SB 1048 creates the “Missouri Disabled Veterans’ Dependents Tuition Waiver,” a new tuition waiver program for certain dependents of veterans. The bill makes eligible the child, stepchild, or spouse of a veteran who died on active duty, died from a service-connected disability, died from an injury or illness sustained in service, is permanently and totally disabled due to military service, or is missing in action or a prisoner of war. For children and stepchildren, eligibility generally ends at age 26, with a limited extension for those who serve on active duty themselves before age 26.
The waiver covers remaining tuition and incidental fees after federal grants and state scholarships/grants are applied, up to the resident tuition charged at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The benefit is limited to one community college credential and one baccalaureate degree, and recipients cannot also receive other state-funded veteran-dependent tuition benefits at the same time, though they may choose whichever program is most financially beneficial. The bill also assigns the Missouri Veterans Commission and the Coordinating Board for Higher Education responsibilities for application procedures, eligibility verification, institutional coordination, reporting, and rulemaking.
Impact
The bill would add a new section to chapter 173, RSMo, establishing a state tuition-waiver entitlement for qualifying dependents of disabled or deceased veterans and certain missing-in-action or prisoner-of-war service members. It would affect public higher education institutions by requiring them to honor certified waivers for eligible students and coordinate with the Missouri Veterans Commission and the Coordinating Board for Higher Education. It also interacts with existing veteran-dependent aid statutes by making recipients ineligible for overlapping state-funded veteran-dependent tuition grants, waivers, or scholarships, including those in sections 173.234 and 173.236.
Sentiment
Based on the bill’s caption and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the measure appears to be framed as a supportive veterans’ education benefit with no documented opposition in the record supplied. The bill’s structure suggests a policy goal of expanding access to higher education for families of service members who died or were disabled in military service. Because no transcripts or vote tallies are included, there is no direct evidence here of divided sentiment or formal controversy.
Contention
The main policy issues apparent from the text are eligibility limits, administrative control, and benefit coordination. Potential points of contention include the age cap for children and stepchildren, the restriction to one community college credential plus one bachelor’s degree, and the exclusion of recipients from other state-funded veteran-dependent tuition programs. The bill also centralizes eligibility determinations and rulemaking in the Missouri Veterans Commission, which may raise administrative or implementation concerns for institutions and applicants, though no specific objections are documented in the provided context.
Creates the "Missouri Disabled Veterans' Dependents Tuition Waiver" to provide college tuition waivers for the children, stepchildren, and spouses of certain veterans
Allows the chief law enforcement executive in any jurisdiction to request assistance from another jurisdiction, including a jurisdiction outside the state of Missouri