Illinois General Assembly - Illinois Compiled Statutes

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105 ILCS 5/30-14.2

(105 ILCS 5/30-14.2) (from Ch. 122, par. 30-14.2)

Sec. 30-14.2. Deceased, Disabled, and MIA/POW Veterans' Dependents scholarship.

(a) Any spouse, natural child, legally adopted child under the age of 18 at the time of adoption, minor child younger than 18 who is under a court-ordered guardianship for at least 2 continuous years prior to application,  or
step-child under the age of 18 at the time of marriage of an eligible veteran or serviceperson who possesses all necessary
entrance requirements shall, upon application and proper proof, be awarded
a MIA/POW Scholarship consisting of the equivalent of 4 calendar years of
full-time enrollment including summer terms, to the state supported
Illinois institution of higher learning of his choice, subject to the
restrictions listed below.

"Eligible veteran or serviceperson" means any veteran or serviceperson, including an Illinois National Guard member who is on active duty or is active on a training assignment,
 who has been declared by the U.S. Department of Defense or the
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to be a prisoner of war or missing
in action, or has died as the result of a service-connected disability or has become a person with a permanent disability from service-connected causes with 100% disability and
who (i) at the time of entering service was an Illinois resident, or (ii) was an
Illinois resident within 6 months after entering such service, or (iii) is a resident of Illinois at the time of application for the Scholarship and, at some point after entering such service, was a resident of Illinois for at least 15 consecutive years.

Full-time enrollment means 12 or more semester hours of courses per semester,
or 12 or more quarter hours of courses per quarter, or the equivalent thereof
per term.  Scholarships utilized by dependents enrolled in less than full-time
study shall be computed in the proportion which the number of hours so carried
bears to full-time enrollment.

Scholarships awarded under this Section may be used by a spouse or child
without regard to his or her age.  The holder of a Scholarship
awarded under this Section shall be subject to all examinations and academic
standards, including the maintenance of minimum grade levels, that are
applicable generally to other enrolled students at the Illinois institution of
higher learning where the Scholarship is being used.
If the surviving spouse
remarries or if there is a divorce between the veteran or serviceperson and
his or her spouse while the dependent is pursuing his or her course of
study, Scholarship benefits will be terminated at the end of the term for
which he or she is presently enrolled.  Such dependents shall also be
entitled, upon proper proof and application, to enroll in any extension
course offered by a State supported Illinois institution of higher learning
without payment of tuition and approved fees.

The holder of a MIA/POW Scholarship authorized under this Section shall
not be required to pay any tuition or mandatory fees while attending a State-controlled university or public community college in this State for a period equivalent to 4 years of enrollment, including summer terms.

Any dependent who has been or shall be awarded a MIA/POW Scholarship shall
be reimbursed by the appropriate institution of higher learning for any
fees which he or she has paid and for which exemption is granted under this
Section if application for reimbursement is made within 2 months following
the end of the school term for which the fees were paid.

(b) In lieu of the benefit provided in subsection (a), any spouse,
natural child, legally adopted child, or step-child of an eligible veteran
or serviceperson, which spouse or child has a physical, mental or
developmental disability, shall be entitled to receive, upon application and
proper proof, a benefit to be used for the purpose of defraying the cost of
the attendance or treatment of such spouse or child at one or more
appropriate therapeutic, rehabilitative or educational facilities.  The
application  and proof may be made by the parent or legal guardian of the
spouse or child on his or her behalf.

The total benefit provided to any beneficiary under this subsection shall
not exceed the cost equivalent of 4 calendar years of full-time enrollment,
including summer terms, at the University of Illinois.  Whenever
practicable in the opinion of the Department of Veterans' Affairs, payment
of benefits under this subsection shall be made directly to the facility,
the cost of attendance or treatment at which is being defrayed, as such
costs accrue.

(c) The benefits of this Section shall be administered by and paid for out
of funds made available to the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs.
The amounts that become due to any state supported Illinois institution of
higher learning shall be payable by the Comptroller to such institution on
vouchers approved by the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs.  The
amounts that become due under subsection (b) of this Section shall be
payable by warrant upon vouchers issued by the Illinois Department of
Veterans' Affairs and approved by the Comptroller.  The Illinois Department
of Veterans' Affairs shall determine the eligibility of the persons
who make application for the benefits provided for in this Section.

(Source: P.A. 101-334, eff. 8-9-19; 102-855, eff. 5-13-22.)