After two failed attempts, the Virginia House and Senate passed a legislative fix to a veterans' benefits bill in Richmond Thursday.
“I just think it's a good day for the recipients, I think it's a good day that the House, the Senate and the governor's office came together,” said southwest Virginia Delegate Terry Kilgore just moments before the House and Senate passed a bill that rolls back changes made to the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program.
The families of injured vets and Gold Star families descended on Richmond in recent weeks after new limits to the program were added in the wake of its ballooning cost. They also complained about the changes being slid into the budget without public input.
The fix includes tens of millions of dollars for state colleges to cover the cost of the waivers the program beneficiaries receive. Colleges had argued the cost was otherwise being born on paying students and impacting other scholarship programs.
And while the atmosphere was upbeat following the success of the fix, House Speaker Don Scott noted the program's future was still in the sights of legislators.
“We’re gonna continue to work with them to make sure the program stays viable,” Scott told Radio IQ.
“Viability” is the word many folks used to define the future of the program.
Mitch Rubenstein, the state commander for the Virginia chapter of Veterans for Foreign Wars, said his group welcomed the fix passed Thursday, and he also acknowledged the future viability of the program.
“I understand changes may need to be made to maintain the long-term viability of the program,” he told a Senate subcommittee hearing the bill ahead of its passage on the chamber floor. “Please work with the VFW and first responders.”
According to a 2024 report from the House Appropriations Committee Staff, changes made in recent years caused the costs of the program to balloon. Among issues found in the report was reduced residency requirements. Injured vets can move into Virginia and immediately take advantage of the program. Other states with similar benefits programs require longer residency periods. Texas requires 10 years of residence, for example.
King George Senator Richard Stuart said residency may come up again following input from a state study, but whatever changes happen, he promised they wouldn’t happen in the budget without public comment.
“We’re gonna go through the proper process and make sure folks have a say in those changes,” he told Radio IQ.
That study is expected in September, with future debate on the program slated for the 2025 session.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
