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, for term or semester enrolled that do not exceed the value of Hazlewood benefits (Pell and SEOG Grants are not relevant),
- 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, for the term or semester enrolled that do not exceed the value of Hazlewood benefits (Pell and SEOG Grants are not relevant), 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 note under Award Amount 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 form. Please choose the appropriate application below:
HE-V Application Packet for Veterans Who Have Never Used the Exemption
HE-D Application Packet for Eligible Children and Spouses Who Have Never Used the Exemption
HE-P Application Packet for Previous Exemption Recipients (Veterans, Children and Spouses)
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. In addition, both veterans and dependents must also provide proof of eligibility or ineligibility for GI/Montgomery benefits (Chapter 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. Dependents must provide proof from Dept of Defense or from Veterans Administration regarding parent's death or disability related to service. Both groups should contact their college financial aid office regarding their status on prior federal student loans made or guaranteed by the State of Texas. All applicants must complete the appropriate application (see links above) and submit it to the college's veterans' education office or 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