-5490
Dependents’ Application for VA Education Benefits
- Agency
- VA
- Revision
- January 2025
- Fillable fields
- 79
- Pages
- 7
- Official source
- VA form page
- Checked
- October 20, 2026
VA Form 22-5490: Dependents' Application for VA Education Benefits
VA Form 22-5490 is the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Dependents' Application for VA Education Benefits, under chapters 33 and 35 of title 38, U.S.C. VA's form page says to use it when a spouse or dependent is applying for educational benefits under Chapter 35 Survivors' and Dependents' Education Assistance (DEA) or Chapter 33 Fry Scholarship.
The PDF has seven pages: the application in Parts I to VIII on pages 1 to 3, then information and instructions, how to file, the VA Regional Processing Office addresses and a notice about opting out of information sharing with educational institutions. The instructions say not to use this form for education assistance based on your own service, which uses VA Form 22-1990, or for Veteran Readiness and Employment, which uses VA Form 28-1900.
VA's page says you can apply online instead of filling out and sending the paper form. You can fill out the PDF free in your browser on this page and download the result without an account.
What's on VA Form 22-5490
Part II: Qualifying individual
The parent or spouse on whose account benefits are claimed: name, Social Security or VA file number, branch, date of birth, Items 13A to 13C about the death and its date, active duty status and any date listed as missing in action or P.O.W.
Part III: Relationship and benefit
The relationship to the qualifying individual, Section I for a spouse with marriage, divorce and remarriage questions, Section II for a child, and the Item 21 certification about the effect of the election on DIC or pension.
Part IV: Age and high school
Whether the applicant is a child or spouse under 18, the high school graduation or GED date, a request for vocational and educational counseling, and DEA only questions on special restorative or vocational training.
Parts V and VI: History and service
VA benefits applied for or received before, details of anyone on whose account benefits were claimed before, and the applicant's own periods of active duty with branch and character of discharge.
Parts VII and VIII: Signatures
The applicant's certification, signature and date with the penalty statement, then the name, address, phone, email and signature of a parent, guardian or custodian for a minor.
How to apply with VA Form 22-5490
- 1
Read the instructions for Items 19 to 21
The form asks applicants to read pages 4 and 5 before choosing a benefit. It points to VA's DEA and Fry comparison at https://www.va.gov/search/?query=FRY&t=false and the GI Bill comparison tool.
- 2
Fill in Parts I and II
Enter the applicant and qualifying individual details. The instructions say bank details in Item 8 update existing VA benefit payments, but not the bank account for VA health benefits.
- 3
Choose the benefit
Check one relationship in Item 16, then complete Section I or Section II and the Item 21 certification before moving to Part IV.
- 4
Complete Parts IV to VI
Answer the age, high school and counseling questions, list prior VA benefits and give any active duty periods. Part VI is skipped if the applicant never served on active duty.
- 5
Sign and date it
The applicant signs Item 31 and dates Item 32. For an applicant under 18, the parent, guardian or custodian completes and signs Part VIII.
- 6
Apply online or mail it
Apply online, or mail it to the VA Regional Processing Office for the region of the school's physical address, or of your home address if no school is selected yet.
Why fill Form 22-5490 on indox
You get the real form, filled in a browser tab, with nothing standing between you and the finished PDF.
- Fill the form right in your browser, no software to install
- Free to fill and free to download, with no account
- The official blank straight from the VA, not a copy someone retyped
- Works on a phone, tablet or computer
Where to send it and getting help
Online
VA's form page says you can apply online instead of filling out and sending the paper form. The form says filing electronically renders a faster eligibility determination.
Eastern Region
VA Regional Office, P.O. Box 4616, Buffalo, NY 14240-4616. It serves CO, CT, DC, DE, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SD, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY, APO/FPO AA, foreign schools and the US Virgin Islands.
Western Region
VA Regional Office, P.O. Box 8888, Muskogee, OK 74402-8888. It serves AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, FL, GA, HI, ID, LA, MS, NM, NV, OK, OR, PR, SC, TX, UT, WA, APO/FPO AP, Guam, American Samoa, the Philippines and the Mariana Islands.
Help with the application
The form lists VA toll-free at 1-888-GIBILL-1, the Federal Relay number 711 for TDD users and www.va.gov.
Calling from overseas
The form lists 001-918-781-5678 during business hours, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. CST, Monday - Friday. It says this is not a toll-free number.
Edition
The JAN 2025 edition supersedes VA Form 22-5490, JAN 2024, which will not be used. It carries OMB Approved No. 2900-0098, which expires 01/31/2028.
Related forms
22-1990
Application for VA Education Benefits
155 fields, 7 pages
28-1900
Application for Veteran Readiness and Employment for Claimants with Service-Connected Disabilities
41 fields, 3 pages
21-686c
Application Request to Add and/or Remove Dependents
625 fields, 15 pages
22-0993
Request to Opt-Out of Information Sharing with Educational Institutions
5 fields, 1 page
22-1990e
Application for Family Member to Use Transferred Benefits
63 fields, 4 pages
Who uses VA Form 22-5490?
VA's form page and the form's instructions describe who completes which parts.
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Questions about Form 22-5490
Who uses VA Form 22-5490?
VA's form page says to use it when a spouse or dependent is applying for educational benefits under Chapter 35 Survivors' and Dependents' Education Assistance (DEA) or Chapter 33 Fry Scholarship.
Can I apply online instead?
Yes. VA's form page says you can apply online instead of filling out and sending the paper form, and the form says filing electronically renders a faster eligibility determination.
Can the DEA or Fry Scholarship choice be changed later?
Each benefit box carries a note that the election is irrevocable and may not be changed. For a child whose parent died in the line of duty before August 1, 2011, the form says the choice does not eliminate eligibility for the other benefit based on the same event.
How does the election affect DIC or pension?
The Item 21 instructions say that at 18 or older, compensation, pension and DIC payments end when a DEA or Fry Scholarship payment is issued, and that under 18 they end on the 18th birthday. The form encourages discussing the election with a VA counselor.
Who signs for an applicant under 18?
Item 31 says an applicant must be at least 18 years of age to legally sign the form. If under 18, the parent, guardian or custodian completes and signs Part VIII.
Where do I mail VA Form 22-5490?
To the VA Regional Processing Office for the region of the school's physical address, or of your home address if no school is selected: P.O. Box 4616, Buffalo, NY 14240-4616 or P.O. Box 8888, Muskogee, OK 74402-8888.
Which form is for benefits based on my own service?
The instructions say to use VA Form 22-1990 for education assistance based on your own service and VA Form 28-1900 for Veteran Readiness and Employment benefits.