Veterans Affairs

Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi is proud to support our Texas Veterans by providing the Hazlewood Benefit to qualified Texas Veterans, Spouses, and Dependents. The intention of the Hazlewood Exemption (Hazlewood Act) is to provide an education benefit to honorably discharged or separated Texas Veterans and to eligible dependent children and spouses of Texas Veterans, in accordance with Texas Law and under the policies and procedures established by the Veterans Office at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. In August 2009, the Texas Legislature added the new Hazlewood Legacy Program to the original Hazlewood Benefits, allowing qualified Texas Veterans to transfer unused benefits to one dependent child. In August 2011, the Texas Legislature added the ability of qualified Texas Veterans who are deceased to transfer unused Hazlewood Benefits to one dependent child. For more information, see below:

What is it?

The Texas Hazlewood Act provides qualified Texas Veterans, their spouses, and children with an education benefit of up to 150 credit hours of tuition and fee exemptions (not including the Student Services Fee, Parking Permit, or other non-mandatory fees, which must be paid by the student each semester) at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi and certain other state supported institutions of higher learning.

This benefit is a State Benefits, not administered or managed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), which provides qualified Texas Veterans an exemption from paying tuition and some fees. Students are responsible for paying the Student Services Fee and other fees not covered by the exemption each semester of they will be dropped from their courses. The benefit cannot be applied retroactively for previous semesters, only for the current or future semester in accordance with the policies and procedures of the TAMU-CC Office of Veterans Affairs and guidance from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB).

Who qualifies for the benefit?

Effective the Fall 2011 semester, in order to be eligible to receive a Hazlewood Act Exemption, a veteran must meet all of the following qualifications:

• DD Form 214 Member 4 Copy must show Texas as the Home of Record or Place of Entry at time of entry in active federal service (DD Form 1300 can be used in place of DD Form 214 for deceased service members);
• Received a military discharge of honorable or general under honorable conditions;
• Served at least 181 days of active federal service (excluding training or reserve service);
• Not be in default on any education loan made or guaranteed by the State of Texas and not in default on a federal loan if that default is the reason the student cannot use his/her federal veterans benefits;
• Both Veteran and Beneficiary must currently be residents and reside in Texas to qualify; also the Beneficiary must qualify for in-state tuition to qualify for the benefit; application requires state issued photo ID as proof of residency.

A Texas Veteran must meet ALL of these requirements to qualify for the Hazlewood Benefit. If you have any questions about these requirements, please contact the Veterans Affairs Coordinator at the Veterans Office at A&M Corpus Christi.

NOTE: Qualification for the Hazlewood Benefit is based on Texas Veterans meeting the qualification as stated above; once it has been established that a Texas Veteran meets all the qualifications for benefits; then they are authorized to transfer the benefit to a qualified dependent. In all cases the Texas Veteran is the applicant; spouses and dependents only qualify for benefits once the Veteran has transferred the benefit to the dependent. Veterans can submit applications for benefits (HE-V Form) to the Veterans Office located in the Round Bldg at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi. Dependents submitting a HE-V Form on behalf of a Veteran who is not present to submit his/her application must have the form signed by the Veteran and notarized by a State Notary to apply for the benefit.

Transferability of Benefits (New Texas Legacy Program):

Starting in the Fall of 2009, qualified Texas Veterans may elect to waive their rights to any unused hours for which he/she is eligible (up to the maximum of 150 semester credit hours) and transfer them to a qualified dependent child under the age of 26. The child designee must be the biological, stepchild, or adopted child of the parent Veteran; dependent who are not biological children must be claimed as a dependent on a federal income tax return filed by the Veteran for the preceding or current tax year. The child must be a resident of the State of Texas, be 25 years or younger on the first day of the semester or term for which the exemption is claimed, and must be making satisfactory academic progress in a degree or certificate program as determined by the institution. Only one qualified beneficiary can use the benefit at any one time. Veterans' spouses are not eligible to receive a transfer of unused hours under the Legacy Program.

NEW! - Starting in the Fall of 2011, a Veteran's spouse or a child's legal guardian, conservator, custodian, or other legal caretaker may assign a qualified Veteran's unused Hazlewood hours to a qualified eligible child (through the Legacy Program) on behalf of the Veterans, if the Veteran died prior to requesting the transfer of hours. The Veteran MUST meet all the qualifications for Hazlewood and the Child MUST be a qualified dependent under the age of 26. Only one qualified child may use the benefit at any one time and each qualified Veteran may only transfer 150 credit hours. The following documents are required to apply for benefits under this rule:

• DD Form 214 Member 4 Copy (original, certified, or notarized)
• County Issued Death Certificate of Veteran (original)
• Marriage License or Legal Document Showing Guardianship
• Birth Certificate showing Veteran as Parent (or tax form showing dependency)
• VA Letter Showing Disability rating for Veteran (if applicable)
• Texas Drivers License or ID of Student

Hazlewood for the Dependents of Qualified Disabled or Deceased Texas Veterans:

Qualified Texas Veterans who meet the qualifications for Hazlewood and who are 100% Disabled as determined by the DVA or Texas Veterans who died in the line of duty or as a result of injury or illness directly related to military service (as determined by the DVA), missing in action, or who became totally disabled for the purposes of employability as a result of a service-related injury or illness also qualify to pass their Hazlewood Benefit to their spouse and dependents. Each of the Veterans' dependents may qualify for up to 150 semester credit hours each, as determined by the Veterans Office at TAMU-CC.

To qualify an eligible spouse or child must provide all the required documents for Hazlewood and the official military documentations indicating that the Veteran meets the requirements as stated above as a disabled or deceased Texas Veteran, including 1) Veterans DD Form 214 Member 4 Copy and/or a DD Form 1300 Report of Casualty; 2) Chapter 35 - Certificate of Eligibility [COE] or VA Letter showing 100% Disability rating; 3) birth certificate; 4) Texas State Issued Photo ID; 5) Death Certificate (if applicable). Additional documents maybe required to prove eligibility.

To be eligible, the child must:

• Be a current Texas resident, and be charged in-state tuition for the current semester;
• Be the biological child, stepchild, adopted child, or claimed as a dependent in the current or previous tax year;
• Be 25 years or younger on the first day of the semester or term for which the exemption is claimed; child dependents aged 26 and older no longer qualify for the benefit.
• Make satisfactory academic progress in a degree, certificate, or continuing education program as determined by the institution;
• If a child to whom hours have been delegated fails to use all of the assigned hours, a veteran may re-assign the unused hours that are available to another dependent child.

Stacking with the GI Bill:

The Hazlewood Benefit can be used in conjunction with all versions of the GI Bill except the Post-9/11 GI Bill Chapter 33 at the 100% rate or the Vocational Rehab Program Chapter 31. Applicants must meet all the requirements for the Hazlewood Program and submit a complete packet with all required forms and documents to qualify. Adding this benefit will maximize your Veterans Education Benefits and allow the Veteran or qualified dependent to retain more of their monthly stipend to cover additional school expenses. Students must apply for the benefits separately each semester to start and maintain their benefits. Contact the Veterans Office to apply today!

Application Forms

To use Hazlewood benefits or to transfer unused benefits to an eligible child, applicants must complete an application/release form each semester they want to use the benefit by the published deadline (normally the semester census date) to the Veterans Office.  Late applications will not be accepted.  Please choose the appropriate application below:

• HE-V for Texas Veterans
• HE-D for Qualified Dependents
• HE-P for Previous Beneficiaries
• HE-V for Texas Veterans (Notary Form)

Required Documents:

• DD Form 214 Discharge - Member 4 Copy, must be original or certified copy to be accepted for the benefit; photocopies or faxed copies will NOT be accepted;
• DD Form 1300 Report of Casualty can be substituted for the DD Form 214;
• Texas State issued photo ID card showing home of residency; must be valid at time of application for both the Veterans and the Dependent;
• Birth certificate showing that a dependent is the child of the Veteran (current tax form can be substituted for the birth certificate for step- or adopted children);
• Marriage certificate showing the spouse is currently married to the Veteran; ex-spouses no longer qualify for the benefit;
• Death certificate is required if the Veteran is deceased;
• Other documents maybe required to prove eligibility; check with the Veterans Office for more details.

Additional Information:

Starting in the Fall of 2011, students have one year from the time they submit an initial application for benefits (HE-V Form) or are notified in writing by the TAMU-CC Office of Veterans Affairs that they fully qualify for the Hazlewood to submit all required documents to receive benefits. This does NOT allow for retroactive application of benefits and applications MUST be submitted by the census date each semester to apply the benefit to the current semester. Also notification from another school does NOT qualify a student to retroactively apply Hazlewood at TAMUCC. The benefit will not be applied to a student's account until all required documents, as stated in this policy, are submitted and have been received and the benefit verified. Questions about this policy should be directed to the Veteran Affairs Coordinator at TAMU-CC.

Hazlewood Due Date: Semester Census Date

Academic Standards for Hazlewood Legacy:
To qualify and maintain your Hazlewood Legacy, student must maintain the following cumulative grade point average (GPA):

• Undergraduate freshmen (0-29 earned hours) = 1.8 cumulative G.P.A.
• All other undergraduate students (30+ earned hours) = 2.0 cumulative G.P.A.
• All graduate students (Masters, Doctoral) = 3.0 cumulative G.P.A.

* Note: The Hazlewood Benefit is not a benefit under the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is a benefit passed by the Texas Legislature for Texas Veterans Only. To qualify, the veteran must have been a Texas resident as stated on their DD Form 214 when they entered the military or entered the military in Texas (i.e. Home of Record at time of entry or Place of Entry into Active Duty). This program is administered by the TAMU-CC Office of Veterans Affairs in compliance with the Texas Hazlewood Law. There are no exceptions to the requirements to qualify for the benefit. All forms must be filled out and submitted each semester by the semester census date (normally the 12th class day) to use the benefit each semester. No late applications for benefits will be accepted and the Hazlewood Benefit cannot be applied retroactively for past semesters.