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Texas Hazelwood Tuition Exemption (Act)
The Hazlewood Act is a State of Texas benefit that provides qualified Veterans, spouses, and dependent children with an education benefit of up to 150 hours of tuition exemption, including most fee charges, at public institutions of higher education in Texas. This does NOT include living expenses, books, or supply fees.
Veterans who at the Time of Entry Into the U.S. Armed Forces
At the time of entry into active duty of the U.S. Armed Forces, (DD Form 214 required) & (40 TAC §461.40) were designated Texas as Home of Record; or entered the service in Texas; or was a Texas resident.
Have served at least 181 days of active duty service (excluding training).
Have received an honorable discharge or separation or a general discharge under honorable conditions.
Currently reside in Texas.
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.
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.
Meet the GPA requirement of the institution's satisfactory academic progress policy in a degree or certificate program as determined by the institution's financial aid policy and, as an undergraduate student, not be considered to have attempted an excessive amount of credit hours.
A Spouse or Dependent
Be the spouse/dependent of a Hazlewood Act benefit-eligible veteran who is determined by the VA to be 100%, total and permanent, service-connected veteran or one who became totally disabled for purposes of employability as a result of a service-related injury or illness. The spouse/dependent(s) of a Hazlewood Act benefit-eligible veteran who meet the requirements below are entitled to receive a 150 credit hours exemption, each, under certain conditions as drawn from the Hazlewood Act Statue and Texas Administrative Code §461.
Be a spouse/child of a Veteran who, at the time of entry into the U.S. Armed Forces designated Texas as Home of Record, or entered the service in Texas; or was a Texas resident.
Be a spouse / child of a Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces or the Texas National Guard who died as a result of service-related injuries or; became totally and permanently disabled or meets the eligibility requirements for individual unemployability according to the disability ratings of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as a result of a service-related injury, or Missing in action (MIA), or Killed in action (KIA).
Have no federal veterans educational benefits, or have no federal veteran educational benefits dedicated to the payment of tuition and fees only (such as Chapter 33 or 31) for term or semester enrolled that do not exceed the value of Hazlewood benefits.
Be classified by the institution as a Texas Resident.
Not be in default on a student loan made or guaranteed by the State of Texas.
Enroll in classes for which the college receives tax support (i.e., a course that does not dependent solely on student tuition and fees to cover its cost), unless the college's government board has ruled to let veterans receive the benefit while taking non-funded courses.
Meet the GPA requirement of the institution's satisfactory academic progress policy in a degree or certificate program as determined by the institution's financial aid policy and, as an undergraduate student, not be considered to have attempted an excessive amount of credit hours. This requirement does not apply to the spouse/child of a MIA, KIA, or service-connected deceased veteran.
Transferability of Benefits (Legacy Program)
Eligible veterans may assign unused hours of exemption eligibility to a child under certain conditions. As drawn from the Hazlewood Act Statute and 40 Texas Administrative Code §461.
A child (Legacy Act) must:
Be classified by the institution as 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)
Have no federal veterans educational benefits, or have no federal veterans educational benefits dedicated to the payment of tuition and fees only (such as Chapter 33 or 31; for term or semester enrolled that do no exceed the value of Hazlewood benefits).
Not be in default on a student loan made or guaranteed by the State of Texas.
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 cost), unless the college's governing board has ruled to let veterans receive the benefit while taking non-funded courses.
Meet the GPA requirement of the institution's satisfactory academic progress policy in a degree or certificate program as determined by the institution's financial aid policy and, as an undergraduate student, not be considered to have attempted an excessive amount of credit hours.
Legacy recipients will receive an exemption for the number of degree certified hours reported by the institution for the that term or semester. Maximum degree certified hours awarded to the Legacy recipient will be dependent upon the degree or certificate program in which the student is enrolled for that term or semester and shall be consistent with the program length as defined within the school catalog as approved by the regional accreditation commission.
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 child. Only one child will use Hazlewood Legacy benefits at a time.
Hazelwood Application Process
Veterans
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.va.gov/education/download-letters/.
Contact their college financial aid office regarding their status on prior student loans made or guaranteed by the State of Texas.
Children & Spouses
Provide proof of eligibility or ineligibility for GI Bill® benefits by requesting a certificate of eligibility for federal education benefits from VA.gov (if veteran has active duty service after 9/11/2001).
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.
Proof of Online Database Registration
All Hazlewood applicants (veteran and dependents) must register online in order to track hours used through the program. Once registered applicants must login and print a verification page each semester for the institution.
Hazelwood Application Forms
To use Hazlewood benefits or to transfer unused benefits to an eligible child, applicants must complete an application/release form.
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GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at www.va.gov/education/.