Spouse and Dependent Education Programs

There are a number of state and federal programs that can help pay for the education of veterans and their family members.  Maine offers the Veterans Dependents Educational Benefits program, a 100% tuition and fee waiver for spouses and dependents of veterans who have a 100% permanent and total service-connected disability or who meet other eligibility requirements, such as being killed in action.  This program is available at schools in the University of Maine System, Maine Community Colleges, and Maine Maritime Academy.

Federally, the VA also offers a Survivor and Dependents' Educational Assistance program.

The Post-911 GI Bill offers a robust series of benefits for veterans, including 36 months of tuition payments, monthly housing allowance, and a stipend for books and supplies.  The program also allows for transferability of the benefits to a spouse or dependent.

Maine is fortunate to have a strong network of programs that accept GI Bill benefits. You can go to our Resources page and click on "Education" to find the programs nearest you and/or to see what is available in Maine for the apprenticeship, technical program, or higher education degree that interests you most.

If you are interested in pursuing a program in Maine that is not currently approved for GI Bill benefits, please contact the Maine State Approving Agency to determine whether an approval is in process or a new approval could be completed.

For more information on all of these programs, please visit the Education section on our Benefits page.