The short answer
A child can keep CHAMPVA from 18 until 23 while enrolled at an approved school. Send a school certification letter within a month after the first term starts, recertify at least once a year, and report any change. Coverage ends at 23, when the child stops attending, or if the child marries.
Can a child keep CHAMPVA after 18?
Yes, while they're in school. Federal law, 38 U.S.C. 101(4), counts an unmarried person between 18 and 23 as a "child" while they're pursuing a course of instruction at an approved school. VA's CHAMPVA page says a child in high school, college, or another educational institution can keep CHAMPVA during those years.
If the child isn't in school and doesn't qualify under the separate rule for a child disabled before 18, their CHAMPVA ends at 18.
The family still needs a CHAMPVA path through the Veteran, and the child can't be eligible for TRICARE. More here: Who qualifies for CHAMPVA?
Does the student have to be full time?
VA's own documents don't fully agree, so don't guess.
VA Form 10-10d says the child must be enrolled in a full-time course of instruction. But VA's CHAMPVA web pages and its current School Enrollment Certification Letter ask for proof of enrollment without listing a credit-hour minimum, and the federal law doesn't say "full time" either.
If your student is full time, you're fine. If they're part time or on an unusual schedule, send the current certification and ask CHAMPVA to confirm their status rather than assuming either way.
When and how do you certify school enrollment?
Use VA's School Enrollment Certification Letter. It asks for the school, the term start and end dates, the expected graduation date, and a school official's signature.
- First time: Send it within 1 month after the first school term starts.
- Going from high school to college: VA says a college acceptance letter can help avoid a coverage gap before the first college term.
- After that: Recertify at least once a year, or for each term or school year if VA asks.
- Any change: Report a withdrawal, a break in enrollment, or a graduation right away.
You can send it online, by mail, or by fax. VA's forms are listed on its Community Care forms page. More here: CHAMPVA contacts, addresses, and forms.
What about summer break?
Normal vacations, holidays, and summer breaks don't interrupt coverage, as long as the student is in school before and after the break.
What ends student coverage?
Whichever comes first:
- The student turns 23.
- The student stops meeting the school rule, for example by withdrawing or graduating.
- The student marries.
- The student becomes eligible for TRICARE.
What if illness or injury forces the student to stop school?
There's a separate rule that can keep coverage going for a limited time when a disabling illness or injury interrupts school. More here: CHAMPVA when illness or injury interrupts school.
What if the student was disabled before 18?
Then school may not matter. A child who became permanently unable to support themselves before 18 can keep CHAMPVA past 23 with a helpless child rating. More here: CHAMPVA for a child incapable of self-support.