45.20 Tuition reimbursement.

(1) Definitions. In this section:

(a) “Institution of higher education" has the meaning given in 20 USC 1001 (a).

(c) “Part-time classroom study" means any of the following:

1. Enrollment in courses for which no more than 11 semester or the equivalent trimester or quarter credits will be given upon satisfactory completion.

2. Enrollment in courses during a summer semester or session.

(d) “Tuition," when referring to the University of Wisconsin System, means academic fees and segregated fees; when referring to the technical colleges, means “program fees" and “additional fees" as described in s. 38.24 (1m) and (1s); and when referring to a high school, a school that is approved under s. 45.03 (11), or a proprietary school that is approved under s. 440.52, means the charge for the courses for which a person is enrolled.

(2) Tuition reimbursement program.

(a) Administration.

1. The department shall administer a tuition reimbursement program for eligible veterans enrolling as undergraduates in any institution of higher education in this state, enrolling in a school that is approved under s. 45.03 (11), enrolling in a proprietary school that is approved under s. 440.52, enrolling in a public or private high school, enrolling in a tribal school, as defined in s. 115.001 (15m), in any grade from 9 to 12, or receiving a waiver of nonresident tuition under s. 39.47.

2. A veteran who is a resident of this state and otherwise qualified to receive benefits under this subsection may receive the benefits under this subsection upon the completion of any correspondence courses or part-time classroom study from an institution of higher education located outside this state, from a school that is approved under s. 45.03 (11), or from a proprietary school that is approved under s. 440.52, if any of the following applies:

a. The part-time classroom study is not offered within 50 miles of the veteran's residence by any school or institution under this paragraph and the educational institution from which the study is offered is located not more than 50 miles from the boundary line of this state.

b. The correspondence course is not offered in this state.

(b) Eligibility.

1. A veteran is eligible for the tuition reimbursement program if he or she meets all of the following criteria:

a. The annual income of the veteran and his or her spouse does not exceed $50,000 plus $1,000 for each dependent in excess of 2 dependents.

c. The veteran is a resident at the time of application for the program and was a Wisconsin resident at the time of entry into service or was a resident for any consecutive 12-month period after entry into service and before the date of his or her application. If a person applying for a benefit under this subsection meets the residency requirement of 12 consecutive months, the department may not require the person to reestablish that he or she meets that residency requirement when he or she later applies for any other benefit under this chapter that requires that residency.

2. In determining eligibility under this subsection, the department shall verify all reported income amounts.

3. A veteran is not eligible under this program if the veteran has an undergraduate degree from any institution of higher education.

(c) Program benefits.

1. A veteran who meets the eligibility requirements under par. (b) 1. may be reimbursed upon satisfactory completion of an undergraduate semester in any institution of higher education in this state, or upon satisfactory completion of a course at any school that is approved under s. 45.03 (11), any proprietary school that is approved under s. 440.52, any public or private high school, any tribal school, as defined in s. 115.001 (15m), that operates any grade from 9 to 12, or any institution from which the veteran receives a waiver of nonresident tuition under s. 39.47. Except as provided in par. (e), the amount of reimbursement may not exceed the total cost of the veteran's tuition minus any grants or scholarships that the veteran receives specifically for the payment of the tuition, or, if the tuition is for an undergraduate semester in any institution of higher education, the standard cost of tuition for a state resident for an equivalent undergraduate semester at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, whichever is less.

2. An application for reimbursement of tuition under this subsection shall meet all of the following requirements:

a. Be completed and received by the department in a time limit set by administrative rule.

b. Contain the information necessary to establish eligibility as determined by the department.

c. Be on the application form established by the department.

d. Contain the signatures of both the applicant and a representative of the institution or school certifying that the applicant has satisfactorily completed the semester.

3. Reimbursement provided under this subsection shall be paid from the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (tf). If the amount of funds applied for exceeds the amount available under s. 20.485 (2) (tf), the department may reduce the reimbursement percentage, except to disabled veterans who are eligible for 100 percent of tuition and fees under par. (e), or deny applications for reimbursement that would otherwise qualify under this subsection. In those cases, the department shall determine the reimbursement percentage, except to disabled veterans who are eligible for 100 percent of tuition and fees under par. (e), and eligibility on the basis of the dates on which applications for reimbursement were received.

4. Reimbursement of tuition and fees for a course may be provided at an institution or school under this paragraph other than the one from which the veteran is receiving his or her degree or certificate of graduation or course completion if all of the following apply:

a. The curriculum at the institution or school consists only of courses necessary to complete a degree in a particular course of study.

b. The course is accepted as transfer credits at the institution or school listed under this paragraph from which the veteran is receiving his or her degree but is not available at that institution or school.

(d) Limitations.

1. Subject to subd. 1m., a veteran's eligibility for reimbursement under this subsection at any institution of higher education in this state, at a school that is approved under s. 45.03 (11), at a proprietary school that is approved under s. 440.52, at a public or private high school, at a tribal school, as defined in s. 115.001 (15m), that operates any grade from 9 to 12, or at an institution where he or she is receiving a waiver of nonresident tuition under s. 39.47 is limited to the following:

a. If the veteran served on active duty, except service on active duty for training purposes, for 90 to 180 days, the veteran may be reimbursed for a maximum of 30 credits or 2 semesters, or an equivalent amount of credits or semesters if at a school other than an institution of higher education.

b. If the veteran served on active duty, except service on active duty for training purposes, for 181 to 730 days, the veteran may be reimbursed for a maximum of 60 credits or 4 semesters, or an equivalent amount of credits or semesters if at a school other than an institution of higher education.

c. If the veteran served on active duty, except service on active duty for training purposes, for more than 730 days, the veteran may be reimbursed for a maximum of 120 credits or 8 semesters, or an equivalent amount of credits or semesters if at a school other than an institution of higher education.

1m. For courses begun later than 10 years after the veteran's separation from the service, a veteran may not be reimbursed for more than 60 of the credits to which the veteran's eligibility is limited under subd. 1. and may not be reimbursed for more than 11 semester credits or equivalent trimester or quarter credits for any semester or session, other than a summer semester or session, regardless of the number of credits taken during that semester or session.

2. The department may provide reimbursement under this subsection to a veteran who is delinquent in child support or maintenance payments or who owes past support, medical expenses or birth expenses, as established by appearance of the veteran's name on the statewide support lien docket under s. 49.854 (2) (b), only if the veteran provides the department with one of the following:

a. A repayment agreement that the veteran has entered into, that has been accepted by the county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) and that has been kept current for the 6-month period immediately preceding the date of the application.

b. A statement that the veteran is not delinquent in child support or maintenance payments and does not owe past support, medical expenses or birth expenses, signed by the department of children and families or its designee within 7 working days before the date of the application.

3. A veteran may not receive reimbursement under this subsection for any semester in which he or she is eligible for or received a grant under s. 321.40 or under 10 USC 2007.

4. A veteran may not receive reimbursement under this subsection for any semester in which the veteran fails to receive at least a 2.0 grade point average or an average grade of “C".

(e) Disabled veteran eligibility. A disabled veteran who meets the requirements under this subsection and whose disability is rated at 30 percent or more under 38 USC 1114 or 1134 may be reimbursed for up to 100 percent of the cost of tuition and fees, but that reimbursement is limited to 100 percent of the standard cost for a state resident for tuition and fees for an equivalent undergraduate course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison per course if the tuition and fees are for an undergraduate semester in any institution of higher education.

History: 2005 a. 22, 25; 2007 a. 20, 200; 2009 a. 28, 297, 302; 2011 a. 32, 260; 2017 a. 59.