The mess that will likely bring Virginia's General Assembly back into special session is messier than first thought.
Earlier this week, News4 reported that Virginia's bipartisan state budget — which was signed by the governor — stripped away some benefits from Gold Star families and families of severely disabled veterans.
It turns out that the changes also removed the same benefits from all Virginia first responders, including law enforcement officers, firefighters, National Guard members and more.
The Virginia Military Survivors Education Program offers higher education waivers to spouses and children of service members who were killed or severely disabled as a result of their service. The same benefits are offered to families of first responders.
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But to balance the program's skyrocketing costs, lawmakers tightened eligibility requirements, leading to public outcry from Gold Star families and others. The changes to the program require participants to live in Virginia, seek other forms of financial aid first and only use the program for undergraduate degrees.
"I think everybody feels like the rug got ripped out from under them," said Kayla Owen, whose husband has severe disabilities after 20 years in the Marines and Coast Guard. Owen had planned to use the program to pay for a nursing program before the eligibility changed.
Families have demanded Virginia reinstate the previous eligibility, and the General Assembly and Gov. Glenn Youngkin have vowed to return to Richmond to "correct" the changes they made.
Those same military families then discovered they weren't alone.
Youngkin's office confirmed to News4 that Virginia's first responders are affected, too.
In a new statement, Youngkin's press secretary, Christian Martinez, told News4: "The governor is committed to reversing the eligibility changes and is pleased that the General Assembly is returning this month to reverse the eligibility changes. Changes to any tuition waiver or other benefit program need to be thoroughly studied and worked on with all stakeholders, especially the families who benefit."
Kristen Fenty’s husband was killed in combat when their daughter, Lauren, was just 28 days old. Lauren is about to become a freshman at the University of Virginia, but Fenty said she was trying to figure out for sure if the benefit program will cover her tuition after the changes.
"The cost of war should be shared by the nation, and the state of Virginia made a commitment to help share that cost of war, and now it's backing away from that commitment," Fenty said earlier this week.
