School Certification Questions? We’ve Got Answers
Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity payments typically stop for child annuitants covered under SBP when they reach age 18 unless they are incapacitated. However, if the child annuitant attends school full-time (in high school or at an accredited college or university), the SBP annuity payments can continue until they reach age 22 or otherwise become ineligible.
To validate their eligibility, child annuitants turning 18 years old must send a Child Annuitant's School Certification form (DD Form 2788) by the date of their 18th birthday, and child annuitants over age 18 must send a School Certification form by the end of each school term.
To help explain the requirements of the School Certification form, we created a new webpage and added some new Q&As to the “Survivor Benefit and Arrears of Pay Frequently Asked Questions” page on our website.
The new webpage explains the initial school certification requirements for child annuitants who turn 18, whether in high school or in college at the time and has links to the form and instructions. It also links to the FAQ page, which answers questions such as:
- How often do I need to send a Child Annuitant’s School Certification?
- When do I send the school certification during the school year?
- When should I fill out and sign the Child Annuitant’s School Certification form?
- What dates do I put on the school certification?
- Who is the school official that should fill out and sign the Child Annuitant’s School Certification (DD Form 2788) form?
The School Certification webpage is under the “Survivors and Beneficiaries” section of the Retired Military & Annuitants area of the DFAS.mil website at:
/Retired-Military-Annuitants/survivors/School-Certifications/
The Survivor Benefit and Arrears of Pay Frequently Asked Questions webpage is under the “Survivors and Beneficiaries” section of the Retired Military & Annuitants area of the DFAS.mil website.