Hazlewood Act | PDF | Word | RTF
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The Hazlewood Act provides educational benefits at Texas public institutions of higher learning for veterans of the armed forces. It is open to all honorably discharged veterans, and, in some cases, to their children and spouses. To qualify, the veteran must have either been a state resident at the time of his or her entry into the military or must have entered the service in Texas. Veterans who have designated Texas as their Home of Record are also eligible.
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The Hazlewood Act provides for tuition exemption of up to 150 hours and for most academic fees. It specifically does not provide for living expenses or for textbooks.
The Veteran must have served at least 181 days in the military, excluding training time. He or she can have no other veteran’s educational benefits, such as Chapters 31 or 33 of the Montgomery G.I. Bill, that do not exceed the amount offered herein. To continue receiving benefits under the Hazlewood Act, the veteran must continue to make satisfactory progress toward the attainment of a degree or certificate in the program that he or she is enrolled in.
In addition, the veteran can’t be in default on any student loan granted or guaranteed by the State of Texas. Also, the classes that veteran enrolls in must be supported, to some extent, by the taxpayers. What this means, in essence, is that the courses can’t be supported solely by student tuition. The educational institution itself can, itself, often override this condition.
Veteran Benefits
Under the Legacy Act, the veteran can assign any and all benefit hours that he or she left unused to an eligible child. This beneficiary must either be the veteran’s biological child, adopted child, stepchild or dependent. The proposed beneficiary must also be under 25 years old and eligible for resident tuition in Texas. While only one of the veteran’s children can use these benefits at any time, the veteran can designate a second child to be the beneficiary of any hours left unused by the first.
The Hazlewood Act also provides benefits to the spouse or child of a veteran who was killed in action, declared MIA, or who became totally disabled in a service-related incident. The benefits provided and the conditions that must be met are similar to those previously enumerated.
The State of Texas maintains a comprehensive list of public institutions where benefits available under the Hazlewood Act can be used. Making sure that the veteran’s proposed college is eligible is the first step to be taken in a simple, streamlined application process.
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