College For All Texans: Hazlewood Exemption (for Texas Veterans)

Hazlewood Exemption (for Texas Veterans)

Program Purpose

The purpose of the Hazlewood Exemption (Hazlewood Act) is to provide an education benefit to honorably discharged or separated Texas veterans and to eligible dependent children and spouses of Texas veterans.

SB 639 (82nd Texas Legislative, Regular) authorized new provisions which are effective with tuition and fee charges for fall, 2011. See "NEW" provisions below.

Eligibility Requirements

Veterans:

Who, at the time of entry into the U.S. Armed Forces:

Are Texas residents,
Designated Texas as Home of Record, or
Entered the service in Texas.
Have served at least 181 days of active military duty excluding training, as indicated as "net active service" (the sum of 12(c) and 12(d)) on the DD214),
Have received an honorable discharge or separation or a general discharge under honorable conditions,
Have no federal veteran's education benefits, or have federal veterans education benefits dedicated to the payment of tuition and fees only (such as Chapter 33 or 31; Pell and SEOG are not relevant) for term or semester enrolled that do not exceed the value of Hazlewood benefits,
Are not in default on a student loan made or guaranteed by the State of Texas, and
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 costs), unless the college's governing board has ruled to let veterans receive the benefit while taking non-funded courses.

NEW! Veterans who are granted their first Hazlewood exemption beginning fall, 2011 must reside in Texas during the semester or term for which the exemption is claimed. This requirement does not apply to veterans who received the exemption prior to the 2011-2012 academic year.

Children and spouses:

Of veterans who, at the time of entry into the U.S. Armed Forces:
- Are Texas residents,
- Designated Texas as Home of Record, or
- Entered the service in Texas.
Have a parent or is the spouse of a veteran of the U. S. Armed Forces, Texas National Guard, or Texas Air National Guard who died as a result of service-related injuries or illness, is missing in action, or became totally disabled (100%) as a result of a service-related injury or illness or is entitled to receive compensation at the 100% rate due to individual unemployability (IU) due to a service-connected injury or illness.
Have no federal veteran's education benefits, or have federal veterans education benefits dedicated to the payment of tuition and fees only (such as Chapter 33 or 31; Pell and SEOG Grants are not relevant) for the term or semester enrolled that do not exceed the value of Hazlewood benefits, and
Are residents of Texas as of the term or semester in which they enroll.

NEW! Eligible children who receive the Hazlewood exemption for the first time beginning fall, 2011 must be 25 years of age 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). This requirement does not apply to children who received the exemption prior to the 2011-2012 academic year.

The benefit may not be used for correspondence courses unless the courses are part of the student's degree plan.

Transferability of Benefits (Legacy Program)

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 in accordance with their financial aid policy.

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 are available to another dependent child.

NEW! Effective with tuition and fee charges fall, 2011, 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 veteran if the veteran died prior to requesting the transfer of hours.

Veterans' spouses are not eligible to receive a transfer of unused hours.

**See "Award Amount" below regarding eligible continuing education programs.

Eligible Institutions

The awards are available only for use at a Texas public college or university.
To access listings of Texas public colleges and universities, follow this link to Texas Institutions of Higher Education and select any of the schools listed under the Texas Public Institutions.

**Note: The schools listed under Independent Institutions do NOT qualify for Hazlewood Exemptions.

Award Amount

Eligible veterans, their children and spouses may receive an exemption from the payment of all tuition, dues, fees, and other required charges, including fees for correspondence courses, but excluding deposit fees, student service fees, and any fees or charges for books, lodging, board, or clothing for up to 150 semester credit hours. Awards may not be used to pay tuition and relevant fees for continuing education classes unless one of the following applies: (1) the college receives state tax support for the classes, or (2) the governing board has specifically approved this benefit.

Application Process

To use Hazlewood benefits or to transfer unused benefits to an eligible child, applicants must complete an application/release form. Please choose the appropriate application below:

Veterans using the Exemption must complete the HE-V application form.

HE-V Application for Veterans

Eligible Children and Spouses Who Have Never Used the Exemption must complete both the HE-V and the HE-D application forms.

HE-D Application for Dependents

Veterans must:

Provide proof (DD214) from the Department of Defense regarding their military service and nature of discharge.

Provide proof of eligibility or ineligibility for GI/Montgomery benefits (Chapter 31, 33/Post 911) by requesting an education benefits letter from the VA office in Muskogee, OK at (888)-442-4551 or www.gibill.va.gov.

Contact their college financial aid office regarding their status on prior student loans made or guaranteed by the State of Texas.

Children and Spouses must:

Provide proof from Dept. of Defense or from the VA regarding veteran parent's death or disability related to service.

Contact their college financial aid office regarding their status on prior student loans made or guaranteed by the State of Texas.

NEW!! Effective with tuition and fee charges for fall, 2011, all applicants (veterans, spouses and children) must complete and submit the appropriate application and documentation listed above to their college or university's financial aid office or veterans' education office no later than one year after the earlier of the date the school:

provides written notice to the applicant of his/her eligibility, or
receives written notice from the applicant that acknowledges the applicant's awareness of his/her eligibility for the exemption.

Note: Specific information/advice on qualifications for Hazlewood and Hazlewood Legacy is available from the Hazlewood determination official at the college or university that you’re planning to attend.