173.236. Survivors of Vietnam veterans scholarship program--eligibility--coordinating board, powers and duties--amount--transfer, withdrawal--expiration date.
Survivors of Vietnam veterans scholarshipprogram--eligibility--coordinating board, powers andduties--amount--transfer, withdrawal--expiration date.
173.236. 1. As used in this section, unless the context clearlyrequires otherwise, the following terms mean:
(1) "Board", the coordinating board for higher education;
(2) "Grant", the Vietnam veteran's survivors grant as established inthis section;
(3) "Institution of postsecondary education", any approved public orprivate institution as defined in section 173.205;
(4) "Survivor", a child or spouse of a Vietnam veteran as defined inthis section;
(5) "Tuition", any tuition or incidental fee or both charged by aninstitution of postsecondary education, as defined in this section, forattendance at the institution by a student as a resident of this state;
(6) "Vietnam veteran", a person who served in the military in Vietnam orthe war zone in Southeast Asia and to whom the following criteria shall apply:
(a) The veteran was a Missouri resident when first entering the militaryservice and at the time of death;
(b) The veteran's death was attributable to illness that could possiblybe a result of exposure to toxic chemicals during the Vietnam Conflict; and
(c) The veteran served in the Vietnam theater between 1961 and 1972.
2. Within the limits of the amounts appropriated therefor, thecoordinating board for higher education shall award annually up to twelvegrants to survivors of Vietnam veterans to attend institutions ofpostsecondary education in this state. If the waiting list of eligiblesurvivors exceeds fifty, the coordinating board may petition the generalassembly to expand the quota. If the quota is not expanded the eligibility ofsurvivors on the waiting list shall be extended.
3. A survivor may receive a grant pursuant to this section only so longas the survivor is enrolled in a program leading to a certificate, or anassociate or baccalaureate degree. In no event shall a survivor receive agrant beyond the completion of the first baccalaureate degree, regardless ofage. No survivor shall receive more than one hundred percent of tuition whencombined with similar funds made available to such survivor.
4. The coordinating board for higher education shall:
(1) Promulgate all necessary rules and regulations for theimplementation of this section;
(2) Determine minimum standards of performance in order for a survivorto remain eligible to receive a grant under this program;
(3) Make available on behalf of a survivor an amount toward thesurvivor's tuition which is equal to the grant to which the survivor isentitled under the provisions of this section;
(4) Provide the forms and determine the procedures necessary for asurvivor to apply for and receive a grant under this program.
5. In order to be eligible to receive a grant pursuant to this section,a survivor shall be certified as eligible by a Missouri state veterans serviceofficer. Such certification shall be made upon qualified medicalcertification by a Veterans Administration medical authority that exposure totoxic chemicals contributed to or was the cause of death of the veteran, asdefined in subsection 1 of this section.
6. A survivor who is enrolled or has been accepted for enrollment as anundergraduate postsecondary student at an approved institution ofpostsecondary education shall receive a grant in an amount not to exceed theleast of the following:
(1) The actual tuition, as defined in this section, charged at anapproved institution where the child is enrolled or accepted for enrollment;or
(2) The average amount of tuition charged a Missouri resident at theinstitutions identified in section 174.020*, RSMo, for attendance as afull-time student, as defined in section 173.205.
7. A survivor who is a recipient of a grant may transfer from oneapproved public or private institution of postsecondary education to anotherwithout losing his entitlement under this section. The board shall makenecessary adjustments in the amount of the grant. If a grant recipient at anytime withdraws from the institution of postsecondary education so that underthe rules and regulations of that institution he is entitled to a refund ofany tuition, fees, or other charges, the institution shall pay the portion ofthe refund to which he is entitled attributable to the grant for that semesteror similar grading period to the board.
8. If a survivor is granted financial assistance under any other studentaid program, public or private, the full amount of such aid shall be reportedto the board by the institution and the eligible survivor.
9. Nothing in this section shall be construed as a promise or guaranteethat a person will be admitted to an institution of postsecondary education orto a particular institution of postsecondary education, will be allowed tocontinue to attend an institution of postsecondary education after having beenadmitted, or will be graduated from an institution of postsecondary education.
10. The benefits conferred by this section shall be available to anyacademically qualified surviving children and spouses of Vietnam veterans asdefined in subsection 1 of this section, regardless of the survivor's age,until December 31, 1995. After December 31, 1995, the benefits conferred bythis section shall not be available to such persons who are twenty-five yearsof age or older, except spouses will remain eligible until the fifthanniversary after the death of the veteran.
11. This section shall expire on December 31, 2015.
(L. 1991 H.B. 51, et al. § 3)Expires 12-31-15
*Original rolls contain "section 174.030".