War Veteran’s Survivors Grant Program

PURPOSE: The War Veteran’s Survivors Grant, established by section 173.234, RSMo, authorizes the Coordinating Board for Higher Education to provide grants for tuition assistance, room and board, and books for eligible undergraduate students who meet the criteria established in statute. This administrative rule sets forth eligibility requirements for War Veteran’s Survivors Grant award recipients and the responsibilities that approved postsecondary institutions must fulfill for participation in the program. (1) Definitions. (A) Academic year shall be from July 1 of any year through June 30 of the following year. (B) Applicant means a survivor who has filed an accurate and complete application to receive a War Veteran’s Survivors Grant award, who has been certified as eligible by the Missouri Veteran’s Commission, and who otherwise qualifies to receive such award under section 173.254, RSMo. (C) Award shall be an amount of money paid by Missouri to a qualified applicant for tuition assistance, room and board, and books pursuant to the provisions of this rule and section 173.234, RSMo. (D) Award year shall be from July 1 of any year through June 30 of the following year, excluding summer terms. (E) Books are any books or related supplementary materials required for any course for which tuition was paid in whole or in part by an award under this section. (F) Consortium agreement means a written agreement between two (2) or more approved institutions that allows students to take courses at a school other than the home school and have those courses count toward the degree or certificate at the home school and that complies with United States Department of Education requirements for federal student financial assistance. (G) Coordinating board, CBHE, or board is the Coordinating Board for Higher Education created by section 173.005, RSMo. (H) Department means the Department of Higher Education created by section 173.005, RSMo. (I) Grant shall be the War Veteran’s Survivors Grant established in section 173.234, RSMo. (J) Initial recipient means any applicant who meets the criteria set forth in section 173.234, RSMo, and in this regulation; has filed an accurate and complete application by the deadline established by the CBHE for the War Veteran’s Survivors Grant program; and has not received a War Veteran’s Survivors Grant award in any prior academic year. (K) Institution of postsecondary education or approved institution shall be any Missouri public institution of postsecondary education as defined in subdivision 173.1102.1(3), RSMo. (L) Renewal recipient means any applicant who has received a War Veteran’s Survivors Grant award; who meets the requirements set forth in section 173.234, RSMo, and in this regulation; and who has filed an accurate and complete application by the deadline established by the department for the War Veteran’s Survivors Grant program. (M) Satisfactory academic progress means meeting the requirements established by the approved institution in which the student is enrolled for students at the approved institution to receive assistance under Title IV financial aid programs included in the Higher Education Act of 1965, with the exception of grade point average. (N) Survivor shall be any child up to twenty-five (25) years of age or spouse of a war veteran as defined in section 173.234.1(5), RSMo. (O) Tuition is any tuition or incidental fee, or both, charged by an institution of postsecondary education for attendance at the institution by a student as a resident of this state. (P) Tuition assistance is the component of the award related to the actual tuition paid by the student up to the amount charged to a Missouri resident at the University of Missouri– Columbia. (2) Responsibilities of Institutions of Postsecondary Education. (A) Institutions participating in the War Veteran’s Survivors Grant program must meet the requirements set forth in 6 CSR 10-2.140 Institutional Eligibility for Student Participation. (B) Institutions must retain highlighted book receipts documenting each eligible student’s book costs and provide a copy of the receipts to the department upon request. (3) Eligibility Policy. To qualify for an award, an initial or renewal recipient, at the time of application and throughout the period during which the recipient receives the award, must— (A) Meet the requirements set forth in section 173.234, RSMo, and this regulation; (B) Meet the requirements set forth in section 173.1110, RSMo; and (C) Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment at least halftime in an approved institution where half-time enrollment is determined by the standards of the institution. (4) Application and Evaluation. (A) The department shall annually prescribe the time and method for filing applications for an award under the War Veteran’s Survivors Grant program. It shall make announcement of its action in these respects. (B) Students shall apply annually for an award under the War Veteran’s Survivors Grant program by completing and submitting the application form as prescribed by the department. (C) The department will evaluate each application for a War Veteran’s Survivors Grant award according to the certification provided by the Missouri Veteran’s Commission and according to the extent to which each applicant meets the requirements set forth in this regulation and section 173.234, RSMo. (5) Award Policy. (A) War Veteran’s Survivors Grant awards shall be allotted for one (1) award year. Award amounts will be calculated and issued for each semester of that award year. (B) Within the limits of amounts appropriated therefore, a renewal recipient may continue to receive an award so long as the recipient: 1. Maintains a cumulative grade point average of at least two and one-half (2.5) on a four-point (4.0) scale, or its equivalent; 2. Maintains satisfactory academic progress; and 3. Otherwise meets the criteria of the War Veteran’s Survivors Grant program. (C) Provided that sufficient funds are appropriated, initial and renewal recipients who meet the eligibility requirements set forth in section 173.234, RSMo, and this rule shall be eligible for a War Veteran’s Survivors Grant award amounting to the sum of the following: 1. The actual tuition charged for the number of hours in which the initial or renewal recipient is enrolled or accepted for enrollment at the approved institution. The amount of the tuition assistance shall not exceed the amount of tuition charged a Missouri resident enrolled in the same number of hours at the University of Missouri–Columbia. For programs measured in clock hours rather than credit hours, the institution shall use the conversion formula of fifteen (15) classroom hours equal one (1) credit hour; 2. An allowance of up to two thousand dollars ($2,000) per semester for room and board, as determined by the department; and 3. The actual cost of the survivor’s books at the approved institution where the initial or renewal recipient is enrolled or accepted for enrollment as documented with actual receipts for books purchased, not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500) per semester. (D) Within the amounts appropriated for awards, the coordinating board shall provide awards for up to twenty-five (25) applicants annually to attend approved institutions. (E) Eligible renewal recipients shall have award priority. If funds are not available to make awards to all applicants who would otherwise meet the requirements to be renewal recipients, the department will make awards according to priority based on the earliest complete and accurate applications received by the department. (F) Applicants who qualify as initial recipients under the provisions of this rule shall receive awards if sufficient funds are appropriated and subject to the priorities described above. (G) If funds are not available to make awards to all applicants who would otherwise meet the requirements to be initial recipients, the department will make awards according to priority based on the earliest complete and accurate applications received by the department. (H) Eligible applicants who do not receive an award due to insufficient grant funds shall be put on a waiting list. If the waiting list of eligible applicants exceeds fifty (50), the CBHE may petition the general assembly to expand the quota. If the quota is not expanded, then the eligibility status of these eligible applicants will be extended to the following academic year and the applicant will be considered for an award in accordance with the criteria in subsections (5)(D)–(G) of this rule. (I) Award notifications will be sent to the eligible applicants by the department once the applications have been approved and the award amounts have been determined. Notification of award eligibility will also be sent to the student financial aid office at the approved institution where the student plans to enroll or has enrolled. (J) An applicant who has been denied a War Veteran’s Survivors Grant award for lack of satisfactory academic progress or failure to maintain the grade point average requirement in paragraphs (5)(B)1.–2. of this rule may not receive another War Veteran’s Survivors Grant award until the enrollment period after the applicable standard has once again been met. (K) No War Veteran’s Survivors Grant award will be granted to an applicant after completion of the first baccalaureate degree, regardless of age. (L) War Veteran’s Survivors Grant awards will be made for use during the academic year, but no funds for War Veteran’s Survivors Grant awards will be granted for use for summer school. (M) No War Veteran’s Survivors Grant award will be made retroactive to a previous academic year. A War Veteran’s Survivors Grant award will be made retroactive to a previous semester only upon the sole discretion of the department. (N) War Veteran’s Survivors Grant awards will be issued only after certification of attendance of the student by the institution. (O) In order to receive an award for attendance at more than one (1) institution during a single semester, applicants must be enrolled in a consortium agreement. Awards based on consortium agreements will be issued to the home school. (P) The applicant’s award will be sent to the approved institution to be delivered to the student’s account. The institution shall retain the portion of the award that the student owes for expenses and promptly give the applicant any remaining funds. (Q) An applicant’s failure to provide an accurate and complete application or any additional information by any deadline may result in loss of the War Veteran’s Survivors Grant award. (R) The CBHE may withhold payment of any War Veteran’s Survivors Grant award after initiating an inquiry into the initial or continued eligibility of a student or into the approved status of an institution. (S) A student may transfer the War Veteran’s Survivors Grant award from one (1) approved public institution of postsecondary education to another without losing eligibility for assistance, but the CBHE shall make any necessary adjustments in the amount of the award. (6) Information Sharing Policy. All information on an individual’s War Veteran’s Survivors Grant application will be AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT shared with the financial aid office of the institution to which the individual has applied or that the individual is attending to permit verification of data submitted. Information may be shared with federal financial aid officers if necessary to verify data furnished by the state or federal governments as provided for in the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. sections 552, 552a. AUTHORITY: section 173.234, RSMo Supp. 2018.* Original rule filed Dec. 15, 2008, effective June 30, 2009. Amended: Filed June 15, 2016, effective Nov. 30, 2016. Amended: Filed Jan. 29, 2019, effective July 30, 2019. *Original authority: 173.234, RSMo 2008, amended 2009, 2016, 2018.