Title: Educational Opportunities for Disabled Veterans

Summary: Provides that disabled veterans receiving certain federal educational assistance benefits are eligible to receive waiver for tuition & fees at certain institutions; provides calculation for waiver amount; requires amount awarded by state to be contingent on application of specified federal benefits; requires institutions to submit annual report to Board of Governors & State Board of Education; requires boards to adopt regulations & rules.

Full Text:
An act relating to educational opportunities for disabled veterans; creating s. 295.011, F.S.; defining the term "disabled veteran"; providing that disabled veterans receiving certain federal educational assistance benefits are eligible to receive a waiver for the remaining cost of tuition and fees at certain institutions; providing a calculation for waiver amounts; requiring the amount awarded by the state to be contingent on the application of specified federal benefits; requiring certain institutions to submit an annual report to the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education; requiring the boards to respectively adopt regulations and rules; specify ing applicability of other laws; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Section 295.011, Florida Statutes, is created to read: 295.011 Disabled veterans; education.-(1) As used in th is section, the term "disabled veteran" means an individual who is a resident of this state pursuant to s. 1009.21 and is: ENROLLED CS/HB 2022 Legislature (a) Determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to have a service-connected-percent total and permanent disa bility rating for compensation; (b) Determined to have a service-connected total and permanent disability rating of percent and is in receipt of disability retirement pay from any branch of the United States Armed Services; or (c) Issued a valid id entification card by the Department of Veterans' Affairs in accordance with s. 295.17. (2) Beginning with the 2022-2023 academic year, a disabled veteran enrolled in a program of education approved for educational assistance under U.S.C. s. 3313 at a state university, a Florida College System institution, a career center operated by a school district under s. 1001.44, or a charter technical career center who does not qualify for the 100-percent eligibility tier under federal law is eligible to receive a waiver for tuition and fees. The waiver amount is equal to the difference between the portion of tuition and fees paid in accordance with federal law and the full amount of tuition and fees at the institution attended. The amount awarded by the state is not to be determined until after the application of federal benefits under U.S.C. s. 3313. (a) Each state university, Florida College System institution, career center operated by a school district under s. 1001.44, and charter technical career center shall report to ENROLLED CS/HB 2022 Legislature the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education, respectively, the number and value of all fee waivers granted annually under this subsection. (b) The Board of Governors and the State Board of Education shall respectively adopt regulations and rules to administer this subsection. (3) Sections 295.03, 295.04, 295.05, and 1009.40 apply to any disabled veteran who receives an award under this section. Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.