Veterans.
(a) The spouse and children of any veteran who is suffering from 40 to 90 percent service-connected disability brought about from service in the Armed Forces of the United States, or the widow and children of a deceased veteran who was suffering from 40 percent or more of service-connected disability at the time of death, as established by the State Department of Veterans’ Affairs, shall be entitled to the following educational advantages and opportunities: (1) The spouse or widow shall be entitled to up to 27 months of schooling, or the equivalent of 27 months if enrolled part-time, in any qualifying school, pursuant to the tuition reimbursement guidelines as provided in subsection (d). One change of program shall be allowed without counseling. All training received at qualifying schools under this subdivision must be completed within a period of six years after its initiation.
(2) Each child of a disabled veteran shall be entitled to five standard academic years, or the equivalent of 45 months if enrolled part-time, in any qualifying school pursuant to the tuition reimbursement guidelines as provided in subsection (d). One change of program shall be allowed without counseling. Training under this subdivision must be initiated prior to the child’s twenty-sixth birthday, and must be completed within eight years after its initiation, except for delays caused by military service during the training period, and in no case may training be received under this section beyond the thirty-fourth birthday of the child. (b) For the purpose of the minimum disability requirement provided for in subsection (a), the dependent of any veteran whose disability rating as of July 31, 2017, is at least 20 percent but less than 40 percent shall qualify for the benefits of this chapter, provided that the dependent shall file application for benefits before July 31, 2023, and the dependent is reasonably expected to be eligible to attend a qualifying school in the next academic year.
(c) The educational benefits provided by this section to spouses, children, and widows making application for benefits for the first time beginning with the fall term
of the 2014-2015 academic year, and thereafter, shall be limited to undergraduate courses of study only, and the value of tuition paid shall be limited to the in-state tuition rate of the qualifying school attended. (d) For those first filing for benefits under this chapter on or after July 31, 2017, and for those attending a qualifying private school, the educational benefit shall be for tuition reimbursement and books and fees reimbursement. The value of tuition paid per semester hour (or equivalent) shall be limited to four hundred dollars ($400). The value of the books and fees paid per semester shall be limited to one thousand dollars ($1,000) per student.
History: (Acts 1951, No. 47, p. 259, §3; Acts 1957, No. 617, p. 883, §3; Acts 1966, Ex. Sess., No. 206, p. 250, §3; Acts 1969, No. 418, p. 816, §2; Acts 1973, No. 1275, p. 2177, §3; Acts 1978, No. 585, p. 678; Acts 1985, No. 85-758, p. 1262, §1; Act 2009-559, p. 1606, §1; Act 2014-177, p. 509, §1; Act 2017-349, p. 1085, §1; Act 2018-406, §1(b)(5); Act 2022-91, §1; Act 2024-399, §1.)