Hazelwood Act

Veterans who have education benefits must submit certification of their military service (DD214). Those who have depleted their VA educational benefits and are Texas residents may qualify for Hazelwood Act benefits. Veterans must have been residents of Texas at the time of entry into the military and currently must be residents of Texas. All active duty Service members planning to use tuition assistance should contact their ESO or counselor within your specific branch prior to enrolling at UTHealth Houston. Please call the Office of the Registrar at 713-500-3361 for additional requirements and information.

Who can apply for the Hazelwood Act?

Individuals who:

• Are Texas residents or those veterans who declared Texas as their home of record, or entered the service in Texas (even if they were not Texas residents at time of entry).
• Spouses and children of veterans of Armed Forces, Texas National Guard or Air National Guard members who were killed or died while serving, MIA, or became disabled, etc. (Spouses and children must be Texas residents for the term or semester for which they use the benefit).
• Have served at least 181 days of active military duty, as indicated as "net active service" (the sum of 12(c) and 12(d)) on the DD214)
• Have received an honorable discharge or separation or a general discharge under honorable conditions
• Veterans may transfer their unused Hazlewood hours (up to 150) to qualifying children. Eligible child must be a Texas resident and 25 years or younger, and make satisfactory academic progress.
• Are not in default on a federal education loan or a student loan made or guaranteed by the State of Texas; and
• Enroll in classes for which the college receives tax support (i.e., a course that does not depend solely on student tuition and fees to cover its costs), unless the college’s governing board has ruled to let veterans receive the benefit while taking non-funded courses.

The benefit may not be used for correspondence courses unless the courses are part of the student's degree plan.

To date, legislation has NOT been introduced to open the program to veterans from other states. For more detailed information about the Hazlewood Act, contact the Registrar's Office. Detailed information about the Hazlewood Act can be found at https://www.tvc.texas.gov/education/hazlewood/.

For assistance please contact:

Winston Matranga
VA/Hazlewood Coordinator
713-500-3351
winston.matranga@uth.tmc.edu 

National Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255