RICHMOND, Va. (CN) — Virginia's House of Delegates on Friday voted to repeal cuts to a tuition-waiver program for military dependents.
The repeal now moves to the state Senate, where lawmakers will also have to decide what to do with the increasingly pricey subsidy program.
"Veterans, we stick together," veteran Katrina Frye said following the vote. "This is something we've earned. It is not something that should be so lightly taken away."
More than a hundred veterans and their families showed up at the state Capitol to rally for repeal of the cuts, which would limit the education subsidies given to veteran families. The 91-0 bipartisan vote comes after Senate leadership — namely Finance and Appropriations Chair Louise Lucas, a Democrat — further postponed addressing the changes that have outraged the veteran community.
"If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging," Republican Delegate Mike Cherry said on the floor of the House of Delegates. "It is truly amazing to see what we can accomplish when we don't care who gets the credit or try to place blame."
The Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program provides education benefits to the spouses and children of veterans who have been rated by the Department of Veteran Affairs as at least 90% permanently disabled due to military service. Family members of veterans killed, missing in action or taken prisoner can also receive the subsidies.
The cuts limited who could qualify for the subsides and also made it harder for applicants to receive them. Among the changes, only dependents of service members injured or killed in combat could apply.
In the case of veteran Katrina Frye, for example, the changes would have made her high school-aged son ineligible for the subsides. Although the VA had deemed Frye to be 100% disabled due to post-traumatic stress disorder, her condition stemmed from military sexual trauma — not from combat.
The cuts came from budget language passed in May with approval from GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin and the Democratic-controlled General Assembly. Legislators did not vote on budget changes individually, leaving little space for public input.
After veterans from around the Commonwealth voiced their displeasure with the proposed changes, Youngkin and other state lawmakers changed course. But when the state Senate met on June 18 to address the changes, Lucas, the Senate President Pro Tempore, decided against a vote.
Along with Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Mamie Locke, Lucas doesn't support a full repeal of the cuts but instead hopes to delay implementation until July 2025, giving policymakers further time to study ways to offset the program's rising cost.
"The House and governor should join us in supporting this proposal, so waiver recipients can attend college in 2024-25 without concern regarding their eligibility or cost of attendance," Locke said in a statement. "The Senate looks forward to working with the House and Governor to have a permanent solution during the 2025 Session."
Youngkin and the House of Delegates, meanwhile, now say Virginia should continue fully funding program rather than simply delaying cuts.
"If the Senate Democrat Leadership does not support a repeal of the language, they are holding our veterans, first responders and their families hostage," Youngkin said in a statement. "It is time to do the right thing."
Budget negotiators argued the cuts were needed to keep the growing subsidy program financially viable. According to data from the state's Department of Planning and Budget, program participation rose from 1,387 students in 2019 to 6,125 students in 2023 — though veterans dispute those figures.
One reason for the increase in demand is the growing number of college-aged dependents of Afghanistan and Iraq veterans. But public universities, which bear the cost of the waivers, say the subsidies lead to higher tuition fees for other students.
The cuts — included in a May 13 budget — grandfathered in students who formally committed by May 15. That gave applicants less than 48 hours to submit applications under the previous criteria.
The Senate will reconvene on July 1 to either support the House of Delegates' measure or vote on legislation that would delay the cuts.
"They are their own body, and they make their own decisions," Delegate Luke Torian, a Democrat and chair of the House of Delegates appropriation, said.
But if the state Senate decides against repeal, they could face further ire from Virginia's veteran community, which has rallied against the changes. What's more, those veterans say they will be back in full force during the 2025 legislative session to continue defending the program.
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