Are Active Duty Dependents Eligible for Benefits Under the Hazelwood Act?
Q: Are active duty dependents eligible for benefits under the Hazelwood Act? My GI Bill was used by another child and I have reviewed the Hazelwood Act and meet criteria, but am still on AD. Ideally I will remain on AD for the next 5 years or so, but a have a son who wants to attend college in Texas.
A: As a recap, to qualify for Hazelwood Act benefits as a Veteran, you must:
• 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;
• Have received an honorable discharge or separation or a general discharge under honorable conditions;
• Served at least 181 days of active duty service (excluding training), as indicated by “net active service” (the sum of 12(c) and 12(d) on the DD214);
• Have no federal Veteran’s education benefits, or have no 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;
• Not be 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 cost), unless the college’s governing board has ruled to let Veterans receive the benefit while taking non-funded courses.
In everything I’ve read on the Hazelwood Act, the exemption only applies to veterans. If you dig into the HE-V packet which is what you would have to fill out for the exemption as a veteran, it talks more in depth about having to be a veteran and including the information on your DD-214 and characterization of service.
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