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Committee hears bipartisan support for expanding veterans dependent tuition waiver to age 31
Summary
Witnesses told the Senate Committee on Veterans, Emergency Management, Federal and World Affairs that House Bill 3920 would raise the maximum eligible age for Oregon's veterans' dependent tuition waiver from 23 to 31, remove a one-year time limit for master's degree waiver applications, and retain the program's last-dollar structure.
Representative Thuy Tran, a member of the Oregon House representing House District 45, opened public testimony in support of House Bill 3920, saying the measure “honors the service and sacrifices made by Oregon's veterans and their families, removing barriers and empowering the children of disabled or deceased service members to access higher education and advanced career opportunities.”
The bill would raise the maximum eligible age for specified tuition waivers from 23 to 31 for those eligible for the Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance program (chapter 35) and would remove the one-year time limit for eligible dependents to apply for a waiver for a master's degree after earning a bachelor's degree. Tran told the committee the change aligns Oregon law with recent federal updates and “recognize[s] delays in processing and recognize[s] that children pursue education at different paces.”
Nut graf: Supporters said HB 3920 updates Oregon's veterans dependent tuition waiver to match federal changes and removes confusion about graduate-degree eligibility while keeping the program a last-dollar benefit — meaning tuition is waived only after federal, state and institutional aid are applied.
State Senator Mark Meek spoke in support, saying the bill “recognizes that not every student's path to higher education is linear or predictable.” Meek added that raising the eligibility age “keeps these educational opportunities available for when those students are ready to take that next step.”
Colin Ledford, legislative aide to Representative Tran and a constituent of Northeast Portland, gave personal testimony describing how federal and state grants made college possible for him and how his family’s delayed federal processing created a later eligibility window. Ledford said he received a certificate of eligibility for federal chapter 35 benefits after his father's VA disability rating was raised to 100 percent and urged the committee to remove age-based barriers that can disadvantage students whose families face lengthy VA processing.
Retired Master Sergeant Laurie Kimmel testified in favor of the bill and suggested minor readability edits to statutory language, including inserting “medical evaluation board” in one line and clarifying the phrase “disabled as a result of military, a service connected disability.”
Witnesses and sponsors emphasized fiscal restraint: the bill retains the existing last-dollar approach and supporters said the fiscal impact should be minimal. Representative Tran noted the bill “passes the house unanimously” and earlier cleared the House Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee on a unanimous basis.
Discussion recorded in the meeting focused on the change to age 31. Representative Tran said the age was chosen after anecdotal evidence and case examples of dependents receiving chapter 35 certification in their late 20s and early 30s, and to “rein in costs a little bit.” The bill text also contains a provision that if an individual already has chapter 35 benefits that permit waiver, they may receive the waiver regardless of age.
Ending: The committee heard no opposing testimony at the public testimony segment and closed public testimony on HB 3920 before moving to work-session items. The transcript does not record a committee vote on HB 3920 at this meeting; supporters urged the committee to advance the measure.
