Indiana pays tuition for children of veterans with disabilities

In 1965, John Tilford was a young Marine playing a pick-up basketball game on the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. Not far along into the scrimmage, Tilford was accidentally hit on his left eyebrow by another player's elbow. \nHe received six stitches and, not thinking much of his injury, quickly rejoined the game. Thirty years later, the scar that had been nothing more than an annoyance ended up paying for most of his son's college tuition at IU.\nSitting in the Veteran's Affairs Office, 119 W. 7th St., Tilford told his story with a grin. \n"Because that scar is on a visible part of my body, I have a zero percent disability rating," he said.\nEven though zero percent doesn't sound like much, for a veteran with a disability it means a chance for his or her child to attend college free of charge.\nAlthough most states have some form of benefits for veterans with disabilities, Indiana is the only state to provide tuition reimbursement for the children of veterans with disabilities. To qualify for these benefits, prospective students must meet a few criteria.\nThey must be a resident of the state of Indiana, and have a parent who was disabled in a war. The record of that disability must be on file with the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs.\nAlternately, they must have a parent who won the Purple Heart or was held as a prisoner of war.\nThe tuition reimbursement does not cover out-of-state colleges or universities, only state-supported institutions. And not every injury sustained by a veteran is considered a disability. It is up to the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs to determine whether an injury suffered during active duty can be considered a disability.\nBill Jackson, director of the Indiana Department of Veteran's Affairs, said the program was instituted by Indiana in 1935.\n"It came about when the legislature began to realize that wounded veterans from World War I didn't have the full earning power to provide for their families."\nOther states haven't instituted a similar policy for children of veterans with disabilities.\n"I can't speak for every state government, but I think there are two main reasons," Jackson said. "Either no one lobbied hard enough for it, or the state legislature didn't want to appropriate funds to cover it."\nUntil this year, individuals who qualified for the tuition benefit still had to pay other university fees, such as the health center and computer fee. But that changed after Jackson and Lt. Gov. Joe Kernan, a former Vietnam POW, lobbied the Indiana General Assembly to support a law that would mandate state-supported universities to cover 100 percent of tuition and fees.\nJackson estimated about 2,500 students are approved every year for these benefits and that there are currently 6,000 students attending college with the aid of this program.\nToday, Tilford is the Monroe County Veterans Service officer and the scar above his left eyebrow is barely visible. Tilford said he believes not enough young people are aware of the tuition reimbursement benefit and that getting the word out could save many students years of financial debt. With the semester drawing to a close, Tilford said students can still go to a financial aid office with proof they are the child of a veteran with a disability and be reimbursed for the past semester.\nFor more information, visit www.state.in.us/veteran/brochure.html.