Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick and Abigail Spanberger introduced the Honor Our Nation’s Oath to Remember Our Veterans’ Sacrifice Act, legislation to fix an issue in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid that has unfairly penalized disabled veterans and their families.
Currently, Veterans Affairs disability compensation must be reported in the FAFSA and is taken into consideration when calculating an applicant’s Estimated Family Contribution. Because this tax-free payment remains a factor in the FAFSA process, this requirement has caused many veterans and their families to take on an additional financial burden when sending their children to college.
The HONOR Our Veterans’ Sacrifice Act would fix this issue by excluding veteran benefits, including VA disability compensation, from the list of benefits required to be reported in the FAFSA.
“We need to be doing everything we can to help our veterans. Our disabled veterans put their lives on the line to defend our freedoms, and deserve full access to educational opportunities when they return home,” Fitzpatrick said. “Our bipartisan HONOR Our Veterans’ Sacrifice Act will amend existing law to ensure that VA disability compensation is not factored in to FAFSA allocation, to help our veterans receive as much tuition assistance as they are eligible for. We should be making it easier for our veterans to get an education after serving, not harder.”
The HONOR Our Veterans’ Sacrifice Act is endorsed by Student Veterans of America.
