Possible rollback could reduce state-offered tuition and fee waivers
NORFOLK, Va. — There's been speculation that the General Assembly is looking to end education benefits for severely disabled veterans and their families, and here's what we've found.
The Virginia Military Survivor and Dependent Education Program provides tuition and fee waivers and scholarships to public universities for permanently disabled veterans and their spouses or children.
Changes to the program are proposed that would allow eligible people to apply for and use other financial aid toward tuition costs before the program begins.
State Sen. Bill DeSteph said lawmakers have been working to rebuild the program for a long time and still support it.
“I think it's a good thing to allow spouses of fallen military personnel to do this. That's right. I think they should be allowed to benefit from that if they can,” DeSteph said.
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services is responsible for this program and is working with the Virginia Council on Higher Education (SCHEV).
A SCHEV spokesperson told 13News Now that rapid growth over the past five years has pushed costs to $66 million. The proposed changes are intended to save the state university system money.
“The amount of tuition and mandatory fee waivers associated with VMSDEP has increased from $300,000 in 2017-18 to more than $3 million in 2023-2024,” according to a statement from Christopher Newport University. . They go on to say that “funding is needed to ensure that the burden is not passed on to students who pay tuition.”
Old Dominion University similarly said in a statement that tuition waivers are “expected to increase from $2 million in fiscal year 2019 to more than $9 million in fiscal year 2023 and more than $13 million in fiscal year 2024. ” They continued, “Proposed reforms to the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program (VMSDEP) will help ensure Virginia military survivors and dependents are supported in their pursuit of an undergraduate education while also “This will provide dedicated funding sources and sustainable education for all.” Funding model. ”
