AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to higher education.
Summary
HB0299 expands Tennessee’s higher-education tuition waiver program for certain military families. The bill adds a new category of eligible students: dependent children under 23, and spouses, of a veteran who served honorably during a qualifying period of armed conflict and was determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to have a 100% permanent total service-connected disability. Eligible dependents would receive a waiver of tuition, maintenance fees, student activity fees, and required registration or matriculation fees at state-owned, state-operated, and state-maintained institutions of higher education, and must be admitted without cost.
The bill also sets documentation and eligibility rules. Applicants must provide official federal certification of the veteran’s disability status, and the veteran must be a Tennessee citizen when the dependent or spouse applies. A spouse’s eligibility ends 10 years after the VA disability determination or upon dissolution of the marriage, whichever occurs first. The bill delays implementation until the next registration or enrollment period for the next complete term after July 1, 2025, for all state institutions of higher education.
Impact
HB0299 amends Tennessee Code Annotated § 49-7-102 to expand and clarify educational assistance benefits for dependents and spouses of certain totally disabled veterans. It creates a new statutory entitlement to fee waivers and admission without cost for qualifying dependents and spouses, adds proof-of-disability requirements, limits spousal eligibility by time and marital status, and specifies when the benefit becomes available statewide. The bill primarily affects state colleges and universities and the families of veterans with 100% permanent total service-connected disabilities.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text 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 available record. The structure and timing provisions suggest an administrative implementation focus rather than a controversial policy change. Overall, the bill’s apparent sentiment is favorable toward expanding educational access for military families.
Contention
No committee transcripts or vote records were provided, so no specific objections or amendments are documented in the available materials. Potential points of contention inherent in the bill include the narrow eligibility criteria tied to a 100% permanent total VA disability rating, the requirement that the veteran be a Tennessee citizen at the time of application, and the 10-year limit on spousal eligibility. These provisions may be viewed as necessary eligibility controls by supporters and as restrictive by those advocating broader access.
Payment rates established for certain substance use disorder treatment services, and vendor eligibility recodified for payments from the behavioral health fund.
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