Secondary Dependency (DD 137): Parents, Students, Wards, and the 50% Test
A secondary dependency claim is not a form, it is an audit. You are asserting that you provide more than half of another adult’s total support, and DFAS makes you prove it by reconstructing that person’s entire household budget — every resident, every expense, and what every one of their other children sends them. Most claims fail on arithmetic nobody explained, not on the merits.
Educational guide built from the DD Form 137 series and public DoD sources. Authority is 37 U.S.C. § 403 and DoDFMR 7000.14-R, Volume 7A, Chapter 26. Requirements vary by service and change; confirm with your finance office or servicing personnel office before filing. Last verified: August 26, 2026.
How to handle Secondary Dependency
Pick the right form — they are not interchangeable
The DD 137 series splits by relationship, and each form is titled for exactly one category. DD 137-3 is Dependency Statement — Parent. DD 137-4 is Child Born Out of Wedlock, Under Age 21. DD 137-5 is Incapacitated Child Over Age 21. DD 137-6 is Full Time Student, 21–22 Years of Age. DD 137-7 is Ward of a Court.
Know which entitlement you are actually claiming
The form asks you to select what you are requesting, and they are separate: BAH at the with-dependent rate, a USIP identification card, and travel allowance. Approval for one is not approval for the others, and the evidence bar is highest for BAH.
Understand what "over one-half support" is measured against
It is not measured against your income. It is measured against the dependent’s total support: their household expenses plus their own income and everything anyone else contributes. Your contribution has to exceed half of that total. Verification of all income is required, and the form says so.
Get the Fair Rental Value rule right — this is where parent claims die
If the parent lives in your household, or in a dwelling you own, you must use Fair Rental Value rather than an actual rent figure. The form defines FRV as a single monthly sum for the entire dwelling: what the owner could reasonably expect from a stranger. It explicitly excludes food, utilities, furniture, and home repairs, which are listed separately. If the parent lives in and owns their home mortgage-free, enter "None" for mortgage/rent/FRV.
List every sibling, because DFAS will find them anyway
The parent form requires listing all of the parent’s living children regardless of age, with each one’s average monthly contribution to the parent, and asks directly whether any other child claims the parent for BAH, travel allowance, or a USIP card.
Account for the whole household, not just the dependent
Household expenses are listed for all persons living in the home, and everyone in the household gets listed with their age, employment, hours worked, and monthly contribution to the parent. A working adult living in the parent’s home changes the math even if they contribute nothing on paper.
Get it notarized, by the right person
The member completes items 1 and 2 and signs. The parent completes items 3 through 12, signs, dates, and has the form notarized. If a representative signs because the parent cannot due to health or physical disability, the Remarks section must name that person, their relationship, and why the parent could not sign.
Assemble the category-specific evidence
An incapacitated child over 21 needs DD 137-5 plus DD 1172, documentation of the child’s gross income, a birth certificate, a medical sufficiency statement dated within 90 days of application, proof of over-50-percent support, and a current SSA statement certifying non-eligibility for Medicare. The child must be unmarried and have been continuously incapable of self-support before turning 21 — or 23 if a full-time student. A student claim needs a registrar letter certifying full-time enrollment and anticipated graduation date, plus support documentation.
Answer every block, even the ones that do not apply
The form instructs you to answer all questions and to write "NOT APPLICABLE" or "N/A" in any block that does not apply, using Remarks where more space is needed. It states that incomplete answers will delay final action.
The problems people actually search for
My claim was denied and I definitely support my parent.
Usually means: Almost always the arithmetic, not the truth. Either the household total was larger than you assumed, siblings’ contributions reduced your share below half, or Fair Rental Value was computed wrong.
Move: Rebuild the whole worksheet: total household expenses, parent income, every sibling contribution, and your documented contributions. Find where the numbers disagree with your assumption before you refile.
The form came back without a decision.
Usually means: Missing notarization, blank blocks, or missing income verification. The form warns that incomplete answers delay final action.
Move: Fix every gap, write N/A in anything inapplicable, and re-submit as a complete package rather than sending the missing item on its own.
My sibling also claims our parent.
Usually means: Only one of you can be providing over half, and the form asks directly whether another child claims the parent.
Move: Settle it in the family before filing. Whoever genuinely provides more than half files; the other does not. Do not both file and let DFAS pick.
I house my parent for free but the claim still failed.
Usually means: Fair Rental Value raised the total support figure at the same time it credited your contribution, and other expenses did not follow.
Move: Check whether food, utilities, furniture, and repairs were listed separately as the form requires. Folding them into FRV distorts both sides of the ratio.
My BAH did not change after approval.
Usually means: The entitlement approved may have been the ID card or travel allowance rather than BAH, which carries the higher evidence bar.
Move: Check which box was selected on the form and what the approval letter actually granted. If BAH was requested but not granted, ask what contribution proof was found insufficient.
The medical statement was rejected.
Usually means: It was older than 90 days at the time of application, or it did not establish incapacity beginning before age 21.
Move: Obtain a fresh statement and make sure it addresses onset before the 21st birthday, or before 23 if the child was a full-time student.
Where people usually get stuck
Filing DD 137-6 for an incapacitated child, or 137-5 for a student.
Using actual rent when the parent lives in a dwelling the member owns.
Undisclosed sibling contributions push you below half.
A new appliance logged as recurring support.
The dependent signed without a notary.
Medical sufficiency statement older than 90 days.
Inapplicable items left empty.
Build the proof packet before you escalate
- The correct DD 137 form for the relationship, fully completed and notarized.
- Verification of the dependent’s income from every source.
- Proof of your own contributions — bank transfers, allotments, receipts — not a personal statement.
- Household expense worksheet with monthly and past-12-month columns kept separate.
- Fair Rental Value figure with a comparable listing or basis explained in Remarks.
- Every sibling named with their monthly contribution to the parent.
- Category evidence: registrar letter for a student; DD 1172, birth certificate, medical sufficiency statement dated within 90 days, and the SSA Medicare non-eligibility statement for an incapacitated child.
Things that make the problem worse
Who can actually fix it
Servicing personnel or finance office
The form says to return the completed package to your local serving personnel or payroll office. Start here, not with DFAS.
DFAS Secondary Dependency Claims
Adjudication, status, denial reasons, and what evidence a returned claim needs.
Ask DFAS
Written ticket with a tracking number, which is worth more than a phone call for anything disputed.
Legal assistance / SJA
Notarization, guardianship or ward documentation, and support disputes among siblings.
ID card / DEERS office
Once approved, enrolling the dependent and issuing the USIP card.
Copy/paste messages that get cleaner answers
Asking siblings for contribution figures before filing
I am putting together a secondary dependency claim for [parent] with DFAS, and the form requires me to list every one of [parent]’s children and the average monthly amount each of us contributes. Can you tell me: the average monthly amount you send [parent], in cash or paid bills, over the last 12 months, and whether you currently claim [parent] for BAH, travel allowance, or an ID card? I have to certify these figures, so I need the real number rather than an estimate. If more than one of us is over the line the whole claim fails, so it is worth getting straight first.
Documenting Fair Rental Value for Remarks
Fair Rental Value basis for [address]: Dwelling: [bedrooms/bathrooms, square footage, city and state] Owner: [member name] Parent resides here since: [YYYYMMDD] FRV used: $[amount] per month Basis: comparable rental listings for equivalent dwellings in the same area as of [date] — [listing 1, address and rent], [listing 2, address and rent], [listing 3, address and rent]. FRV represents the entire dwelling and excludes food, utilities, furniture, and home repairs, which are itemized separately in Section 6.
Ask DFAS — status or denial reason
Subject: Secondary dependency claim status — [member name, last four] Member: [name / SSN last four] / [rank] / [branch] Dependent: [name, relationship] Form submitted: DD [137-3 / 137-5 / 137-6 / 137-7] Date submitted: [date] Entitlement requested: [BAH / USIP card / travel allowance] Please confirm whether the package was complete on receipt, and if it was denied or returned, the specific deficiency — support computation, missing documentation, notarization, or income verification. I want to correct the actual deficiency rather than refile the same package.
Fast answers
Which DD Form 137 do I need?
DD 137-3 for a parent, DD 137-4 for a child born out of wedlock under 21, DD 137-5 for an incapacitated child over 21, DD 137-6 for a full-time student aged 21–22, and DD 137-7 for a ward of a court. The category is printed as the title of each form.
What is the support test?
The dependent must be more than 50 percent dependent on you. It is measured against their total support — household expenses set against their own income and every other contribution they receive — not against your income.
My parent lives with me rent-free. How do I value that?
Use Fair Rental Value: a single monthly sum for the entire dwelling, being what the owner could reasonably expect from a stranger. It excludes food, utilities, furniture, and home repairs, which are listed separately. Explain how you arrived at the figure in Remarks.
Do my siblings matter?
Yes. The form requires listing all of the parent’s living children regardless of age with each one’s monthly contribution, and asks whether any other child claims the parent. Sibling support counts against your share of the total.
Does the form need to be notarized?
Yes. The dependent completes their section, signs, dates, and has it notarized. If a representative signs because of the parent’s health or physical disability, Remarks must explain who they are and why.
How long does it take?
Roughly 6–8 weeks when the package is complete. Incomplete answers delay final action, and a returned package restarts the clock rather than pausing it.
What does approval actually get me?
Whichever of the three entitlements you requested and proved: BAH at the with-dependent rate, a USIP identification card, or travel allowance. BAH requires proof of the member’s contribution specifically.