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In a special session, state legislators in July moved to preserve funding for a program facing cuts that could have rocked military families across the state.
The deal repeals all changes made during the regular session of the General Assembly to the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program, which waives higher education tuition for family members of killed or disabled veterans. A requirement that families seek alternative financial aid before turning to the VMSDEP was also removed.
The funding decision was the culmination of a two-month scramble by legislators and the governor to fix a blundered funding cut that was intended to contain risings costs of the program.
As participation in the VMSDEP grew in five years from roughly 1,000 students to 6,000, universities began to struggle to absorb the mounting costs. The expenses would typically be mitigated by raising the cost of tuition and fees for paying students and their families. Built into the new deal is an additional $90 million to offset the growing costs of the program, which have previously been dealt with through tuition increases.
“This agreement ensures that there is a full repeal of the changes adopted in May to the VMSDEP and related tuition waivers and provides financial certainty for military families attending colleges as I had hoped for,” said deal co-author Del. Luke Torian, D-Prince William.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who originally approved the changes to the VMSDEP when he signed the budget, celebrated the reversal.
“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,” he wrote in a statement posted on X.
The General Assembly reconvened July 18 to formalize the repeal.
