Secondary Dependency – Ward of the Court

1. Gather the Required Documents

• DD Form 137 - Secondary Dependency Application
   
• Prior Year’s Tax Return Submitted to the IRS Showing the Claimed Individual as a Dependent.
  If you do not want to share or are unable to provide a copy of your tax returns, complete and return the Worksheet for Determining Financial Support to demonstrate financial support of the claimed individual. The worksheet starts on page 5 of the DD137.
   
• Court Order Granting Custody or Guardianship of the Ward

  A copy of the order or other appropriate document from a court of competent jurisdiction in the United States (or U.S. territory or possession) that established legal custody of the child by the sponsor for no less than 12 consecutive months.

  The court order can designate the length of custody by age, time, or permanency, stipulating temporary or permanent. If no custody time-period is listed on the court order, the custody is considered permanent. However, if the court order is titled “temporary” but otherwise unspecified as to duration, it cannot be considered to be at least 12 months and further clarification may be requested to ensure the legal requirements are met.

*You will need to send more than one document. Failure to provide supporting documents may delay or prevent consideration of your application.

2. Complete the DD Form 137

Complete a DD Form 137 – Secondary Dependency Application.

 Fillable PDF: Secondary Dependency Application, click here. 

*Please note: You may need to right click to download or save the documents to your computer before you are able to fill them out.*

Avoiding Common Mistakes

Common mistakes to avoid to ensure your application for Secondary Dependency is ready to submit when you are.

• When possible, all forms must be filled out completely.
• Status – mark ‘X’ to indicate your current service status.
• Remarks (if applicable) – if adding remarks, please identify the block number from the DD 137 Form the remarks relate to.
• Signatures – make sure all signatures are completed.
• Foreign documentation - additional requirements are applied toward the verification of foreign eligibility documentation submitted to support enrollment of a dependent, including: (A) A full English language translation, which the translator has certified as complete and accurate, and the translator's certification of competency to translate from the foreign language into English, in accordance with 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3). Translation must be provided by a translator other than the individual presenting the document. (B) A written Judge Advocate General (JAG) or local Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) opinion confirming use of the eligibility documentation, if the uniformed service member is stationed overseas. (C) Documentation that attests to the genuineness of the signature and seal, or the position of the foreign official who executed, issued, or certified the foreign documentation being presented to substantiate the dependency relationship to the sponsor.
• We strongly recommend that you save every document provided to DFAS to prove financial dependency and relations to claimed individual; these items may be needed for approval of your Secondary Dependency request.

3. Apply

All applications processed by DFAS can be submitted one of two ways…

• Online: The quickest and easiest method is to submit your completed dependency packages to our secure AskDFAS Secondary Dependency Claims website.

After submitting your document(s), a ticket number will be emailed to you for reference and updates. Please keep this ticket number until a final determination.

• U.S. Mail: Alternatively, you can submit your application by mail to the address found here. Make sure you review instructions and have included all required documents prior to mailing your application. 

Please note: Applications for Secondary Dependency are NOT accepted via fax or email.
 

1. Gather the Required Documents

• DD Form 137 - Secondary Dependency Application
   
• Prior Year’s Tax Return Submitted to the IRS Showing the Claimed Individual as a Dependent.
  If you do not want to share or are unable to provide a copy of your tax returns, complete and return the Worksheet for Determining Financial Support to demonstrate financial support of the claimed individual. The worksheet starts on page 5 of the DD137.
   
• Court Order Granting Custody or Guardianship of the Ward

  A copy of the order or other appropriate document from a court of competent jurisdiction in the United States (or U.S. territory or possession) that established legal custody of the child by the sponsor for no less than 12 consecutive months.

  The court order can designate the length of custody by age, time, or permanency, stipulating temporary or permanent. If no custody time-period is listed on the court order, the custody is considered permanent. However, if the court order is titled “temporary” but otherwise unspecified as to duration, it cannot be considered to be at least 12 months and further clarification may be requested to ensure the legal requirements are met.

*You will need to send more than one document. Failure to provide supporting documents may delay or prevent consideration of your application.

2. Complete the DD Form 137

Complete a DD Form 137 – Secondary Dependency Application.

 Fillable PDF: Secondary Dependency Application, click here. 

*Please note: You may need to right click to download or save the documents to your computer before you are able to fill them out.*

Avoiding Common Mistakes

Common mistakes to avoid to ensure your application for Secondary Dependency is ready to submit when you are.

• When possible, all forms must be filled out completely.
• Status – mark ‘X’ to indicate your current service status.
• Remarks (if applicable) – if adding remarks, please identify the block number from the DD 137 Form the remarks relate to.
• Signatures – make sure all signatures are completed.
• Foreign documentation - additional requirements are applied toward the verification of foreign eligibility documentation submitted to support enrollment of a dependent, including: (A) A full English language translation, which the translator has certified as complete and accurate, and the translator's certification of competency to translate from the foreign language into English, in accordance with 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3). Translation must be provided by a translator other than the individual presenting the document. (B) A written Judge Advocate General (JAG) or local Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) opinion confirming use of the eligibility documentation, if the uniformed service member is stationed overseas. (C) Documentation that attests to the genuineness of the signature and seal, or the position of the foreign official who executed, issued, or certified the foreign documentation being presented to substantiate the dependency relationship to the sponsor.
• We strongly recommend that you save every document provided to DFAS to prove financial dependency and relations to claimed individual; these items may be needed for approval of your Secondary Dependency request.

3. Apply

All applications processed by the Air Force/Space Force can be submitted online.

• Online: The quickest and easiest method is to submit your completed dependency packages to our secure AskDFAS Secondary Dependency Claims website.

DISCLAIMER: DFAS does not process dependency claim determinations for Air Force/Space Force, submissions through AskDFAS will be directed to the appropriate office for processing. For questions, guidance or status inquires please contact the Total Force Service Center (TFSC) for 24/7 support at 1-800-525-0102 or submit a myFSS ticket.
 

1. Gather the Required Documents

• DD Form 137 - Secondary Dependency Application
   
• Prior Year’s Tax Return Submitted to the IRS Showing the Claimed Individual as a Dependent.
  If you do not want to share or are unable to provide a copy of your tax returns, complete and return the Worksheet for Determining Financial Support to demonstrate financial support of the claimed individual. The worksheet starts on page 5 of the DD137.
   
• Court Order Granting Custody or Guardianship of the Ward

  A copy of the order or other appropriate document from a court of competent jurisdiction in the United States (or U.S. territory or possession) that established legal custody of the child by the sponsor for no less than 12 consecutive months.

  The court order can designate the length of custody by age, time, or permanency, stipulating temporary or permanent. If no custody time-period is listed on the court order, the custody is considered permanent. However, if the court order is titled “temporary” but otherwise unspecified as to duration, it cannot be considered to be at least 12 months and further clarification may be requested to ensure the legal requirements are met.

*You will need to send more than one document. Failure to provide supporting documents may delay or prevent consideration of your application.

2. Complete the DD Form 137

Complete a DD Form 137 – Secondary Dependency Application.

 Fillable PDF: Secondary Dependency Application, click here. 

*Please note: You may need to right click to download or save the documents to your computer before you are able to fill them out.*

Avoiding Common Mistakes

Common mistakes to avoid to ensure your application for Secondary Dependency is ready to submit when you are.

• When possible, all forms must be filled out completely.
• Status – mark ‘X’ to indicate your current service status.
• Remarks (if applicable) – if adding remarks, please identify the block number from the DD 137 Form the remarks relate to.
• Signatures – make sure all signatures are completed.
• Foreign documentation - additional requirements are applied toward the verification of foreign eligibility documentation submitted to support enrollment of a dependent, including: (A) A full English language translation, which the translator has certified as complete and accurate, and the translator's certification of competency to translate from the foreign language into English, in accordance with 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3). Translation must be provided by a translator other than the individual presenting the document. (B) A written Judge Advocate General (JAG) or local Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) opinion confirming use of the eligibility documentation, if the uniformed service member is stationed overseas. (C) Documentation that attests to the genuineness of the signature and seal, or the position of the foreign official who executed, issued, or certified the foreign documentation being presented to substantiate the dependency relationship to the sponsor.
• We strongly recommend that you save every document provided to DFAS to prove financial dependency and relations to claimed individual; these items may be needed for approval of your Secondary Dependency request.

3. Apply

All applications processed by DFAS can be submitted one of two ways…

• Online: The quickest and easiest method is to submit your completed dependency packages to our secure AskDFAS Secondary Dependency Claims website. 

After submitting your document(s), a ticket number will be emailed to you for reference and updates. Please keep this ticket number until a final determination.

• U.S. Mail: Alternatively, you can submit your application by mail to the address found here. Make sure you review instructions and have included all required documents prior to mailing your application. 

Please note: Applications for Secondary Dependency are NOT accepted via fax or email.