Dive Brief:
- Texas offers the country’s most generous benefits package to veterans looking to get a degree after serving, but the commitment is threatening to strain the state's budget.
- According to the Associated Press, the cost of providing the education benefits has increased seven times over since 2009 when the state allowed veterans’ spouses and children to claim the tuition and fee waivers.
- A provision that required veterans to have enlisted as Texas residents was deemed unconstitutional following a 2014 lawsuit and now, while it appeals the ruling, the state is worrying about what it can do for its own budget and the colleges that pay much of the price tag for the veterans benefit.
Dive Insight:
Texas is the only state that offers military spouses and children access to a free education thanks to a veteran’s service and, according to the AP, it is also home to the largest veteran population. While supporting veterans is always politically desirable, it seems like the 2009 pledge to offer such benefits in Texas was fiscally irresponsible. According to AP reporting, Texas State University is the state’s top educator of veterans and got about $1 million in state funding to cover a portion of the costs. It was responsible for the majority of them, however. While Texas State University advertises itself as being veteran-friendly, its budget, too, will likely strain under the weight of what amounts to a largely unfunded mandate from the state. And education institutions nationwide know how debilitating such mandates can be.