State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_SB0204

 
                                               LRB9204046NTsb

 1        AN  ACT  with  regard   to   higher   education   student
 2    assistance.

 3        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:

 5        Section 5.  The Higher Education Student  Assistance  Act
 6    is amended by changing Section 40 as follows:

 7        (110 ILCS 947/40)
 8        Sec. 40.  Veteran grant.
 9        (a)  Any  person  who  served  in the armed forces of the
10    United States, not including  members  of  the  Student  Army
11    Training  Corps,  who  at the time of entering service was an
12    Illinois resident or was an Illinois resident within 6 months
13    of entering such service, and who returned to Illinois within
14    6 months after leaving service or, if married to a person  in
15    continued military service stationed outside Illinois, within
16    6 months after his or her spouse has left service or has been
17    stationed   within  Illinois,  and  who  has  been  honorably
18    discharged from such service, and who possesses all necessary
19    entrance requirements shall, except as otherwise provided  in
20    this  Act,  upon  application and proper proof, be awarded an
21    Illinois Veteran Grant consisting  of  the  equivalent  of  4
22    calendar  years  of  full-time  enrollment,  including summer
23    terms, to  the  State-controlled  college  or  university  or
24    community  college of his choice. Such veterans shall also be
25    entitled, upon proper proof and application, to enroll in any
26    extension course offered by  a  State-controlled  college  or
27    university  or  community  college  without  the  payment  of
28    tuition or fees.
29        Any  veteran  who  so  served,  and  who,  at the time of
30    entering such service, was a student  at  a  State-controlled
31    college  or  university  or  community  college,  and who was
 
                            -2-                LRB9204046NTsb
 1    honorably  discharged  from   such   service,   shall,   upon
 2    application  and  proper  proof  be  awarded  a Veteran Grant
 3    entitling  him  to  complete  his  course  of  study  at  any
 4    State-controlled college or university or  community  college
 5    of  his  choice,  but  shall  not  be  entitled  to  a  grant
 6    consisting of more than the equivalent of 4 calendar years of
 7    full-time enrollment including summer sessions.
 8        Any  member  of the armed forces of the United States who
 9    either (i) has served in such armed forces at least one year,
10    or (ii) has served in the armed forces of the  United  States
11    for  less than one year in a time of hostilities in a foreign
12    country, and who would be qualified for a  grant  under  this
13    Section  if he had been discharged from such service shall be
14    eligible to receive a Veteran Grant under this Section.
15        The holder of a Veteran  Grant  to  the  State-controlled
16    college  or  university or community college of his choice as
17    authorized under this Section shall not be  required  to  pay
18    any  matriculation  or  application fees, tuition, activities
19    fees, graduation fees,  or  other  fees  except  multipurpose
20    building fees or similar fees for supplies and materials.
21        Any  veteran  who  has been or shall be awarded a Veteran
22    Grant  shall  be  reimbursed  by  the  appropriate   college,
23    university,  or  community  college for any fees which he has
24    paid and for which exemption is granted under  this  Section,
25    if  application  for  reimbursement  is  made within 2 months
26    following the school term for which the fees were paid.
27        A Veteran Grant shall be considered an entitlement  which
28    the  State-controlled  college  or  university  or  community
29    college  in  which the holder is enrolled shall honor without
30    any condition other than the holder's maintenance of  minimum
31    grade levels and a satisfactory student loan repayment record
32    pursuant to subsection (c) of Section 20.
33        A  grant  authorized  under  this  Section  shall  not be
34    awarded to veterans who received a discharge from  the  armed
 
                            -3-                LRB9204046NTsb
 1    forces of the United States under dishonorable conditions, or
 2    to  any  veteran  whose service with the armed forces was for
 3    less than one year unless he received an honorable  discharge
 4    from such service for medical reasons directly connected with
 5    such  service,  except for those veterans discharged prior to
 6    August 11, 1967 whose service may be for less than one  year,
 7    and  except  for  those  veterans  (i) who serve in the armed
 8    forces of the United States for less than one year in a  time
 9    of  hostilities  in a foreign country and (ii) who receive an
10    honorable discharge.
11        The amounts  that  become  due  to  any  State-controlled
12    college  or  university or community college shall be payable
13    by the Comptroller to that institution on  vouchers  approved
14    by   the  Commission.   The  Commission,  or  its  designated
15    representative  at  that  institution,  shall  determine  the
16    eligibility of the  persons  who  make  application  for  the
17    benefits  provided  for  in  this Section.  The Department of
18    Veterans' Affairs shall assist the Commission in  determining
19    the  eligibility  of  applicants.   On  July  29,  1986,  the
20    Illinois  Department  of Veterans' Affairs shall transfer and
21    deliver  to  the  Commission  all  books,  records,   papers,
22    documents,  applications  and  pending  business  in  any way
23    pertaining to  the  duties,  responsibilities  and  authority
24    theretofore exercised or performed by the Illinois Department
25    of Veterans' Affairs under and pursuant to Section 4.1 of the
26    Department of Veterans Affairs Act.
27        The  benefits  provided  for  in  this  Section  shall be
28    available  as  long  as  the  federal   government   provides
29    educational  benefits to veterans.  No benefits shall be paid
30    under this Section, except  for  veterans  who  already  have
31    begun  their  education  under  this  Section, after 6 months
32    following the termination of educational benefits to veterans
33    by  the  federal  government.   If  the  federal   government
34    terminates  educational  benefits  to veterans and at a later
 
                            -4-                LRB9204046NTsb
 1    time resumes those benefits, the  benefits  of  this  Section
 2    shall resume.
 3        As  used  in  this  Section,  "time  of  hostilities in a
 4    foreign country" means any action by the armed forces of  the
 5    United  States  that  is  recognized  by  the  issuance  of a
 6    Presidential proclamation or a Presidential  executive  order
 7    and  in  which  the armed forces expeditionary medal or other
 8    campaign service medals are awarded according to Presidential
 9    executive order.
10        (b)  If a veteran (i) served in the armed forces  of  the
11    United  States on or after January 1, 1962, (ii) was eligible
12    to receive a Veteran Grant under this Section, and (iii)  did
13    not  use and does not intend to use the Veteran Grant for the
14    full equivalent of 4 calendar years of full-time  enrollment,
15    including  summer  terms,  then a natural or adopted child of
16    that veteran may use the unused portion of that amount,  upon
17    application and subject to the requirements established under
18    this  subsection (b).  More than one child of the veteran may
19    share the unused portion by dividing the unused portion among
20    themselves.
21        The child is entitled to the same  benefits  provided  to
22    veterans  under  this  Section  if the child meets all of the
23    following requirements:
24             (1)  The child is below the age of 26 years.
25             (2)  The child is a resident of this State.
26             (3)  The  child  possesses  all  of  the   necessary
27        entrance requirements.
28             (4)  The  child  maintains  the  same  minimum grade
29        levels and satisfactory  student  loan  repayment  record
30        that  a  veteran  who  is  awarded  a  Veteran Grant must
31        maintain.
32        The Commission may adopt any rules necessary to implement
33    and administer this subsection (b).
34    (Source: P.A. 90-752, eff. 8-14-98; 91-496, eff. 8-13-99.)
 
                            -5-                LRB9204046NTsb
 1        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act  takes  effect  on
 2    January 1, 2002.

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