As Virginia budget hangs in the balance, veterans worried about future of program that helps their kids go to college

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — As the Virginia budget hangs in limbo , so too do military veterans across the Commonwealth.

That’s because one of the things Democrats and Republicans differ on is how a program designed to help the kids of disabled military veterans go to college should be run.

The program, which is called the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Program (VMSDEP), currently allows the children and spouses of military veterans who are more than 90% disabled to have their tuition waived for up to eight semesters at a public college or university in Virginia.

Harrisonburg resident Patrick Fritz, who was injured while serving in the United States Navy, has a daughter who currently attends James Madison University and a son who is headed to Christopher Newport University in the fall.

“There is absolutely no way they would be able to afford to go to university without this program,” Fritz told 8News.

In the budget originally passed by the General Assembly, changes were proposed to the program that could have required families to pay out-of-pocket before using the program. Governor Glenn Youngkin later stripped that language for the budget, but with lawmakers unable to reach a deal last month, the future of the program remains in doubt.

“I want them to look at the children of these service members and say ‘Sorry, we just don’t feel that that sacrifice is worth it,’” said Fritz.

Lawmakers are set to return to Richmond on May 13 to reveal a compromise budget that should provide answers for these families.

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