Virginia lawmakers to vote on deal to eliminate restrictions to military tuition assistance program

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia lawmakers will meet Thursday to vote on a legislation that would repeal new restrictions placed on the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program .

The expected vote comes from weeks of disagreement from the state’s General Assembly on ways to handle the restrictions after military families voiced their concerns of the new changes.

The changes to the program were put in place in the two-year budget deal signed into law in May and take effect July 1.

The program waives tuition for survivors and dependents of military veterans killed or seriously disabled while on active duty.

Restrictions brought forth in the budget deal include restricting eligibility for the program to associate and undergraduate degrees, requiring participants to apply for other forms of financial aid and tightening residency requirements.

Early July, Senate Finance Chair Louis Lucas and the House Appropriations Chairman Luke Torian announced they plan to introduce identical legislation to repeal changed to the program.

The new legislation proposes an additional $90 million to pay for the program — which would be through taxpayer funding — in addition to the $40 million already allocated to the program per the budget deal.

The funding would account for the program’s rise in costs from $12 million to $65 in the past five years.

The program has also seen an increase in enrollment numbers from 1,385 students to 6,107 in the same time period mentioned.

Lucas also mentioned the bill would set aside $65 million each year for the program while the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission studies it along with the work of the task force appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to also review the program and make changes ahead of the 2025 General Assembly session.

The Associated Press has contributed to this report.

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