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Hazlewood Exemption Program Update. 2010 TG Annual Training Conference. Purpose.
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Hazlewood ExemptionProgram Update 2010 TG Annual Training Conference
Purpose To encourage Texas veterans and family members to pursue a higher education by providing an exemption from payment of tuition and most fees to eligible Texas veterans and their (eligible) dependent children and spouses
Hazlewood Basics • Provides exemptions from tuition and fees (no deposit and student service fees) for 150 semester credit hours • Courses at public institutions that receive formula funding; school’s board may choose to allow exemption for other courses (non formula-funded) • For qualified veterans who served at least 181 days of active military service (excluding training); honorable discharges/separations or general discharge under honorable conditions
Hazlewood Basics • For children and spouses of TX members of military: • Killed in the line of duty or died as a result of injuries/illness related to service • 100% unemployable due to service-related disabilities • Hazlewood can be “stacked” with federal benefits under certain circumstances • To use the benefit, vets or dependents complete the appropriate application, submit application to institution
New Eligibility Provisions SB93 • At time of entry into service, member must: • Be resident of Texas, or • Designate Texas as home of record, or • Be able to list Texas as place of entry (replaces requirement to be “citizens of Texas”)
Eligibility for Spouses SB93 • Expands eligibility to: • Spouses of veterans killed in line of duty, MIA, or 100% unemployable due to service-related disability; and • Spouses of National Guard Members killed in service of the state or US or 100% unemployable due to service-related disability • Spouses must be residents of Texas when using the exemption
Legacy Act SB93 • Establishes “Legacy” program: • Allows vet to assign unused hours to a child; • Child must be: • Texas resident; • Stepchild, biological,or adopted child or claimed as dependent (previous or current year); • Less than 26 (hardship extensions possible); and • Making FA satisfactory academic progress (except for minimum hour-per-term requirement)
Legacy Act cont. SB93 • Legacy policies: • Veteran may revoke hours at any time. • If Child #1 does not use all available hours, veteran may “re-assign” hours to another child. • Hours may be transferred to a child who is not yet ‘college-age’. • Once hours have been transferred, veteran loses access to Hazlewood for his/her education (unless hours “revoked”). • Veteran may transfer up to 150 hours even if he/she is eligible for CH33.
Stacking with Post 911 (CH33) SB93 • Stacking with federal benefits • To allow stacking, federal benefits that can be used ONLY for paying tuition and fees may not exceed Hazlewood exemption value. This limits issue to Title 38, Chapter 33 benefits. • Federal benefits for various costs including tuition and fees are not relevant. • Combination federal benefits for tuition and fees and Hazlewood may not exceed tuition and fee charges for the term.
New Fee Charges SB847 • Extraordinary Cost Programs (54.203 (g)) • All public 2-year institutions may charge Hazlewood-students a fee for courses with extraordinary costs. • Extraordinary costs = tuition and fee costs that exceed the average charges; e.g., flight training • Previously, only community/jr. colleges were permitted to charge students for the fees associated with high-cost programs.
New Waiver & Exemption SB297 • Combat exemption from tuition only: • For dependent children (including stepchildren) of US Armed Forces members deployed on active duty for the purpose of engaging in a combative military operation outside the United States • Child must be a resident of Texas or entitled to pay the resident tuition rate • Effective with charges for Fall 2009
New Waiver & Exemption cont. • Waiver of nonresident tuition: • Requires member to be eligible for federal veterans benefits • Applies to member, spouse, and children (including stepchildren) • Requires member to provide school letter of intent to make TX home, and reside in TX while attending college • Necessitates that child be <=25, unless being granted a hardship waiver due to severe illness or debilitating condition
New Hazlewood Timing • The effective date of new provisions is the Fall, 2009 academic term. • Institutions must refund tuition and fee amounts to eligible students who paid for fall term based on previous statutes. • Summer 2009 term expenses are not impacted by the bill.
Hazlewood on the Web • www.collegeforalltexans.com • Home /Get All the Facts /Paying For College /Types of Financial Aid / Exemptions for Texas Veterans (Hazlewood Exemption) • Home/ Make A Plan/ For Military and Veterans /Exemptions for Texas Veterans
Types of Applications • HE-P for prior recipients (veterans or dependents) • HE-V for veterans using the program for the first time • HE-D for dependents using the program for the first time • TUHH for veterans wishing to transfer hours (Legacy) • HE-T for a child for hours to be transferred
Supporting Documentation • Appropriate Hazlewood application; • Plus: • DD214 for the veteran; or • DD1300 for surviving dependent; or • a Rating Decision Letter for the dependent of a qualified disabled vet.; and • ED Benefits letter (CH 33)
Documenting Unemployability Documentation available through VA Regional Office in Waco. To issue a letter, VA requires a signed request from the veteran. Web site: www.va.gov This request can be faxed to their office at: FAX: 1-254-299-9734 For further questions, call (800) 827-1000
Database Login For schools (via CB main website): https://www1.thecb.state.tx.us/apps/HSH/ For students (via Hazlewood Fact Sheet): https://www1.thecb.state.tx.us/Apps/HSH/students/ April 10, 2008
Hazlewood Tracking of 150 SCH • Schools report Hazlewood hours through the CBM001 (enrollment) reports each semester, and code students as Hazlewood recipients. • All hours reported via CBM001 are attributed to Hazlewood; if stacking occurred, adjustments may be required.
For More Information On the Web: www.Collegeforalltexans.com Select “Contact” By Email: grantinfo@thecb.state.tx.us By Phone: Inside Austin (512) 427-6340 Outside Austin (800) 242-3062, option 3, then 1