Changes to military benefits
The 81st Texas Legislature passed new legislation -- SB93, SB297, and SB847 -- that amends the Hazlewood Exemption Program (Hazlewood Act) statute, TEC 54.203, for veterans, their spouses, and their children.
These changes are effective beginning in the fall 2009 semester. The deadline to apply for Hazlewood exemption for fall 2009 is 11 Sep 2009. Contact the Office of the Registrar for additional information.
Changes to the Hazlewood exemption
- Expands eligibility to include spouses of Armed Forces, Texas National Guard, or Air National Guard veterans who were killed or died while serving, who are Missing in Action, or who become disabled. Spouses must be Texas residents for the term or semester for which they use the benefit. Children of these veterans remain eligible.
- Extends eligibility to veterans who at the time of entry declared Texas as their home of record, or entered the service in Texas (even if they were not Texas residents at the time of entry), as well as veterans who are residents.
- Allows veterans to transfer their unused hours from their Hazlewood exemption (up to 150 credit hours) to a child or dependent; the eligible child must be a Texas resident who is 25 years of age or younger.
- Clarifies that when determining a student’s eligibility to use federal and state veterans’ benefits at the same time, the only federal benefits to be considered are those that can only be used for the payment of tuition and fees , such as under the Post-9/11 GI Benefits. Federal benefits that can be used for both living expenses and tuition and fees will NOT be included in the calculation. In other words, federal education benefits for housing, books, etc. will not be considered when awarding Hazlewood exemption.
The new exemption
Tuition Exemption for Children of Military Service Members Who Are Deployed. An eligible child is exempt from payment of resident tuition for every semester or academic term during which:
- 1 | a child demonstrates that he or she is a dependent child, including a stepchild, of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States who is a Texas resident or entitled to pay resident tuition, and
- 2 | the military service member is deployed on active duty for the purpose of engaging in a combative military operation outside of the United States.
Contact us
- Vasanth Srinivasa, asst registrar
- 512 475-7540, fax 475-7520
- Main Bldg room 1, Registrar Certification M5509 | off campus: University of Texas at Austin, Ofc of the Registrar, Certification, PO Box 7216, Austin TX 78713-7216