HF3741

Purpose

Clarifies and expands educational assistance for the dependents and spouses of certain veterans and sets up a new funding approach. The bill repeals a prior POW/MIA dependent tuition program and replaces it with a combination of tuition-free access to Minnesota public colleges for eligible dependents and a new stipend system for eligible children, spouses, and veterans.

Who is covered (definitions related to eligibility)

• Eligible child: a child of a veteran who is deceased, or a person who was a prisoner of war (POW) or missing in action (MIA), and who is a student meeting progress and residency requirements at a Minnesota higher education institution.
• Eligible spouse: the spouse or surviving spouse of a veteran who is deceased or a POW/MIA, meeting the same progress and residency requirements.
• Eligible veteran: a veteran who is a student in good academic standing at an eligible institution, who resides in Minnesota at enlistment, who has no remaining military/veteran education benefits giving access to other programs, and who remains a resident while receiving these benefits.
• Deceased veteran: a veteran who died as a result of military service, who resided in Minnesota within the relevant windows, as determined by VA or DoD.
• POW/MIA: defined with the same standards historically used by the federal government.
• Eligible institution: a Minnesota public postsecondary institution (state-operated, University of Minnesota Board of Regents, or tribally controlled college) or any institution licensed or registered with the Office of Higher Education.
• Public postsecondary institution: as above; includes tribal colleges.
• Tuition and fees: the charges assessed by an eligible institution.

Main benefits and how they work

• Tuition and fees waiver

  • Eligible children and eligible spouses may attend Minnesota public postsecondary institutions tuition- and fee-free until they earn a bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
  • The waiver applies at eligible public institutions; it is not limited to any particular program or field of study.

• Annual stipends and veteran payment

  • A biennial appropriation funds:
  • An annual stipend of $750 per eligible child and per eligible spouse (i.e., each eligible child and each eligible spouse receives $750 each year).
  • A one-time payment of $750 for each eligible veteran.
  • A note: the stipend amounts under this subdivision are not available to anyone who has earned a bachelor’s degree.
  • Payments are made directly to the eligible institutions or to the eligible individuals, as determined by the commissioner, and are awarded on a funds-available basis.

• Continuity of eligibility

  • Once someone qualifies as an eligible child or eligible spouse, that status remains even if circumstances change, including the return/death of a parent or the death or return of a POW/MIA parent.

• Eligibility evidence

  • Applicants must submit required materials including an application, proof of military service, residency proof if applicable, and verification from VA/DoD that federal entitlement has been exhausted.

Administration and reporting

• Participation by institutions

  • Minnesota public postsecondary institutions must participate in the program during both peacetime and war.
  • Other eligible institutions may suspend or terminate participation at the end of any term.

• Annual reporting

  • Eligible institutions must submit an annual report by September 30 detailing program activity, number of students served, enrollment and graduation data, and the program’s overall cost.
  • Public or regionally accredited private institutions must provide information and maintain a veterans benefits page on their websites with links to federal and state programs.

• Funding cap

  • The appropriation for the program cannot exceed a cap (in the bill, a limit of $6,000,000 is specified for relevant payments in certain years).

• Repeal of prior program

  • The existing statutory provision providing educational assistance to POW/MIA dependents (the prior “POW/MIA dependent” program) is repealed.

Significant changes from existing law

• Replaces the POW/MIA dependent tuition program with a broader structure that provides:
  • Tuition and fees waivers at Minnesota public institutions for eligible dependents until a bachelor’s degree.
  • A new stipend framework ($750/year for each eligible child and spouse; $750 for each eligible veteran as a one-time payment) funded by a general fund appropriation.
• Adds formal reporting requirements for participating institutions and requires targeted information dissemination to students and families.
• Maintains a guarantee of continued eligibility regardless of certain changes in family circumstances.
• Caps total program funding and repeals the older POW/MIA dependent benefit framework.

Implications and considerations

• For eligible families: more predictable access to tuition-free public higher education for dependents and a new cash stipend structure, with ongoing eligibility protections.
• For institutions: clearer expectations on participation, reporting, and administration, plus a requirement to provide information about veterans benefits on their sites.
• For policy: shifts from a specific POW/MIA-dependent benefit toward a broader dependents program tied to deceased or POW/MIA veterans, with a funding cap to manage costs.

Relevant terms - Eligible child - Eligible spouse - Eligible veteran - Deceased veteran - Prisoner of war (POW) - Missing in action (MIA) - Tribally controlled college - Eligible institution - Public postsecondary educational institution - Tuition and fees - Satisfactory academic progress - Resident student - Tuition waiver - Educational stipend - General fund appropriation - Repeal of POW/MIA dependent program - Annual reporting requirements