Hazlewood Act Dependents: Eligibility, Hours, and Benefits

Under the Hazlewood Act, dependents of eligible Texas veterans can receive a tuition and fee exemption at Texas public colleges and universities, but how the 150 hours are divided depends on the veteran’s status. If the veteran is living and not totally disabled, their children share a single pool of 150 hours through the Legacy program, and only one child can use the benefit at a time. If the veteran is 100-percent service-connected disabled, was killed in action, died from a service-related cause, or is missing in action, the spouse and every eligible child each receive their own separate 150-hour entitlement.¹

That difference is the whole game. A Legacy family with three children has 150 hours total to divide. A family of a 100-percent disabled veteran with a spouse and three children could have 600 hours of tuition exemption available.

The Legacy Track: Children Share the Veteran’s Hours

Under the Legacy program, the veteran transfers unused hours from their own 150-hour entitlement to an eligible child. The pool works like a shared account. The veteran assigns hours to one child, that child uses whatever portion they need, and once they stop enrolling the veteran can reassign the remaining hours to a different child.¹

Only one child can use Legacy hours during a given semester. If two siblings both want to enroll in the fall, one has to wait or pay tuition another way. Families with several children close in age need to plan the sequence carefully.

Attempted hours count against the pool, not just completed ones.² A dropped or failed course still eats into the 150. If a Legacy child registers for 15 hours and withdraws from a three-hour course after the census date, all 15 come off the veteran’s bank. Spouses are not eligible for Legacy transfers; only children can receive a living veteran’s unused hours.

The Disabled, Deceased, or MIA Track: Each Dependent Gets 150 Hours

When the veteran meets certain criteria, the math changes completely. Every eligible spouse and child receives a full, independent 150-hour entitlement of their own. Nothing is shared, and multiple family members can use the benefit in the same semester.¹

This track applies when the veteran:

Has a 100-percent total and permanent service-connected disability rating from the VA
Was killed in action
Died while in service, even if not in combat
Died from an illness or injury caused by military service, which can occur after discharge
Is classified as missing in action²

Two rules that squeeze Legacy children do not apply here. Children on this track have no age limit, and they are not held to the satisfactory academic progress requirement that Legacy children must meet.¹ A veteran with a 100-percent disability rating who is individually unemployable also does not have to maintain Texas residency while their family members use the benefit.

Veteran Requirements That Must Be Met First

No dependent can use Hazlewood unless the veteran meets every eligibility rule. Missing one disqualifies the whole family.

The veteran must have entered active duty in Texas, designated Texas as their home of record, or been a Texas resident when they entered service.³
The DD-214 must show an honorable discharge or general discharge under honorable conditions.
The veteran must have served more than 180 days on active duty, not counting training time.¹
The veteran must currently live in Texas while the benefit is in use, subject to the individually-unemployable exception noted above.
The veteran cannot be in default on any student loan made or guaranteed by the State of Texas.

Who Counts as an Eligible Dependent

A child is eligible under Legacy if they are the veteran’s biological child, stepchild, adopted child, or someone the veteran claimed as a dependent on last year’s or this year’s federal tax return. The child must be classified as a Texas resident by their institution, and continuing Legacy students must maintain satisfactory academic progress at their school.³

Legacy children must also be 25 or younger on the first day of the semester. Once a Legacy child turns 26, the benefit stops.¹ A child who could not use the benefit before turning 25 because of a severe illness or debilitating condition can request an extension. Documentation from a physician or physician assistant describing the condition is required, and eligibility is extended for a period equal to the time lost to the illness.⁴

Spouses cannot use Legacy hours. A spouse only gains Hazlewood eligibility when the veteran falls into the disabled, deceased, or MIA categories described earlier.

How Hazlewood Works With the GI Bill

The interaction with federal education benefits catches many families off guard, and the rules turn on which GI Bill chapter applies.

A veteran or dependent eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) at the 100-percent rate must exhaust those federal benefits before using Hazlewood. At that level, the GI Bill covers full tuition, leaving nothing for Hazlewood to exempt.² Someone eligible at less than 100 percent can stack the two: Chapter 33 pays its share first, Hazlewood covers the balance, and only the proportional Hazlewood share is deducted from the 150-hour cap, rounded up to the next whole hour.

Montgomery GI Bill benefits (Chapter 30), Selected Reserve benefits (Chapter 1606), and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) work differently because those payments go to the student rather than the school. A student receiving one of these can stack it with Hazlewood from the first semester.

For a child on the disabled, deceased, or MIA track who has a full 12 months of transferred Chapter 33 benefits available, Hazlewood cannot be used until those federal benefits are used or returned to the veteran’s account.²

What Hazlewood Pays For

Hazlewood exempts tuition, mandatory fees, dues, and most required institutional charges at Texas public colleges and universities. It does not cover the full cost of attendance.¹

Costs Hazlewood does not cover:

Books and supplies
Living expenses, including room, board, and clothing
Student services fees
General deposit fees
Property deposits

Community colleges and technical institutes may charge fees for extraordinary costs tied to specific programs and can determine that Hazlewood does not apply to those fees.² The benefit can also be used for graduate programs, including law school and medical school, at Texas public institutions. Any unused hours from the 150-hour entitlement carry forward into graduate work.

Applying and Required Documentation

The veteran and the dependent both must register in the Texas Veterans Commission’s Hazlewood Student Hours Online database before applying. That system tracks hours used across institutions, and the student prints their usage record to submit with the application.⁵

The full packet goes to the financial aid or veterans affairs office at the Texas public institution. Applications must be resubmitted each academic year, and Legacy children need a fresh initial application every year to reconfirm the veteran’s authorization to transfer hours.¹

Standard documents include:

The signed Hazlewood Exemption Application⁶
The veteran’s legible DD-214
Proof of relationship (birth certificate, marriage certificate, adoption papers, or IRS tax transcript showing the dependent was claimed)
Certificate of Eligibility for federal GI Bill benefits from VA.gov, though this is not required for the veteran if their final discharge was before September 11, 2001
Texas residency documentation for the dependent

Dependents on the disabled, deceased, or MIA track submit additional paperwork. A 100-percent disabled veteran’s file needs a current VA disability rating decision letter issued within the past year. A death in service requires DD Form 1300 (Report of Casualty). A service-related death after discharge requires documentation tying the death to military service.⁶

Deadlines vary by school, and applying early matters. If your verification paperwork is delayed, submit a Deferment Request Form to postpone tuition charges for up to 60 days and avoid being dropped from classes.¹

1
Texas Veterans Commission. Hazlewood Act – Texas Education Benefit
2
Texas Veterans Commission. Hazlewood Act Policy Procedure Manual
3
State of Texas. Texas Education Code 54.341 – Veterans and Other Military Personnel; Dependents
4
Legal Information Institute. 40 Texas Admin Code 461.70 – Hazlewood Legacy Act Eligibility
5
Texas Veterans Commission. Hazlewood for Veterans and Students – TVC Hazlewood
6
Texas Veterans Commission. Texas Hazlewood Act Exemption Application Supporting Documentation Instructions