Student Veteran Helps Advocacy Efforts for Tuition Assistance Benefits for All Veterans
Left to right are: Gary Hughes, Chair of the Schenectady County Legislature; Cheyenne Lovell, Director of the Schenectady County Veterans Service Agency; New York State Assemblymembers Angelo Santabarbara and Patricia Fahy; Dr. Steady Moono, President of SUNY Schenectady; Student Veteran Wesley Rush, Business Administration major; Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy; and Student Veteran Parsram Pernanand, Business Administration major.
New York State Assemblymembers Patricia Fahy and Angelo Santabarbara, veteran of the U.S. Army Reserve, were on campus, joined by SUNY Schenectady students and elected officials as part of a statewide day of action urging Governor Kathy Hochul to sign legislation (A.9205-A/ S.8596-A) that extends tuition assistance benefits to all veterans in New York State.
The state prohibits veterans who served but were not deployed to an active combat zone from accessing Veteran Tuition Assistance (VTA). Current policy creates an arbitrary distinction based on whether a veteran was deployed to a combat zone, which is often beyond the individual’s control. This exclusion fails to recognize that every veteran who raised their hand did so with the full intention of serving in combat if called upon. This bill corrects this policy inequity in New York State and ensures that all veterans are recognized equally for their willingness to serve.
Student Veterans Wesley Rush and Parsram Pernanand with Anna Westerman, Academic Advisor II/VA Certifying Official, Assemblymember Patricia Fahy, and Ann Fleming Brown, Chair of the Board of Trustees.
Wesley Rush, a Business Administration major, served in the U.S. Army from 2012 to 2016. Wesley began taking classes at SUNY Schenectady in Fall 2023 and expects to graduate from with his A.S. degree in December 2024.
“Giving tuition assistance to all veterans is a plus," he said. "As a service member, I missed deployment by a day, but unfortunately this means I don’t meet the criteria for veterans tuition assistance. This legislation creates an equal opportunity for all veterans.”
VTA is not the state’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), but can complement other higher education support, including TAP, which saw an historic expansion this year, FAFSA, and federal GI benefits. It also is critical in circumstances when a veteran may not be able to access other types of financial assistance or other assistance runs out. VTA also may replace TAP in some instances. If a SUNY student applies for VTA, they will receive VTA and not TAP because VTA covers SUNY Tuition. If they’re attending a non-SUNY, VTA is applied first, then TAP. Pell is not duplicative and does not affect either. There may be some instances where any increased cost due to expanding the VTA eligibility will be offset by reducing the amount of TAP awards made to those same students who otherwise would receive TAP.
“I appreciate the important work that Assemblymembers Patricia Fahy and Angelo Santabarbara are doing to ensure that all veterans have access to tuition assistance so that they can pursue their dreams of higher education,” said Dr. Steady Moono, President of SUNY Schenectady. “This is a significant way in which we can continue to eliminate barriers for all who served so that they can attend college and achieve their goals.”