SB178 Alabama 2023 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Clyde ChamblissSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2023

Title

R

Summary

SB178 expands Alabama’s educational benefits to include spouses of service members killed on state active duty or who die within three years of an on-duty injury, with Caps and eligibility rules to govern use.

What This Bill Does

The bill amends the state veterans education benefit program to cover spouses of those killed on state active duty or who die within three years of an on-duty injury. It sets a maximum of five standard academic years (up to 45 months) of training, must be completed within eight years, and allows one change of program without counseling. It also introduces age-based and school-type caps, including undergraduate-only limits for initial applicants and tuition/fees restrictions, with special rules for private schools; remarriage rules affect eligibility and tuition responsibility.

Who It Affects

• Spouses or widows of Alabama service members who were killed on state active duty, who died from a service-connected disability, or who died on state active duty or within three years of an on-duty injury, making them eligible for state education benefits under the revised rules.
• Spouses who remarry before applying for benefits (or who remarry during attendance) are either ineligible or must pay tuition and fees from the time of remarriage, reducing or removing benefit access.

Key Provisions

• Expands eligibility to include spouses of those killed on state active duty or whose death occurs within three years of an injury sustained while on state active duty.
• Defines eligible categories: death in line of duty/missing in action/POW, death from a service-connected disability, death on state active duty or within three years of such injury, or 100% permanently and totally disabled service-connected.
• Provides five standard academic years (up to 45 months) of training, not to exceed eight years to complete, with one change of program allowed without counseling.
• Starting with first filing for benefits on/after July 31, 2017 and for private schools, benefits include tuition reimbursement and books/fees; tuition per semester hour capped at the DoD Tuition Assistance cap; books/fees reimbursement limited to $1,000 per student.
• For first filing beginning with Fall 2014-2015, benefits are limited to undergraduate courses and in-state tuition rates; later changes apply to initial filings after 2017.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Department of Veterans Affairs; additional benefits for spouses of those who were killed while on state active duty status