Dig Deeper Texas

Texas Civil Rights Review - Veterans Challenge Citizenship Exclusion to Education Benefits

Plaintiffs Raul Dominguez of Potter County and Naser Alzer of Travis County were both legal residents of Texas when they joined the military, but were not citizens. Because of a 2005 ruling by the Texas Attorney General, they have been excluded from claiming education benefits under the Hazlewood Act.

The change of policy was prompted by a letter from the Chair of the Texas Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs Leticia Van de Putte. In the Jan. 10, 2005 letter to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, Sen. Van de Putte questioned the practice of higher education authorities who regarded veterans as eligible for Hazlewood benefits if they had 12-months of residency in Texas prior to military service.

I wonder what prompted Van de Putte to question this policy. How many people were affected and how much was it costing the state? It’s hard to imagine numbers big enough that would off-set the benefits the state receives from having a better educated work force.

Technorati Tags: American G.I. Fuorum, Raul Dominguez, Naser Alzer, Hazlewood Act, Leticia Van De Putte

Filed under: American G.I. Forum, Hazlewood Act, Leticia Van de Putte, Naser Alzer, Raul Dominguez