The bipartisan budget passed May 13 by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) contained language aimed at cutting back the program, which waives tuition and fees at public colleges and universities for the spouses and family members of military veterans who were disabled or killed in the line of duty.
State education officials had warned that the program was expanding out of control, increasing in cost fivefold over the past five years. But the changes set off an outpouring of opposition from military families and their advocates, who said many would be unable to afford higher education without the program.
“Much of the deliberation for these changes occurred without public input or dialogue. This issue is too important to decide behind closed doors. … Given the significant impact on our military families, it is crucial that we take the time to reassess these changes thoroughly,” Virginia’s Joint Leadership Council of Veterans Service Organizations said in a statement last week. The council is made up of 25 organizations that represent 250,000 members.
With Virginia’s reputation as a veteran-friendly state on the line, Youngkin and Republican lawmakers this week began calling for a special session to address the issue.
“As we remember the men who stormed the beaches of Normandy 80 years ago, we also recall that there are some debts we can only begin to repay,” House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) said in a news release Thursday, the anniversary of D-Day. “House Republicans are ready to return to Richmond immediately to restore the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program. … It is my sincere hope that my Democratic colleagues will listen to the families of these heroes and do the right thing.”
That didn’t sit well with Democrats, who pointed out that almost all Republicans voted for the budget and that a failed Senate bill that sought to make similar changes and cuts was sponsored by Republicans.
“It was their bill,” Scott said. “Everybody’s been aware of this [issue] and trying to keep the politics out of it.”
Created in 1930 to aid the families of World War I veterans, the program was expanded repeatedly over the years, including making it available to out-of-state residents. A recent analysis by House Appropriations Committee staff found that the cost of the tuition waivers climbed from about $12 million in 2019 to more than $65 million last year — 445 percent growth.
The new two-year budget requires participants to use up other forms of federal aid, such as Pell Grants and FAFSA aid, before tapping into the state program, and it limits eligibility to Virginia residents.
Though lawmakers complained about the change during budget debate and Youngkin noted the issue as one that would need to be revisited, all sides initially said the matter could be tackled in next year’s legislative session. Budget officials noted that the new law grandfathers in current participants and anyone who applied before May 15 of this year, as well as provides $20 million to colleges and universities to offset waiver costs.
Youngkin announced May 15 that he was forming a task force to review the issue and “recommend changes to the General Assembly ahead of next year’s enrollment deadline.” A little over a week later, he said the task force’s first meeting would be June 10.
Scott said his goal for the special session is to restore the program to its previous status for the coming year, and then use the task force’s recommendations to make changes next year that preserve its value but make it more sustainable. The General Assembly is technically still in special session, having recessed but never adjourning the session called last month to adopt a budget.