A BILL to amend and reenact § 23.1-608 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program; tuition and fee waivers; eligibility.
HB56, as substituted, does not directly expand the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program. Instead, it directs the Department of Veterans Services (DVS), in coordination with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and Virginia’s public colleges and universities, to study the fiscal and administrative effects of adding survivors and dependents of service members who died in the line of duty as eligible recipients of tuition and mandatory fee waivers. The study must estimate how many additional people would qualify, the likely cost to each institution, and whether those costs would be covered by the schools or would require new state funding.
The bill also requires review of eligibility verification standards, including how federal certification is used to determine line-of-duty deaths, and asks for recommendations on possible statutory changes, implementation timing, and fiscal safeguards if the General Assembly later chooses to expand the program. The report is due to key education and appropriations committees by December 1, 2026.
Because HB56 is a study bill, it would not itself change § 23.1-608 or immediately alter eligibility for the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program. Its practical effect would be to create a formal policy review process involving DVS, SCHEV, and public higher education institutions, with the potential to inform future amendments to tuition and fee waiver law. If the General Assembly later acts on the study’s recommendations, the affected parties would include military survivors and dependents, public colleges and universities, and the state budget.
The available context suggests a neutral to supportive posture toward the idea of examining expanded benefits for military families, but the bill did not advance beyond committee rules. Because there are no recorded committee transcripts or votes, there is no evidence of strong public debate in the provided materials. The substitute form indicates an intent to gather fiscal and administrative information before any policy change is made.
The main point of contention implied by the bill is whether survivors and dependents of service members who died in the line of duty should be added to the education waiver program, and if so, how much that expansion would cost. Likely concerns include the fiscal impact on public institutions, whether the state would need to provide additional support, and how to verify eligibility consistently using federal or other certification standards. Supporters would likely emphasize fairness and assistance to military families, while fiscal or administrative skeptics would focus on cost, implementation complexity, and the need for clear eligibility rules.