The bill amends the Alabama G.I. Dependent Scholarship Program by lowering the minimum disability rating required for dependents of veterans to qualify for benefits from 40% to 30%. It introduces a pilot program aimed at expanding access to scholarships for dependents of veterans with lower disability ratings. The amendments also update various terms related to educational benefits, including changing "armed forces" to "Armed Forces" and updating "Veterans' Administration" to "Department of Veterans Affairs." Additionally, it removes outdated provisions regarding the minimum disability requirement for dependents who applied before July 31, 2017, ensuring broader access to the program.

Moreover, the bill includes new provisions that require dependents to allow schools to release personally identifiable information to the State Department of Veterans' Affairs for eligibility determinations. It restores lost benefit time for dependents whose eligibility was interrupted due to accidents or illnesses and allows those whose veterans had a disability rating below 20% before May 23, 2017, to apply for benefits under previous criteria within six months of receiving a final award of at least 20%. A new section, §31-6-11.1, is established to provide educational benefits to dependents of veterans with a minimum disability rating of 50% who were permanent residents of Alabama for at least five years, with a cap of 100 dependents annually. The benefits will expire on December 31, 2027, unless extended by the Legislature, and the act is set to take effect on June 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 31-6-4, 31-6-6, 31-6-9
Engrossed: 31-6-4, 31-6-6, 31-6-9