We Support Veterans: Hazlewood Act, GI Bill Benefits & More

• The Hazlewood Act Exemption may be used in conjunction with “Title IV” financial aid like the Pell grant.
• It may not be used in conjunction with Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31) or the Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefits (Chapter 33) at the 100% rate.
• Students may use Hazlewood Act in conjunction with other VA educational benefits (Chapters 30, 35, and 1606).

Veterans wishing to apply for the Hazlewood Act exemption must submit a complete Hazlewood Act application along with all required documents to the TC Financial Aid and Veteran Services Office. Do not mail the application to the Texas Veterans Commission. Please allow at least 2 weeks for processing.

Veterans who are eligible for the Hazlewood Act Exemption may transfer their unused hours in bulk to a child through the Hazlewood Act “Legacy” Program. Be advised that this is an “all or nothing” transfer – the veteran is not allowed to use Hazlewood Act while their child is using it, and only one child at a time may use the transferred hours. The veteran has the authority to take back the unused hours back from the child for his/her own use or to transfer them to another child; however, this transfer/recall must occur in between semesters.

Children’s eligibility for the Hazlewood Act exemption expires after their 26th birthday, with no exceptions. If their birthday falls in the middle of a semester, their eligibility for the Hazlewood Act will expire at the end of that semester. Please note that grandchildren are not eligible for the Hazlewood Act exemption unless they have been legally adopted by the grandparent/veteran and court documents can be produced in evidence of this. Spouses or parents of veterans are not eligible for the Legacy program.

For children to apply for a transfer of the Hazlewood Act hours under the “Legacy” provision, they and their veteran-parent must complete the Hazlewood Act application and submit all supplemental documents listed on the cover-page checklist. When all required documents have been gathered, please submit both applications and all required documents to the Texarkana College Financial Aid and Veteran Services. Please allow at least 2 weeks for processing.

If a Texas veteran has been killed in action or has received a 100% service-related disability rating through the Department of Veterans Affairs, the veteran’s spouse and children may each be eligible for their own Hazlewood Act Exemption benefit of up to 150 credit hours. Because each person has their own Hazlewood Act hours and nothing is being “transferred” in this case, multiple family members may use the exemption during the same semester. The child or spouse’s Hazlewood Act has no negative bearing on the veteran’s eligibility for his/her own 150 hours, so veterans do not have the right to recall or revoke these benefits once granted.

Please note that grandchildren are not eligible unless they have been legally adopted by the grandparent/veteran and court documents can be produced in evidence of this.

To apply for their own Hazlewood Act exemption hours, eligible spouses and/or children must complete the Hazlewood Act application and submit all supplemental documents listed on the cover-page checklist. If the veteran is still living, he or she should co-sign it; if deceased, documentation of death must be supplied. When all required documents have been gathered, please submit both applications and all required documents to the Texarkana College Veterans Services Office. Please allow at least 2 weeks for processing.

Regardless of whether the recipient is a veteran or their child, spouse, or tax dependent, all recipients must register on the TVC’s Hazlewood Act Database so that their total used Hazlewood Act hours can be tracked. Please sign up for the Hazlewood Act Database before submitting your paper application to the college.

In addition, Texas state law requires that students who receive exemptions and/or waivers to tuition and fee charges make due progress toward the completion or a degree or certificate in order to continue receiving benefits. Because the Hazlewood Act exemption falls under this category (SB 1210), veterans and their family members who use the Hazlewood Act exemption must also make satisfactory academic progress to remain eligible.

These standards are outlined under the Texarkana College Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy for financial aid. Students under all versions of Hazlewood except for the spouses or children of MIA or KIA veterans must meet these requirements or will lose access to the exemption. In cases where students have extenuating circumstances, they may file an appeal to regain eligibility through the same appeal process and online form provided at the link above.

Students must submit the Hazlewood Act application by the end of the semester for which they wish to be reimbursed.

We allow veteran-students to use both, and we plan to continue this practice unless new regulations prohibit it. As stated earlier, students may use the Hazlewood Act in conjunction with all other VA aid except for Veterans’ Vocational Rehabilitation (Chapter 31) and the Post-9/11 GI Bill® Benefits (Chapter 33) if received at the 100% rate.

Yes. Hazlewood Act-eligible veterans wishing to use the exemption to cover their child’s high school dual credit tuition may do so. Complete the applications and necessary documentation for either the Legacy transfer or the child’s own hours due to the veteran’s service-related death or disability (as appropriate), and submit this to the Texarkana College Financial Aid and Veteran Services Office. Please allow at least 2 weeks for processing.

Only in limited cases. The Hazlewood Act can only apply to continuing education courses if the state of Texas provides formula funding to pay for the particular course desired. Hazlewood Act-eligible veterans wishing to use the exemption for a continuing education class must inquire at least 4 weeks before the starting date of the course, with the inquiry limited to a particular course, to give the Financial Aid and Veteran Services Office time to research whether the exemption may apply. There are absolutely no exceptions to this time-limit requirement, and requests submitted less than 4 weeks ahead of time will be denied outright.

The Hazlewood Act will not cover the student service fee ($5 per credit hour each semester), books and supplies, parking permit, on-campus housing charges, penalty fees such as late fees or excessive repeat fees, or the reservation fee for courses taken through the Virtual College of Texas (VCT). As stated above, it will not usually cover non-credit continuing education classes.

Although your original GI Bill® benefits have likely expired if you were discharged over 10 years ago and have not yet applied for them, you may still qualify for through the VA Vocational Rehabilitation program (Chapter 31).

Veteran Readiness and Employment – For veterans and service-members with a service-related disability percentage of 10-20% or more who have a serious employment handicap. This program pairs you with a vocational counselor and pays for tuition, fees, books, and supplies. VA VR&E is designed to help you get the training you need to get a good entry-level job in the field of your choice. In cases where veterans have service-connected disabilities so severe that they cannot immediately consider work, this program offers services to improve their ability to live as independently as possible. Please note that the application process for Chapter 31 is different from any other veterans’ educational benefit! You must contact the VA directly to initiate the application process, and they will set up an interview to determine if you are a good candidate for the program. For more information, call 501-370-3780.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has set up the following educational benefits for reservists or guardsmen who have served long enough to earn a “Notice of Basic Eligibility” (NOBE). To determine if you are eligible to receive this document, please speak with the commanding officer of your unit.

• Selected Reserve Montgomery GI Bill® benefits (Chapter 1606) – For service-members or veterans with a six-year obligation to serve in the Selective Reserve who are in good standing with their unit. This GI Bill® benefits pays you, and you are then responsible for paying the school. You may use it in conjunction with military Tuition Assistance.
• Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits (Chapter 33) – If you were called to active duty for at least 90 days, you qualify to apply for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits.

Spouses and/or children of combat-deceased or disabled veterans may qualify for educational benefits under the Survivor’s and Dependents’ Assistance program (Chapter 35). In certain cases, veterans eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits may also apply for a “Transfer of Eligibility” to donate some or all of their educational benefits to a spouse or child. Finally, children whose parents died in military action after September 10, 2001, may be eligible to receive the Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits under the John David Fry Scholarship.

• Survivor’s and Dependents’ Assistance / “DEA” (Chapter 35) – For spouses and/or children of veterans who have died as a result of military service or who have received a 100% service-related disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Multiple children can use this benefit, but they are only eligible between the ages of 18-26. (Extensions are possible but very rare.)
• Transfer of Eligibility – Veterans who have served at least six years of active-duty service and commit to an additional four *OR* have already served ten years of active duty *OR* are retirement-eligible and commit to an additional four years may transfer part or all of their Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits eligibility to a spouse or child. Transfers of Eligibility must be approved through the Department of Defense before they can be implemented by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Due to the complexity of this particular application, please consult the Department of Veterans Affairs directly rather than the TC Veterans Services Office for guidance on how to apply.
• Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits: Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship – Under Public Law 111-32, the children of service members who died in the line of duty after Sept. 10, 2001 may be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits (Chapter 33) under the title of “Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship”. It functions exactly like the regular Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits at the 100% rate. Those who wish to apply may do so by submitting VA Form 22-5490 (online or mailed), the same form used to apply for Chapter 35 DEA benefits.