Bipartisan Legislation Expands In-State Tuition Eligibility for Veterans' Families

Strategic Insights -

U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) have successfully pushed through bipartisan legislation to expand in-state tuition eligibility for the families of veterans who die from service-connected disabilities. The Colonel John M. McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act, which passed the Senate on June 25, 2021, aims to provide education benefits to the surviving spouses and children of fallen servicemembers. The bill seeks to correct a current exclusion in the law, which prohibits Dependents Education Assistance (DEA) recipients from receiving in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Colonel John M. McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act will require public colleges and universities to provide in-state tuition rates for students using Dependents Education Assistance (DEA) benefits.
  • The legislation aims to reduce out-of-pocket education costs for surviving spouses and children of fallen servicemembers.
  • U.S. Army Colonel John McHugh was killed in action in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2010, and his daughter was attending Kansas State University at the time of his death.
  • The bill would make certain families, like Colonel McHugh's family, eligible to receive the in-state tuition rate when using DEA benefits.
  • Dependents Education Assistance (DEA) provides VA education benefits, including tuition, housing, and book stipends, to the children or spouse of a servicemember who is permanently and totally disabled due to a service-connected disability, died while on active duty prior to 9/11, or dies as a result of a service-connected disability.
  • The Fry Scholarship and the Post 9/11 GI Bill provide in-state tuition benefits to veterans, servicemembers, and their survivors, but DEA recipients are currently excluded from this benefit.
  • The bill will now move to the President's desk to be signed into law, following its passage in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Statistics:

  • The Colonel John M. McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act aims to benefit the surviving families of approximately 59,000 servicemembers who have died from service-connected disabilities since 9/11 (Source: Senator Jerry Moran).
  • The bill would affect an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 veterans' families, including those with children attending higher education institutions (Source: Senator Jon Tester).

Sources:

  • United States Senator for Kansas -- Jerry Moran
  • United States Senator for Montana -- Jon Tester