VA Form 21-686c is the application the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) uses to add a dependent to a benefit award or to remove one. Veterans receiving disability compensation or Veterans Pension, and surviving spouses receiving survivors benefits, use it to claim additional benefits for a spouse or children, or to report a divorce, a death, a child's marriage or a schoolchild who stopped attending school. On this page you can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the form and its instructions are published by VA, and the application is sent to VA through its own channels.
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What is 21-686c?
VA Form 21-686c, Application Request to Add and/or Remove Dependents, is the Department of Veterans Affairs form used to claim additional benefits for a dependent or to ask that a dependent be removed from your award.
The Veterans Benefits Administration publishes it with a seven-page notice and instructions followed by the application. The application has eleven sections: identification (Section I), adding a spouse (Section II) with prior-marriage history (Items 14 and 15), adding children (Section III), reporting a divorce (Section IV), reporting on stepchildren (Section V), reporting the death of a dependent (Section VI), reporting a child's marriage (Section VII), reporting that a schoolchild over 18 stopped attending school (Section VIII), remarks (Section IX), certification and signature (Section X), and an addendum for additional children (Section XI).
Completing it produces a request for VA to change the dependents on your award. VA warns that signing gives permission to make payment changes that could create an overpayment, and that you would then be notified about repayment options.
Other VA forms handle neighboring situations: VA Form 21-674 for a child aged 18 to 23 attending school, VA Form 21P-509 for a dependent parent, and VA Form 21-2680 or VA Form 21-0779 for a spouse who needs aid and attendance. This form supersedes VA Form 21-686c, AUG 2022.
Who needs to file 21-686c?
VA beneficiaries who want additional benefits for a dependent, or who need to report that a dependent should come off the award, use this form. The form's table lists who may be entitled to what:
- Veterans entitled to disability compensation with a combined rating of at least 30 percent: a spouse, children under 18, children 18 to 23 attending school, children over 18 permanently incapable of self-support, and dependent parents.
- Veterans entitled to Veterans Pension: a spouse and the same categories of children.
- Surviving spouses entitled to survivors benefits: the same categories of children. A surviving spouse entitled to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is not entitled to additional benefits for children over 18 who receive DIC in their own right.
Do not use this form to claim benefits for a dependent parent or parents; VA says there is no need to submit VA Form 21-686c for that, and VA Form 21P-509 applies.
Unless the claimant is the veteran's surviving spouse or a designated alternate signer, the veteran must sign Item 26A. An alternate signer may sign for a claimant who is under 18, mentally incompetent to complete the form, or physically unable to sign, if the signer is a court-appointed representative, an attorney in fact or agent under a durable power of attorney, a person responsible for the claimant's care, or a manager or principal officer of a caring institution.
When to file 21-686c
Submit VA Form 21-686c when you want VA to add a dependent to your award or when a change requires removing one: a divorce or annulment, the death of a spouse, child or dependent parent, the marriage of a child, a stepchild leaving your household, or a schoolchild over 18 who stopped attending school. The form sets no separate calendar deadline.
For a child aged 18 to 23 who is attending school, VA Form 21-674 is also required; submit VA Form 21-686c with it only if you have never received additional benefits for that child. VA's forms page adds that children are automatically removed from your benefits when they turn 18, so a child who stays in school past 18 needs to be submitted again.
Where a form asks for a spouse's aid and attendance evidence, send VA Form 21-686c in addition only if you have never received additional benefits for your spouse.
Documents you need
- Marriage by ceremony, when VA requires evidence (for example you live outside a state, territory or U.S. possession, entries conflict with other records, validity is questioned or fraud is indicated): a copy or abstract of the public or church record of the marriage.
- If primary marriage evidence is unavailable: a service-branch report, an affidavit of the officiant, a certified copy of the marriage certificate, affidavits of two or more witnesses, or other secondary evidence that reasonably supports a valid marriage.
- Common-law marriage: VA Form 21-4170 completed by the veteran and by the spouse, two VA Forms 21P-4171 from two different persons, and birth certificates of any children of the marriage.
- Tribal marriage: affidavits from the parties, from at least two people present, and from the person who performed the ceremony, each with the details the form lists, including the name of the tribe.
- Proxy marriage: all documents and certificates issued in connection with the proxy marriage.
- Child's birth certificate, when VA requires it (for example you live outside a state, territory or U.S. possession, entries conflict with other records, or fraud is indicated).
- Stepchild: a copy of the birth certificate showing both parents' names, when VA asks for it; plus the adoption decree or adoptive placement agreement if the veteran's spouse is the adoptive parent.
- Adopted child: a copy of the final decree of adoption, adoptive placement agreement, interlocutory decree of adoption, or revised birth certificate.
- Child permanently incapable of self-support: medical evidence of a permanent disability that existed before age 18, and a statement from an attending physician on the nature and extent of the impairment.
- VA Form 21-674, Request for Approval of School Attendance, for each child aged 18 to 23 who is attending school.
- Spouse needing aid and attendance: VA Form 21-2680 with medical evidence, or VA Form 21-0779 if the spouse is in a nursing home.
- Veterans Pension claimants: the Improved Pension Eligibility Verification Report named in the form's table (VA Form 21P-0516-1, 21P-0517-1 or 21P-0519s-1) according to the situation described there.
How to fill out 21-686c
Identify the veteran and claimant
Section I, Items 1 to 10 (required): enter the veteran's name, Social Security number, VA file number if known, date of birth (MM-DD-YYYY), service number if applicable, phone, optional e-mail and complete mailing address. Complete Items 5 and 6 only if the claimant is not the veteran.
Add a spouse in Section II
Items 11A to 11F: enter the spouse's current legal name, date of birth, SSN, date and place of marriage, and check one box for how you were married. If your spouse has no SSN, explain in Item 25.
Answer spouse veteran and residence questions
Items 12A to 12C: say whether your spouse is also a veteran and give the VA file and service numbers if so. Item 13A: say whether you live together; if not, complete 13B (reason) and 13C (spouse's address).
Give prior marriage history
Items 14A to 14D cover your previous marriages and Items 15A to 15D your current spouse's. For each, enter the person's name, date and place of marriage, how it ended (death, divorce, annulment or other) and the date and place it ended; leave blank if none.
Add children in Section III
Items 16 to 19 each cover one child: name, SSN, date of birth, place of birth, where the child lives if not with you, and child status boxes. For a stepchild complete the 'I' item, and for a previously married child give how and when the marriage ended. For more than four children use the Section XI addendum.
Report a divorce and stepchildren
Section IV, Items 20A to 20C: name of the former spouse, place and date of divorce. Section V, Items 21A to 21L: say whether stepchildren were the former spouse's children, whether you still support them, where they live, when they left your household and how much support you provide.
Report a death, marriage or end of school
Section VI, Items 22A to 22D: dependent type, name, date (MM/DD/YYYY) and place of death. Section VII, Items 23A and 23B: the child's name and date of marriage. Section VIII, Items 24A and 24B: the schoolchild's name and the date school attendance stopped.
Use Remarks for explanations
Section IX, Item 25: explain why an SSN has not been assigned, give the date a child was given up for adoption, or describe an annulment or a marriage declared void. Add anything else VA should know.
Sign and date the certification
Section X (required): sign Item 26A and enter the date in Item 26B (MM/DD/YYYY). The veteran signs unless the claimant is the surviving spouse or an alternate signer who meets the conditions printed on the form.
Review and download the completed PDF
Check that Sections I and X are complete and that evidence and companion forms such as VA Form 21-674 are ready. Download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF, then submit it through the channels under How to submit.
How to submit 21-686c
You can submit VA Form 21-686c online, by direct upload, or by mail.
- Online: apply at www.va.gov. If you sign in or create an account, VA can prefill parts of your application and save your work in progress. The online tool is at https://www.va.gov/manage-dependents/add-remove-form-21-686c-674/.
- Direct upload: send information and evidence through access.va.gov.
- By mail: Department of Veterans Affairs, Evidence Intake Center, PO Box 4444, Janesville, WI 53547-4444.
Send the completed form together with any evidence and companion forms that apply to your situation, such as VA Form 21-674. You may also ask an accredited veteran service officer (VSO) for help; a list is at https://www.va.gov/vso/. For questions, call VA toll-free at 1-800-827-1000; the federal relay number for TDD users is 711. Do not send the completed form to the VA Reports Clearance Officer email address printed on the form; it is only for comments on the burden estimate. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the VA channels above.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Leaving Section I or Section X incomplete; VA states it cannot process the claim if either section is not complete.
- Not signing and dating Items 26A and 26B, or having someone other than the veteran sign when the claimant is not the surviving spouse or a designated alternate signer.
- Omitting a Social Security number for you or a dependent without explaining in Section IX, Item 25, Remarks, why none has been assigned.
- Claiming a child aged 18 to 23 in school without submitting VA Form 21-674, with a separate form for each school-age child.
- Using this form to claim additional benefits for a dependent parent only; VA Form 21P-509 applies and VA Form 21-686c is not needed.
- Skipping the prior-marriage details in Items 14 and 15; the form says you must give complete information on your prior marriages and your current spouse's.
- Not entering the date a child was given up for adoption in Item 25, Remarks, which VA needs to set the effective date of removal.
- Reporting an annulment or a marriage declared void without explaining it in Item 25, Remarks.
- Listing more than four children on the main pages instead of completing the Section XI addendum (Page 15) and submitting it with the application.
Frequently asked questions
What is VA Form 21-686c used for?
VA Form 21-686c is the Department of Veterans Affairs application to claim additional benefits for a dependent or to request removal of a dependent from your award. It covers spouses and children, and reports such as divorce, death, a child's marriage or a schoolchild who stopped attending school.
Who is entitled to add dependents on this form?
Veterans with a combined disability rating of at least 30 percent, veterans entitled to Veterans Pension, and surviving spouses entitled to survivors benefits, each for the dependent types listed in the form's table. A surviving spouse receiving DIC cannot add children over 18 who receive DIC in their own right.
Can I fill out Form 21-686c online?
Yes, two ways. You can fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download it, then send it to VA by mail or upload. VA also offers its own online tool at va.gov. FillingPDF does not file anything with VA; submission follows VA's channels.
Where do I mail VA Form 21-686c?
Mail it to Department of Veterans Affairs, Evidence Intake Center, PO Box 4444, Janesville, WI 53547-4444. You can also submit online at www.va.gov or use direct upload through access.va.gov.
Do I need VA Form 21-674 with Form 21-686c?
Yes, if you claim a child aged 18 to 23 who is attending school; use a separate VA Form 21-674 for each such child. Submit VA Form 21-686c with it only if you have never received additional benefits for that child.
Do I need Form 21-686c to add a dependent parent?
No. VA says there is no need to submit VA Form 21-686c when claiming additional benefits for a dependent parent or parents; a veteran entitled to disability compensation uses VA Form 21P-509, Statement of Dependency of Parent(s), instead.
Who can sign Form 21-686c?
The veteran signs Item 26A, unless the claimant is the veteran's surviving spouse or a designated alternate signer. An alternate signer may sign for a claimant who is under 18, mentally incompetent to complete the form, or physically unable to sign, if they hold one of the roles printed on the form.
What documents prove a marriage or a child's status?
It depends on the dependent. Marriage may need a public or church record; common-law marriage needs VA Forms 21-4170 and 21P-4171; an adopted child needs a decree or revised birth certificate; a child incapable of self-support needs medical evidence and a physician's statement. VA asks for some of these only in stated cases.
What happens if I report a divorce or a death on this form?
VA must remove a spouse who dies or divorces or annuls the marriage, a child who dies or marries, and a dependent parent who dies. VA warns that signing allows payment changes that could create an overpayment, and you would be notified about repayment options.
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