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.
81st Texas Legislative Changes (effective 6/19/2009):
Senate Bill 93 authorized new provisions which remove certain residency restrictions, extend eligibility to spouses, and permit eligible veterans to assign their unused hours to their child. These new provisions are known as the "Hazlewood Legacy Act".
Senate Bill 297 authorized a new exemption from the payment of tuition (fees not included) for a child, or stepchild, of a member of the Armed Forces who is deployed to active duty in a combat zone outside the United States. To learn more about this program, click on Fact Sheet
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, 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.
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 for purposes of employability as a result of service-related 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.
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.
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.
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
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 for the First Time
HE-V Application Packet for Veterans Who Have Never Used the Exemption
Eligible Children and Spouses Who Have Never Used the Exemption
HE-D Application Packet for Eligible Children and Spouses Who Have Never Used the Exemption
Veterans, Children, or Spouses Who Previously Received the Exemption
HE-P Application Packet for Previous Exemption Recipients (Veterans, Children and Spouses)
Veterans Transferring Unused Hours to an Eligible Child
HE-V or HE-P (as appropriate)
TUHH Application Packet for the Transfer of Unused Hours To Eligible Child
HE-T Application Packet for A Child Who Has Received Transferred Hours
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.
Complete and submit the appropriate application(s) and documentation listed above to their college financial aid office.
Children and Spouses must:
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.
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.
Complete and submit the appropriate application(s) and documentation listed above to the college financial aid office.
Additional Information
For more information, click Frequently Asked Questions - Updated Feb 2010
Login to Your Hazlewood Account
To read more about this program check out: Texas Education Code §54.203