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| [ Engrossed ] | [ Senate Amendment 001 ] |
92_HB5514
LRB9211518ACcd
1 AN ACT concerning education.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act
5 is amended by changing Section 40 as follows:
6 (110 ILCS 947/40)
7 Sec. 40. Veteran grant; availability of benefits. Any
8 person who served in the armed forces of the United States,
9 not including members of the Student Army Training Corps, who
10 at the time of entering service was an Illinois resident or
11 was an Illinois resident within 6 months of entering such
12 service, and who returned to Illinois within 6 months after
13 leaving service or, if married to a person in continued
14 military service stationed outside Illinois, within 6 months
15 after his or her spouse has left service or has been
16 stationed within Illinois, and who has been honorably
17 discharged from such service, and who possesses all necessary
18 entrance requirements shall, except as otherwise provided in
19 this Act, upon application and proper proof, be awarded an
20 Illinois Veteran Grant consisting of the equivalent of 4
21 calendar years of full-time enrollment, including summer
22 terms, to the State-controlled college or university or
23 community college of his choice. Such veterans shall also be
24 entitled, upon proper proof and application, to enroll in any
25 extension course offered by a State-controlled college or
26 university or community college without the payment of
27 tuition or fees.
28 Any veteran who so served, and who, at the time of
29 entering such service, was a student at a State-controlled
30 college or university or community college, and who was
31 honorably discharged from such service, shall, upon
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1 application and proper proof be awarded a Veteran Grant
2 entitling him to complete his course of study at any
3 State-controlled college or university or community college
4 of his choice, but shall not be entitled to a grant
5 consisting of more than the equivalent of 4 calendar years of
6 full-time enrollment including summer sessions.
7 Any member of the armed forces of the United States who
8 either (i) has served in such armed forces at least one year,
9 or (ii) has served in the armed forces of the United States
10 for less than one year in a time of hostilities in a foreign
11 country, and who would be qualified for a grant under this
12 Section if he had been discharged from such service shall be
13 eligible to receive a Veteran Grant under this Section.
14 The holder of a Veteran Grant to the State-controlled
15 college or university or community college of his choice as
16 authorized under this Section shall not be required to pay
17 any matriculation or application fees, tuition, activities
18 fees, graduation fees, or other fees except multipurpose
19 building fees or similar fees for supplies and materials.
20 Any veteran who has been or shall be awarded a Veteran
21 Grant shall be reimbursed by the appropriate college,
22 university, or community college for any fees which he has
23 paid and for which exemption is granted under this Section,
24 if application for reimbursement is made within 2 months
25 following the school term for which the fees were paid.
26 A Veteran Grant shall be considered an entitlement which
27 the State-controlled college or university or community
28 college in which the holder is enrolled shall honor without
29 any condition other than the holder's maintenance of minimum
30 grade levels and a satisfactory student loan repayment record
31 pursuant to subsection (c) of Section 20.
32 A grant authorized under this Section shall not be
33 awarded to veterans who received a discharge from the armed
34 forces of the United States under dishonorable conditions, or
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1 to any veteran whose service with the armed forces was for
2 less than one year unless he received an honorable discharge
3 from such service for medical reasons directly connected with
4 such service, except for those veterans discharged prior to
5 August 11, 1967 whose service may be for less than one year,
6 and except for those veterans (i) who serve in the armed
7 forces of the United States for less than one year in a time
8 of hostilities in a foreign country and (ii) who receive an
9 honorable discharge.
10 The amounts that become due to any State-controlled
11 college or university or community college shall be payable
12 by the Comptroller to that institution on vouchers approved
13 by the Commission. The Commission, or its designated
14 representative at that institution, shall determine the
15 eligibility of the persons who make application for the
16 benefits provided for in this Section. The Department of
17 Veterans' Affairs shall assist the Commission in determining
18 the eligibility of applicants. On July 29, 1986, the
19 Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs shall transfer and
20 deliver to the Commission all books, records, papers,
21 documents, applications and pending business in any way
22 pertaining to the duties, responsibilities and authority
23 theretofore exercised or performed by the Illinois Department
24 of Veterans' Affairs under and pursuant to Section 4.1 of the
25 Department of Veterans Affairs Act.
26 The benefits provided for in this Section shall be
27 available as long as the federal government provides
28 educational benefits to veterans. No benefits shall be paid
29 under this Section, except for veterans who already have
30 begun their education under this Section, after 6 months
31 following the termination of educational benefits to veterans
32 by the federal government. If the federal government
33 terminates educational benefits to veterans and at a later
34 time resumes those benefits, the benefits of this Section
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1 shall resume.
2 As used in this Section, "time of hostilities in a
3 foreign country" means any action by the armed forces of the
4 United States that is recognized by the issuance of a
5 Presidential proclamation or a Presidential executive order
6 and in which the armed forces expeditionary medal or other
7 campaign service medals are awarded according to Presidential
8 executive order.
9 (Source: P.A. 90-752, eff. 8-14-98; 91-496, eff. 8-13-99.)