Veterans Affairs

The Hazlewood Act:

The Hazlewood Act is a State of Texas tuition waiver that provides qualified Veterans, spouses, and dependent children with an education benefit of up to 150 hours of tuition exemption, at public institutions of higher education in Texas. This does NOT include living expenses, books, supply fees, or student activity fees.

Veteran Qualifications

A Veteran must:

• At the time of entry into active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, designate Texas as Home of Record; have or enter the service in Texas; or was a Texas resident;
• Have received an honorable discharge or separation or a general discharge under honorable conditions as indicated on the Veteran's Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214);
• Served at least 181 days of active duty service (excluding training);
• Have no federal Veteran’s education benefits, or have no federal Veterans education benefits dedicated to the payment of tuition and fees only (such as Chapter 33 or 31; for term or semester enrolled that do not exceed the value of Hazlewood benefits;
• Not be in default on a student loan made or guaranteed by the State of Texas;
• Enroll in classes for which the college receives tax support (i.e., a course that does not depend solely on student tuition and fees to cover its cost), unless the college’s governing board has ruled to let Veterans receive the benefit while taking non-funded courses; and
• Meet the GPA and undergraduate excessive hours requirements of Texas Education Code Sec. 54.2001 (see link at bottom of page).

Hazlewood Act application process

A Veteran must:

• Apply and be accepted to a Texas public college or university of his/her choice. Go to www.applytexas.org to apply or use your institution's application for admission;
• Provide proof (DD214) from the Department of Defense regarding military service and the nature of discharge;
• Provide proof of eligibility or ineligibility for GI Bill® benefits (Chapter 31, 33/Post-9/11) by requesting a certificate of eligibility for federal education benefits from eBenefits (if Veteran has active duty service after 9/11/2001). You will need to create a username and password to request your certificate of eligibility;
• Fill out the Hazlewood Exemption application form; and
• Turn in the Hazlewood Exemption application form, a copy of your letter of eligibility/ineligibility, and a copy of your DD214 to VA Services Center of the institution you will be attending.

Applications and all supporting documentation must be received by the institution no later than the last day of class in order to be evaluated for the semester or term.

Child (Legacy Act)

Eligible veterans may assign unused hours of exemption eligibility to a child under certain conditions. To be eligible, the child must:

• Be a Texas resident;
• Be the biological child, stepchild, adopted child. or claimed as a dependent in the current or previous tax year;
• Be 25 years or younger on the first day of the semester or term for which the exemption is claimed (unless granted an extension due to a qualifying illness or debilitating condition); and
• Make satisfactory academic progress in a degree, certificate, or continuing education program as determined by the institution.

If a child to whom hours have been delegated fails to use all of the assigned hours, a veteran may re-assign the unused hours that to another dependent child.

A veteran's spouse or a child's guardian, conservator, custodian, or other legally designated caretaker may re-assign unused hours to an eligible child (through Legacy) on behalf of the veterans if the veteran died prior to requesting the transfer of hours (documentation required).

The Montgomery GI Bill® program (MGIB)

Active Duty (MGIB-AD) 

Some service members may contribute up to an additional $600 to the GI Bill®  to receive increased monthly benefits. For an additional $600 contribution, you may receive up to $5400 in additional GI Bill® benefits. The additional contribution must be made while on active duty. For more information contact your personnel or payroll office.

The Montgomery GI Bill® - Active Duty, provides up to 36 months of education benefits to eligible Veterans for:

• College
• Technical or Vocational Courses
• Correspondence Courses
• Apprenticeship/Job Training
• Flight Training
• High-tech Training
• Licensing & Certification Tests
• Entrepreneurship Training
• Certain Entrance Examinations

The Post-9/11 GI Bill®:

The Post-9/11 GI Bill® provides financial support for education and housing to individuals with at least 90 days of aggregate service on or after September 11, 2001, or individuals discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days. This benefit provides up to 36 months of education benefits, generally benefits are payable for 15 years following your release from active duty.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill®  includes graduate and undergraduate degrees, vocational/technical training, on-the-job training, flight training, correspondence training, licensing and national testing programs, entrepreneurship training, and tutorial assistance. All training programs must be approved for GI Bill® benefits.

Qualifications

• Veteran must have at least 90 days aggregate service on or after September 11, 2001 or;
• Individuals discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days; and
• Must have received an honorable discharge.

Veteran Education Benefits

The Veteran Services Center assists student veterans with certification needs for veteran educational benefits. The office is located at the Ft. McIntosh Campus in the Lerma Pena Building # 131.

• Chapter 30 Montgomery GI Bill® - Active Duty Educational Assistance Program
• Chapter 31: Vocational Rehabilitation
• Chapter 33: Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008
• Chapter 35: Dependent's Educational Assistance Program
• Chapter 1606: Montgomery GI Bill® - Selected Reserve Educational Assistance Program
• Chapter 1607: Reserve Educational Assistance Program

Enrollment may be approved only for a program leading to either an Associate in Arts degree or an Associate in Applied Science degree, or any occupational (certificate) program offered at Laredo College.

A student who is receiving VA educational benefits must maintain a 2.0 grade point average to be considered making satisfactory progress.

Students who fail to achieve the cumulative GPA of 2.0, shall be placed on probation for one semester or summer term. If the student fails to achieve a cumulative grade point average of a 2.0 at the end of the probationary semester, the student will be reported to the Veterans Administration as making unsatisfactory academic progress and veteran benefits will be suspended. It is the responsibility of the student veteran to comply with satisfactory academic progress.

Veterans using the Hazlewood Act must submit an application of eligibility every semester/session to the Student Financial Aid & Veteran Affairs Services Center for exemption of payment of tuition. The documents verifying eligibility for exemption of the payment of tuition must be submitted to the Student Financial Aid & Veteran Affairs Services Center prior to the census date of each semester/session for which the student is claiming the benefits. The following documents must be submitted before qualifying for tuition exemption under the Hazlewood Act:

• Fill out the Hazlewood application which can be found at www.tvc.state.tx.us
• Provide proof of eligibility or ineligibility for GI Bill® benefits (Chapter 31, 33/Post-9/11) by requesting a certificate of eligibility for federal education benefits online at www.vets.gov or www.ebenefits.gov(if Veteran has active duty service after 9/11/2001)
• DD Form 214,Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty

A veteran student qualifies for the Hazlewood Act exemption if the veteran was a U.S. citizen and a resident of Texas, served at least 181 days of active military duty and received an honorable discharge, separation, or a general discharge under honorable conditions. Students should be currently in Texas and are not in default on any Federal Education loans.

Note: Hazlewood Benefit is not a benefit under the Department of Veterans Affairs; it is a benefit passed by the Texas Legislature for Texas Veterans Only. To qualify, the Veteran must have been a Texas resident as stated on their DD Form 214 when they entered the military or entered the military in Texas (i.e. Home of Record at time of entry or Place of Entry into Active Duty). This program is administered by Laredo College Veterans Affairs Services Center in compliance with the Texas Hazlewood Law. There are no exceptions to the requirements to qualify for the benefit. 

Academic Progress

All students must meet satisfactory academic progress toward a degree or certificate in accordance with the institution’s policy regarding eligibility for financial aid. Veterans and/or dependents will be expected to maintain academic standards as outlined in this Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy for the purposes of receiving Veterans Educational Benefits. Veterans and Dependents must maintain a minimum overall GPA of 2.0 or better and successfully complete at least 67% of the coursework attempted each term to be considered in good standing.

Effective for Fall 2014, the Texas Legislature approved Senate Bill 1210 which states that recipients of Texas state exemptions and/or waivers must meet Financial Aid satisfactory academic progress (SAP) requirements of a grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 for undergraduate students at all times and recipients must not be in excess hours status.

It is the student’s responsibility to inform the Student Financial Aid & Veteran Affairs Services Center of any changes in enrollment status.

Veterans with previous college or university training are required to have transcripts from other schools on file with the Student Financial Aid & Veteran Affairs Services Center before being considered for certification under the Veterans Administration. In addition, it is the responsibility of each student to request the required transcripts.

Academic Probation

Schools that have an academic progress policy allowing for a period of academic probation prior to termination for Unsatisfactory Progress (Academic Suspension) should notify VA promptly when a student receiving VA education benefits is placed on academic probation.

Unsatisfactory Progress, Conduct and Attendance

The law requires that educational assistance benefits to Veterans and other eligible persons be discontinued when the student ceases to make satisfactory progress toward completion of his or her training objective.

Both accredited and non-accredited schools are required by law to have and to enforce standards of progress and conduct in order for their programs to be approved for VA benefits. Only non-accredited schools are required by federal law to have attendance standards. These standards should be stated plainly in the school's catalog or bulletin. A school's policy and regulations for standards of progress, conduct and attendance must define:

• The school's grading system

• The minimum satisfactory grade level

• Conditions for interruption of training due to unsatisfactory grades or progress

• A description of any probationary period

• Conditions for a student's re-entrance or readmission following dismissal or suspension for unsatisfactory progress

• Conditions for dismissal due to unsatisfactory conduct

• The school's attendance policy

When a student has failed to maintain prescribed standards of progress, VA must be informed promptly so that benefit payments can be discontinued in accordance with the law. The termination date assigned by the school will be the last day of the term or other evaluation period in which the student’s progress became unsatisfactory. Schools that provide a period of academic probation may not continue to certify a Veteran or eligible person (who remains in a probationary status) for an indefinite period of time. It is reasonable to expect that an institution will report a termination due to unsatisfactory progress if a student remains on academic probation beyond 2 terms, quarters, or semesters.

Fees not covered by VA or Hazlewood

Penalty fees (late registration, repeated course fees, add or drop course fees and student service fees and activity fees (Hazlewood students).

For more detailed information on all VA Benefits please visit www.gibill.va.gov and Texas Veterans Commission on all information related to Hazlewood benefits www.tvc.state.tx.us.