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92_SB0248
LRB9204045NTsb
1 AN ACT relating to higher education student assistance.
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. Any person (i) who served in the
8 armed forces of the United States, not including members of
9 the Student Army Training Corps, (ii) who at the time of
10 entering service was an Illinois resident or was an Illinois
11 resident within 6 months of entering such service, (iii) and
12 who returned to Illinois within 6 months after leaving
13 service or, if married to a person in continued military
14 service stationed outside Illinois, within 6 months after his
15 or her spouse has left service or has been stationed within
16 Illinois, (iv) and who has been honorably discharged from
17 such service or has received a general discharge from such
18 service under honorable conditions, and (v) who possesses all
19 necessary entrance requirements shall, except as otherwise
20 provided in this Act, upon application and proper proof, be
21 awarded an Illinois Veteran Grant consisting of the
22 equivalent of 4 calendar years of full-time enrollment,
23 including summer terms, to the State-controlled college or
24 university or community college of his choice. Such veterans
25 shall also be entitled, upon proper proof and application, to
26 enroll in any extension course offered by a State-controlled
27 college or university or community college without the
28 payment of 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
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1 honorably discharged from such service or received a general
2 discharge from such service under honorable conditions,
3 shall, upon application and proper proof be awarded a Veteran
4 Grant entitling him to complete his course of study at any
5 State-controlled college or university or community college
6 of his choice, but shall not be entitled to a grant
7 consisting of more than the equivalent of 4 calendar years of
8 full-time enrollment including summer sessions.
9 Any member of the armed forces of the United States who
10 either (i) has served in such armed forces at least one year,
11 or (ii) has served in the armed forces of the United States
12 for less than one year in a time of hostilities in a foreign
13 country, and who would be qualified for a grant under this
14 Section if he had been discharged from such service shall be
15 eligible to receive a Veteran Grant under this Section.
16 The holder of a Veteran Grant to the State-controlled
17 college or university or community college of his choice as
18 authorized under this Section shall not be required to pay
19 any matriculation or application fees, tuition, activities
20 fees, graduation fees, or other fees except multipurpose
21 building fees or similar fees for supplies and materials.
22 Any veteran who has been or shall be awarded a Veteran
23 Grant shall be reimbursed by the appropriate college,
24 university, or community college for any fees which he has
25 paid and for which exemption is granted under this Section,
26 if application for reimbursement is made within 2 months
27 following the school term for which the fees were paid.
28 A Veteran Grant shall be considered an entitlement which
29 the State-controlled college or university or community
30 college in which the holder is enrolled shall honor without
31 any condition other than the holder's maintenance of minimum
32 grade levels and a satisfactory student loan repayment record
33 pursuant to subsection (c) of Section 20.
34 A grant authorized under this Section shall not be
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1 awarded to veterans who received a discharge from the armed
2 forces of the United States under dishonorable conditions, or
3 to any veteran whose service with the armed forces was for
4 less than one year unless he received an honorable discharge
5 or a general discharge under honorable conditions from such
6 service for medical reasons directly connected with such
7 service, except for those veterans discharged prior to August
8 11, 1967 whose service may be for less than one year, and
9 except for those veterans (i) who serve in the armed forces
10 of the United States for less than one year in a time of
11 hostilities in a foreign country and (ii) who receive an
12 honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable
13 conditions.
14 The amounts that become due to any State-controlled
15 college or university or community college shall be payable
16 by the Comptroller to that institution on vouchers approved
17 by the Commission. The Commission, or its designated
18 representative at that institution, shall determine the
19 eligibility of the persons who make application for the
20 benefits provided for in this Section. The Department of
21 Veterans' Affairs shall assist the Commission in determining
22 the eligibility of applicants. On July 29, 1986, the
23 Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs shall transfer and
24 deliver to the Commission all books, records, papers,
25 documents, applications and pending business in any way
26 pertaining to the duties, responsibilities and authority
27 theretofore exercised or performed by the Illinois Department
28 of Veterans' Affairs under and pursuant to Section 4.1 of the
29 Department of Veterans Affairs Act.
30 The benefits provided for in this Section shall be
31 available as long as the federal government provides
32 educational benefits to veterans. No benefits shall be paid
33 under this Section, except for veterans who already have
34 begun their education under this Section, after 6 months
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1 following the termination of educational benefits to veterans
2 by the federal government. If the federal government
3 terminates educational benefits to veterans and at a later
4 time resumes those benefits, the benefits of this Section
5 shall resume.
6 As used in this Section, "time of hostilities in a
7 foreign country" means any action by the armed forces of the
8 United States that is recognized by the issuance of a
9 Presidential proclamation or a Presidential executive order
10 and in which the armed forces expeditionary medal or other
11 campaign service medals are awarded according to Presidential
12 executive order.
13 (Source: P.A. 90-752, eff. 8-14-98; 91-496, eff. 8-13-99.)