Veterans find out-of-state military service can be costly

WASHINGTON -- Some military service members and veterans are being denied their most well-known government benefit: college tuition coverage.

Ted Spencer, a Navy veteran who grew up in Charlotte, N.C., continued to pay the state income tax during his service. But he was denied the in-state tuition rate at North Carolina State University because military service had taken him to California.

The federal government covers the cost of the $8,000 per year in-state rate, but Spencer needed loans and scholarships to cover the $22,000 out-of-state tab.

?It?s mind-blowing to me that North Carolina ? a state that is known for being extremely military friendly and home to the largest military base in the United States ? would be so difficult when it comes to military veterans who want to call this state home,? Spencer said.

Belen Gebremichael, the residency director at N.C. State, said the university has little control over which students they grant in-state tuition, since it has to follow state guidelines. Like many states, North Carolina requires students to be both legal residents and physically living in the state to qualify for the in-state rate. It means that military members could be paying income taxes to a state the entire time they are serving, but if they?re physically stationed in another state they may not qualify for lower tuitions.

Legislation introduced in the House of Representatives in February by Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., and in the Senate in January by Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., would change that by allowing veterans to attend any public college or university at the in-state tuition rate starting Aug. 1, 2014. If schools would not provide the discounted rate, they would lose federal funds from the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, which provides funding for service members? tuition and fees.

?The men and women who served this nation did not just defend the citizens of their home states, but the citizens of all 50 states,? Miller said. ?The educational benefits they receive from the taxpayers should reflect that.?

Some universities, however, have expressed concern over the bill, wondering if its timeline is too fast and its impact on their finances too steep.

The timeline is the biggest concern of Lt. Gen. Joseph Weber, vice president of student affairs at Texas A&M University in College Station, because most public schools are not solely in charge of their tuition rates. Most states would have to pass legislation to comply with the federal law. In addition, a board may have to approve the new tuition rates, which would then be implemented at the university.

Since some state legislatures, such as Texas?, meet only every other year, it?s likely they could miss the deadline and be penalized, Weber said.

Currently, 17 states offer in-state tuition to all veterans, regardless of where they served; seven states offer it with conditions, and 12 states are considering legislation.

Ohio was the first state to pass legislation, in 2009. Dubbed the G.I. Promise, it requires public schools to offer in-state tuition to all troops and veterans.

Groups such as the American Association of State Colleges and Universities worry that the bill represents an overreach by the federal government, since determining tuition rates is something states handle.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/21/3512010/veterans-find-out-of-state-military.html

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