Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program; tuition and fee waivers, eligibility.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill focuses on conducting a study rather than implementing immediate changes.

Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program; Expanding Eligibility

This bill directs a study to evaluate expanding eligibility for tuition and fee waivers in the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program to include survivors of military members who died while on duty.

What This Bill Does

• Directs the Department of Veterans Services (DVS) and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) to study expanding eligibility for tuition and fee waivers in the program.
• Estimates how many more people would become eligible if line-of-duty deaths were included as a qualifying reason.
• Calculates additional costs for public institutions if more people are eligible for the waiver.
• Reviews current standards for verifying eligibility.

Who It Names or Affects

• Survivors of military members who died while on duty
• Public higher education institutions in Virginia

Terms To Know

tuition and fee waivers

Free or reduced-cost college tuition for certain groups, like military survivors.

line of duty deaths

Deaths that occur while a person is performing their job duties in the military.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify if or how eligibility will be expanded based on the study's findings.
• It does not provide funding for any potential expansion of the program.

Official Summary Text

Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program; tuition and fee waivers; eligibility.
Expands eligibility for a waiver of tuition and fees at public institutions of higher education pursuant to the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program to the spouse or a child between the ages of 16 and 29 (i) of a military service member who, while serving as an active duty member in the Armed Forces of the United States, Reserves of the Armed Forces of the United States, or Virginia National Guard, died in the line of duty, including from a training accident, a service-connected illness, or toxic exposure or as a result of a mental health condition such as post-traumatic stress disorder or suicide, or (ii) of a veteran who served in the Armed Forces of the United States, Reserves of the Armed Forces of the United States, or Virginia National Guard and who died as a result of a service-connected condition, including a service-connected illness, an injury, toxic exposure, or suicide.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL NO. 56

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE

(Proposed by the House Committee on Education

on February 11, 2026)

(Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Feggans)

A BILL to direct the Department of Veterans Services and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to study the fiscal and administrative impact of expanding eligibility for the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program to include line of duty deaths; report.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.
§ 1.
The Department of Veterans Services
(DVS)
, in coordination with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
(
SCHEV)
and
each

public institution of higher education

in the Commonwealth
, shall conduct a study to evaluate the fiscal and administrative impact of expanding eligibility for
tuition and mandatory fee waiver
s under
the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program
(the Program)
established pursuant to §
23.1-608
of the Code of Virginia
to survivors and dependents of military service members who died in the line of duty.

In conducting such study, DVS
and SCHEV
shall:

1.
E
stimate the number of additional survivors and dependents who would become eligible if line of duty deaths were expressly included as a qualifying category under §
23.1-608
of the Code of Virginia
;

2.
Estimate
the additional cost to public institutions of higher education associated with tuition and mandatory fee waivers for such individuals, including a breakdown by institution where practicable
;

3.
Assess
whether such
additional
cost

would be absorbed by institutions or require additional state support
;

4.
Review
eligibility verification standards and the role of federal certification in determining line of duty deaths
;
and

5.
Make
recommendations regarding statutory changes, implementation timelines, or fiscal safeguards should the General Assembly choose to expand eligibility
to such survivors and dependents
in a future session.

DVS and SCHEV
shall report their findings and recommendations to the Chair
s
of the House Committee on Appropriations,
the House Committee on Education,
the Senate Committee on Education and Health,
and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations no later than December 1, 2026.