ROANOKE, Va. – The future is beginning to look more clear for families whose loved ones were killed or hurt while serving in the military or as first responders.
This comes after Virginia’s General Assembly has gone back and forth on continuing funding for the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program, or VMSDEP. The program offers the children or spouses of someone killed or severely hurt in the line of duty, free tuition to any public college or university in the commonwealth for up to eight semesters.
Lauren Fenty is one of the hundreds of people who is eligible to receive VMSDEP.
Lauren’s father was killed in Afghanistan when she was just 28 days old. She is now a high school senior who will attend UVA this fall.
“Growing up without a father was and still is a struggle,” Fenty said.
One thing that wasn’t going to be a struggle for Fenty and her family, having to pay for college.
“While there is no upside to losing a parent, there are programs and experiences that can aid in this loss. For me and other Gold Star families, that gap was eased by the VMSDEP waiver,” Fenty said.
Fenty thought her tuition was covered, until the state passed a budget in May slashing funding and changing the waiver process.
“Now with the rollback of that waiver, I along with many others feel as though another thing has been ripped out from under my feet. Just like the lives and vitality of our parents have been,” Fenty said.
In June, the House of Delegates passed a bill repealing the funding cut and changes to the waiver process, protecting free tuition for families.
But on Monday, the bill failed in a State Senate Subcommittee.
“They had a chance to pass a clean reversal of a mistake that was in the budget, it should have never been included in the budget. That was a mistake,” Governor Glenn Youngkin said.
After much backlash, the House and Senate released a statement on Tuesday which said they reached an agreement on how the program will move forward.
The proposed, agreed-upon bill will fully repeal the changes. And an additional $90 million will be provided for the program from the state’s surplus.
“A full, clean repeal with additional financial support for the VMSDEP program, unencumbered by any other provisions, is great news for our military heroes, first responders, and their families,” Youngkin said after the news of the General Assembly’s agreement.
Governor Youngkin said he also spoke with all public universities and colleges, as well as community colleges in the state to ensure no student or future student, like Fenty, will be impacted by the lapse in funding.
The General Assembly is set to meet and pass the agreed-upon bill on July 18.