PURPOSE: The Vietnam Veteran’s Survivors Grant Program, established by section 173.235, RSMo, authorizes the Coordinating Board for Higher Education to provide tuition grants for eligible undergraduate students, who are survivors of Vietnam veterans, and whose death was contributed to or was caused by exposure to toxic chemicals during the Vietnam conflict, to attend an approved Missouri postsecondary institution. This administrative rule sets forth eligibility requirements of survivors for tuition grant assistance and the responsibilities that approved postsecondary institution must meet for the administration of the program.

1. (1) Definitions.

   1. (A) Academic year or the period of the grant is the period from July 1 of any year through June 30 of the following year.
   2. (B) Coordinating board or board is the Coordinating Board for Higher Education created by section 173.005, RSMo.
   3. (C) Eligible survivor shall be any child or spouse of a Vietnam veteran as defined in section 173.235.1(4), RSMo.
   4. (D) Full-time student shall be defined by the approved institution as an undergraduate student who is enrolled in and is carrying sufficient number of credit hours or their equivalent (minimum twelve (12) credit hours) at an approved private or public Missouri institution to secure a degree or certificate.
   5. (E) Grant assistance or award shall be an amount of money paid by Missouri to an eligible survivor pursuant to the provisions of this rule.
   6. (F) Initial recipient shall be any survivor who applies for a tuition grant and meets the eligibility requirements in accordance with the provisions of this rule and is awarded and receives a tuition grant under the grant program as a first-time recipient.
   7. (G) Institution of postsecondary education or approved institution shall be any private or public institution located in Missouri that meets the requirements set forth in subdivision 173.205(2) or (3), RSMo.
   8. (H) Renewal recipient shall be any survivor who applies for a tuition grant, received a tuition grant as an initial recipient and meets the eligibility requirements in accordance with the provisions of this rule and the requirements as defined by the approved institution and is awarded a renewable tuition grant under the grant program.
   9. (I) Resident of Missouri is any veteran who meets the requirements for resident status for Missouri set forth by the coordinating board in 6 CSR 10-3.010.
   10. (J) Satisfactory academic degree progress or satisfactory academic progress shall be determined by the approved institution’s policies as applied to other students at the approved institution receiving assistance under Title IV financial aid programs included in the Higher Education Act of 1965.
   11. (K) Similar funds shall be any other state or federal student financial aid funds that are specifically designated for survivors of veterans.
   12. (L) Standard admissions policies shall be policies approved and published by the approved institution to admit special students and students having a certificate of graduation.
   13. (M) Toxic chemicals shall be any chemical determined by the veteran’s administration medical authority to have contributed to or was the cause of death of a Vietnam veteran.
   14. (N) Tuition or incidental fee shall be the amount charged by an institution of postsecondary education for attendance at the institution by a student as a resident of this state.
   15. (O) Tuition grant or grant shall mean the Vietnam Veteran’s Survivors Grant Program as established by section 173.235, RSMo.
   16. (P) Vietnam veteran shall be any person who meets the requirements as established by section 173.235.1(6)(a)–(c), RSMo.

2. (2) Eligible Survivor Qualifications and Responsibilities.

   1. (A) To be eligible for grant assistance under the tuition grant program, an eligible survivor must meet the following conditions:

      1. 1. Be a citizen or permanent resident of

the United States;

1. 2. Be a child or spouse of a Vietnam vet-

eran whose death was contributed to or caused by exposure to toxic chemicals during the Vietnam conflict;

1. 3. Be enrolled or accepted for enroll-

ment as a full-time undergraduate student in a course of study leading to a certificate, or an associate or baccalaureate degree at an approved institution for the period of the grant;

1. 4. Maintain satisfactory academic

progress in his/her course of study, according to standards determined by the approved institution;

1. 5. Provide a qualified medical certifica-

tion by a Veteran’s Administration medical authority to verify that the exposure to toxic chemicals contributed to or was the cause of death of the veteran; and

1. 6. Complete an application for tuition

grant assistance on forms provided and prescribed by the coordinating board.

1. (B) Grant assistance shall be allotted for one (1) academic year, but an applicant shall be eligible for renewed assistance until s/he has obtained a baccalaureate degree or completed one hundred fifty (150) semester credit hours, provided the grant assistance shall not exceed a total of ten (10) semesters or their equivalents.

1. (3) Responsibilities of Institutions of Postsecondary Education.

   1. (A) Approved institutions shall meet the following requirements:

      1. 1. Admit students based on the approved

institution’s standard admissions policies;

1. 2. Establish fair and equitable refund

policies covering tuition, fees or other charges. That refund policy shall be the same policy which is utilized by the approved institution for refunding all federal Title IV financial aid programs included in the Higher Education Act of 1965; and

1. 3. Complete the institution’s section of

the tuition grant program application to verify the applicant’s eligibility for the grant program and send it to the coordinating board for approval for the current academic year.

1. (B) When the approved institution receives the tuition grant program funds for the grants made by the coordinating board, the approved institution shall—

   1. 1. Determine if the student is enrolled

full-time and making satisfactory academic progress in his/her course of study according to standards determined by the approved institution;

1. 2. Deliver the tuition grant program

funds to the eligible survivor in the amount awarded to that survivor by the coordinating board, or the approved institution must obtain the survivor’s endorsement to retain the portion of the grant which the survivor owes for tuition or incidental fees for the current academic year to that particular approved institution;

1. 3. Notify the coordinating board and

return the student’s check within thirty (30) days of learning that prior to disbursement, the student to whom an award has been made has not enrolled full-time, has indicated that s/he does not plan to enroll full-time, or does not meet the other student eligibility requirements;

1. 4. Be responsible for the repayment of

tuition grant funds to the coordinating board if the grant funds were delivered erroneously to the student; and

1. 5. Determine and calculate the amount

of refunds to the coordinating board based on the refund formula of the approved institution for students who withdraw during the institution’s refund period. The coordinating board may refuse to award grants to applicants who attend approved institutions which fail to make timely refunds to the coordinating board.

1. (C) Repayment by the institution under paragraph (3)(B)4. of this rule shall be necessary when—

   1. 1. The approved institution delivers

funds to a student not eligible under the tuition grant program;

1. 2. The award was based on erroneous,

improper or misleading information provided by the approved institution to the coordinating board; or

1. 3. The approved institution delivers the

grant funds to a person other than the one to whom the coordinating board has directed the funds be delivered.

1. (4) Application and Evaluation.

   1. (A) An application for grant assistance under the tuition grant program shall be made annually by the eligible survivor on the form prescribed by the coordinating board.
   2. (B) Completed tuition grant applications must be received by the coordinating board on or before the application deadline that is established annually in the application materials by the coordinating board to be considered for tuition grants.
   3. (C) Completed tuition grant applications received after the annual deadline established by the coordinating board will be awarded provided program funds are available, based on a review by the coordinating board.

2. (5) Tuition Grant Program Award Limits and Criteria.

   1. (A) The maximum tuition grant amount for each survivor per academic year shall be the least of the actual tuition charged at an approved institution where the eligible survivor is enrolled or accepted for full-time enrollment; or the average amount of tuition charged a Missouri undergraduate resident enrolled full-time in the same class level (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) and in the same academic major of the eligible survivor at the institutions identified in section 174.020, RSMo.
   2. (B) The total eligible survivor’s tuition grant and similar program funds the survivor is eligible for and receives shall not exceed the total cost of tuition charged by the approved institution for full-time enrollment.
   3. (C) An eligible survivor receiving a grant under the tuition grant program shall have made satisfactory academic progress as defined by the approved institution in order to be eligible for a subsequent award under the tuition grant program.
   4. (D) The grant amount for any given academic year will be disbursed to the approved institution equally according to the number of semesters at that particular approved institution and awarded for each semester of enrollment.
   5. (E) Tuition grants will not be awarded for periods of enrollment during the summer term(s).

   6. (F) Within the amounts appropriated for tuition grant awards, the coordinating board shall award up to twelve (12) grants annually 6 CSR 10-2

      *Original authority: 173.235, RSMo 1991.

to eligible survivors to attend an approved institution.

1. (G) Eligible renewal recipients shall have priority in the awarding of tuition grants. If sufficient grant funds are unavailable to award all eligible renewal recipients, grant funds shall be awarded in the following order: fifth-, fourth-, thirdand second-year students as defined by the approved institution.
2. (H) Eligible survivors who qualify as initial recipients under the provisions of this rule each year of the grant program shall be awarded based on the availability of grant funds.
3. (I) If sufficient tuition grant funds are unavailable to award to initial recipients, tuition grants will be awarded based on the earliest date the completed grant applications are received by the coordinating board until all grant funds have been expended.
4. (J) Eligible survivors who apply for a tuition grant but are not awarded a grant due to insufficient grant funds shall be put on an eligibility waiting list. The eligibility status of these eligible survivors will be extended to the following academic year and will be considered for a tuition grant in accordance with the criteria in subsections (5)(F)–(I) of this rule.
5. (K) A survivor who changes his/her approved institution choice prior to the beginning of the first day of classes or who transfers from one (1) approved institution to another must notify the board. Failure to notify the coordinating board may result in loss of the award.
6. (L) Award notifications will be sent to the eligible survivors by the coordinating board once the applications have been approved and the grants have been determined. Notification of grants will also be sent to the student financial aid office at the approved institution where the student plans to or has enrolled.
7. (M) The survivor’s grant will be sent to the approved institution to be endorsed by the student in accordance with the requirements of subsection (3)(B) of this rule.
8. (N) Within forty (40) days from the date on which the survivor withdraws, the approved institution shall calculate and make a refund to the coordinating board based on the refund formula established by that institution in accordance with paragraph (3)(A)2. of this rule.
9. (O) Any eligible survivor is subject to the age limitation found in section 173.235.10., RSMo.

AUTHORITY: section 173.235, RSMo 1994. Original rule filed April 5, 1993, effective Sept. 9, 1993.