"Disabled Veteran and Dependents Patriot Scholarship Program"; establish under IHL Board.

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To: Universities and
Colleges
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) Tate

SENATE BILL NO. 2413

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A "DISABLED VETERAN AND DEPENDENTS 1
PATRIOT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM" TO PROVIDE TUITION AND FEE WAIVERS 2
FOR ELIGIBLE VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO ATTEND MISSISSIPPI 3
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES; TO PROVIDE DEFINITIONS; TO PROVIDE 4
CRITERIA FOR CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY AND FOR THE MAXIMUM DURATION 5
OF THE WAIVER; TO PROVIDE FOR PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION BY THE BOARD 6
OF TRUSTEES OF STATE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING AND THE 7
ADJUTANT GENERAL; TO AMEND SECTION 37-106-41, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 8
1972, TO CONFORM PROVISIONS OF THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR 9
CHILDREN OF PRISONERS OF WAR OR MIA/S IN SOUTHEAST ASIA; AND FOR 10
RELATED PURPOSES. 11
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 12
SECTION 1. (1) As used in this section: 13
(a) "Dependent" means a child, stepchild, spouse or 14
un-remarried widow(er). 15
(b) "Tuition" means actual cost, including any fees and 16
books, not to exceed the highest actual cost charged by any 17
public, accredited institution of higher learning, vocational 18
education school or community or junior college in Mississippi. 19
(c) "Veteran" means a veteran meeting one (1) of the 20
following service-connected disability conditions established by 21
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the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (formerly the Veterans 22
Administration) or the appropriate military service department: 23
(i) A former prisoner of war (POW); or 24
(ii) Declared missing in action (MIA); or 25
(iii) Died as the result of a service-connected 26
disability; or 27
(iv) Died while on active military service in the 28
line of duty; or 29
(v) Rated forty percent (40%) or more due to 30
his/her service-connected disability(ies). 31
(2) There is hereby established the Mississippi "Disabled 32
Veteran and Dependents Patriot Scholarship Program". The Adjutant 33
General is hereby authorized to pay the tuition, room and board 34
for any disabled veteran or his/her dependent who is enrolled or 35
may enroll within the State of Mississippi in an accredited 36
institution of higher learning, vocational education school or 37
community college. 38
(3) The veteran must meet the following qualifications to 39
establish eligibility of his/her dependents: 40
(a) An honorable discharge or other proof of honorable 41
termination of service of the veteran or serviceman in the Armed 42
Forces for a period of at least ninety (90) consecutive days of 43
active duty service or service less than ninety (90) consecutive 44
days of active duty service if the veteran or serviceman was 45
discharged or released by reason of service-connected disability. 46
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(b) The veteran must meet one (1) of the following 47
service-connected disability conditions established by the U.S. 48
Department of Veterans Affairs (formerly the Veterans 49
Administration) or the appropriate military service department: 50
(i) A former prisoner of war (POW); or 51
(ii) Declared missing in action (MIA); or 52
(iii) Died as the result of a service-connected 53
disability; or 54
(iv) Died while on active military service in the 55
line of duty; or 56
(v) Rated forty percent (40%) or more due to 57
his/her service-connected disability(ies). 58
(c) Veterans with a disability rating of twenty percent 59
(20%) to thirty percent (30%) may qualify if the effective date of 60
their disability rating is on or before July 1, 2026. This 61
provision will expire on July 31, 2032. Veterans whose disability 62
rating is less than twenty percent (20%) prior to July 1, 2026, 63
but who had a claim for compensation pending prior to that date 64
which resulted in a final award by the United States Department of 65
Veterans Affairs of at least twenty percent (20%) may be eligible 66
if the dependent applies for benefits within six (6) months of 67
that final adjudication. 68
(d) The veteran must have been a permanent civilian 69
resident of the State of Mississippi for at least one (1) year 70
immediately prior to their initial entry into active federal 71
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military service. Initial entry into federal active military 72
service or any subsequent entry into federal active military 73
service where a twelve-month break in service occurred and one (1) 74
of the following: 75
(i) Current resident for at least two (2) years 76
immediately prior to the date of this application or date of 77
veteran's death; or 78
(ii) Current resident who was discharged within 79
the last twelve (12) months; or 80
(iii) Filed a resident Mississippi income tax 81
return for the past ten (10) consecutive years. 82
(e) Permanently service-connected veterans rated at one 83
hundred percent (100%) who do not meet the above residency 84
requirements may qualify after establishing proof that they have 85
been a bona fide resident for at least five (5) years immediately 86
prior to the date of this application or the date of the veteran's 87
death. This applies to one hundred percent (100%) permanent and 88
total ratings only. 89
(4) As of July 1, 2026, students applying for benefits for 90
the first time must meet all of the following: 91
(a) Must be a current resident of the State of 92
Mississippi at the time of application and maintain that residency 93
while receiving the benefit; and 94
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(b) Must complete a Free Application for Federal 95
Student Aid (FAFSA) for each year that they are covered under the 96
Mississippi G.I. Dependent Scholarship Program; and 97
(c) Must comply with Standards of Satisfactory Academic 98
Progress (SAP) as defined by their education institution; and 99
(d) Must complete a Family Educational Rights and 100
Privacy Act (PERPA) release form for each educational institution 101
that they attend to authorize the release of personally 102
identifiable information required to determine continued 103
eligibility and as required for necessary reporting. 104
(5) Children and stepchildren of qualified veterans may 105
receive five (5) standard academic years (ten (10) semesters) at 106
any Mississippi state-supported institution of higher learning or 107
a prescribed course of study at any state-supported technical 108
college to be used for undergraduate courses of study at the 109
in-state tuition rate. 110
(6) Spouses or un-remarried widow(er)s of a veteran rated at 111
one hundred percent (100%) permanently and totally disabled may 112
also receive five (5) standard academic years (ten (10) semesters) 113
at any Mississippi state-supported institution of higher learning 114
or a prescribed course of study at any state-supported technical 115
college to be used for undergraduate courses of study at the 116
in-state tuition rate. 117
(7) Spouses or un-remarried widow(er)s of a veteran rated 118
forty percent (40%) to ninety percent (90%) disabled are entitled 119
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to three (3) standard academic years (six (6) semesters) at any 120
Mississippi state-supported institution of higher learning or a 121
prescribed course of study at any state-supported technical 122
college to be used for undergraduate courses of study at the 123
in-state tuition rate. 124
(8) Beginning with applications received at the Mississippi 125
Adjutant General's Office with a postmark dated on or after July 126
1, 2026, tuition will be limited to the Department of Defense 127
Tuition Assistance Cap and required textbooks and applicable fees 128
will be limited to a combined Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00) 129
total per student for each semester. Schools may waive any 130
overages of these charges at their discretion. All scholarships 131
and grants must be applied to education expenses first (unless 132
otherwise prescribed by state law) and the Mississippi G.I. 133
Dependent Scholarship Program will be applied for any permissible 134
remaining charge pursuant to current state law. 135
(9) There shall be no restriction on the number of eligible 136
dependents under the veteran; however, each dependent may only 137
receive the benefit once, regardless of changes in their future 138
dependency status. 139
(10) The child or stepchild must initiate training under the 140
program prior to his/her twenty-sixth (26th) birthday. A child or 141
stepchild may be eligible for the program up to the age of thirty 142
(30) in the discretion of the Adjutant General. If the applicant 143
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is a stepchild, the veteran and the stepchild's parent must be 144
legally married prior to the child's nineteenth (19th) birthday. 145
(11) The program shall not pay for noncredit courses, 146
remedial courses, placement testing, GED preparation, continuing 147
educational courses, pre-technical courses, or state board 148
examinations or any classes beyond undergraduate courses of study. 149
(12) The Disabled Veteran and Dependents Patriot Scholarship 150
Program shall only pay for those textbooks that are required for 151
the courses in which the study is officially enrolled. 152
(13) Dependents are eligible to participate in the program 153
only as long as they remain the legal dependent of the veteran 154
from which they derive their eligibility. In the event of a 155
divorce action, the former spouse or stepchild will be ineligible 156
to participate effective the date of the divorce. Any educational 157
financial obligations entered into after the divorce date will be 158
the responsibility of the former spouse or stepchild. 159
(14) Widow(er) forfeits all entitlements upon remarriage 160
without further consideration of reinstatement. 161
(15) Applications shall be made available at any Mississippi 162
Department of Veterans Affairs Office. 163
(16) The Adjutant General of Mississippi shall be 164
responsible for the establishment of policies, the administration 165
and implementation of the Disabled Veteran and Dependents Patriot 166
Scholarship Program (DVDPSP). The Adjutant General of Mississippi 167
will annually submit to the Legislature through the Legislative 168
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Budget Office an estimated budget to support the DVDPSP, and funds 169
shall be subject to appropriation and to audit by the State 170
Auditor. 171
SECTION 2. Section 37-106-41, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 172
amended as follows: 173
37-106-41. (1) If any member of the armed services, whose 174
official house of record and residence is within the State of 175
Mississippi, is officially reported as being either a prisoner of 176
war or missing in action in Southeast Asia or has been a prisoner 177
of a foreign government as the result of a military action against 178
the United States naval vessel, Pueblo, his child or children 179
shall be entitled to an eight-semester scholarship without cost, 180
exclusive of books, food, school supplies, materials and dues or 181
fees for extracurricular activities at any state-supported college 182
or university of his choice within this state. However, no child 183
will be entitled to receive benefits during any semester or 184
quarter when said child has reached the age of twenty-three (23) 185
years on the first day of the semester or quarter. 186
(2) The provisions of this section shall apply to the child 187
or children of any member of the armed services who is officially 188
reported as being either a prisoner of war or missing in action in 189
Southeast Asia whose spouse was a resident of this state for a 190
period of not less than ten (10) years during her minority and is 191
a resident or physically resides within this state and does 192
continually reside within this state at the time of enrollment and 193
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during the enrollment, and is a resident or physically resides 194
within this state as of April 9, 1973. 195
(3) It is further provided that the provisions of this 196
section shall apply to the child or children of any person who was 197
a resident of this state at the time he was inducted into the 198
Armed Forces of the United States of America and who is either a 199
former prisoner of war or officially reported as being a prisoner 200
of war or missing in action in Southeast Asia and who, or his 201
spouse if she was a resident of this state for a period of not 202
less than ten (10) years during her minority, is a resident of 203
this state and at the time of enrollment and during the enrollment 204
of his child or children at any state-supported college or 205
university in this state resided or resides in this state. 206
(4) Any applicant qualified and desiring a scholarship under 207
this section shall apply in writing to the board. The board shall 208
make inquiries into each such application and shall make the 209
investigation as it deems proper to establish and validate all 210
claims made under this section before a scholarship is granted. 211
(5) The provisions of this section shall be administered 212
under rules adopted by the Adjutant General of the State of 213
Mississippi and the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of 214
Higher Learning as part of the Disabled Veteran and Dependents 215
Patriot Scholarship Program (DVDPSP) established in Section 1 of 216
this act. 217
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ST: "Disabled Veteran and Dependents Patriot
Scholarship Program"; establish under IHL Board.
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from 218
and after July 1, 2026. 219