Bill Text: NY A03240 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Expands the veterans tuition awards program to allow the transfer of unused benefits to a spouse, survivor or child; defines terms.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-3)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-27 - referred to higher education [A03240 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-A03240-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          3240

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 27, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M. of A. DINOWITZ, LUNSFORD, EACHUS, MAHER, BUTTENSCHON,
          CHANG, NOVAKHOV, PHEFFER AMATO, JONES,  DAVILA,  SANTABARBARA,  SIMON,
          SAYEGH -- read once and referred to the Committee on Higher Education

        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to expanding the veterans
          tuition  awards  program to allow the transfer of unused benefits to a
          spouse, survivor or child

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.   This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Veteran
     2  Family Educational Attainment Act".
     3    § 2. Subdivision  1  of  section 669-a of the education law is amended
     4  by adding three new paragraphs g, h, and i to read as follows:
     5    g. "Eligible immediate family" means a person who is the spouse, child
     6  or survivor of a qualified veteran, and who resides in this state.
     7    h. "Qualified veteran" means  a  veteran  who  would  be  eligible  to
     8  receive  a  tuition  award  if such veteran satisfied the enrollment and
     9  application requirements  set  forth in paragraph a of  subdivision  two
    10  of this section.
    11    i.  "Survivor"  means  a  person  who:  (i) was married to a qualified
    12  veteran who died as a result of military service; or (ii) was married to
    13  the qualified veteran within fifteen years of their discharge from mili-
    14  tary service in which the cause of death, disease or injury  started  or
    15  was  aggravated;    or (iii) was married to the veteran for at least one
    16  year; or (iv) had a child with the qualified veteran and lived  together
    17  with  the  veteran  continuously  until the veteran's death or, if sepa-
    18  rated, was not at fault for the separation.
    19    § 3.  Section 669-a of the education law is amended by  adding  a  new
    20  subdivision 5 to read as follows:
    21    5.  a.  A qualified veteran who would be eligible to receive a tuition
    22  award if such veteran satisfied the enrollment and application  require-
    23  ments  set  forth in paragraph a of subdivision two of this section, but

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07221-01-5
        A. 3240                             2

     1  has not utilized such tuition award, may elect  to  transfer  all  or  a
     2  portion  of  the tuition award to an eligible immediate family member or
     3  members.
     4    b. A qualified veteran who elects to transfer their award shall desig-
     5  nate  the eligible immediate family member or members to whom such award
     6  is being transferred, including the number of semesters.    Such  desig-
     7  nation  shall  be  made  on a form prescribed by the president, shall be
     8  appended to  the  application  specified  in  subdivision  two  of  this
     9  section,  and the president shall make the form and relevant information
    10  of this section available on the corporation's website.
    11    c. A child to whom a tuition award is transferred under this  subdivi-
    12  sion  shall  be  under  twenty-six  years  of  age. Such child shall not
    13  commence the use of a tuition award transferred under  this  subdivision
    14  unless  the  qualified  veteran  has  served  in the armed forces of the
    15  United States for at least ten years, except where such qualified veter-
    16  an did not complete such service requirement due to:
    17    (i) the qualified veteran's death;
    18    (ii) discharge or release  for a medical  condition  that  pre-existed
    19  service;
    20    (iii) discharge or release for hardship;
    21    (iv)  discharge  or  release for a physical or mental condition, not a
    22  disability, that did not result from their willful  misconduct  but  did
    23  interfere with their performance of duty;
    24    (v) discharge for a disability;
    25    (vi) discharge for a reduction in force; or
    26    (vii) involuntary force shaping.
    27    d.  The  tuition  award  transfers  designated  by a qualified veteran
    28  pursuant to this subdivision shall not exceed  the  award  available  to
    29  such veteran under this section.
    30    § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    31  it shall have become a law.  Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
    32  ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
    33  tation  of  this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
    34  completed on or before such effective date.