Provides college tuition for children of deceased or severely disabled vets

May 12, 2014 at 12:05a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

July 1 is the deadline to apply for benefits under the Ohio War Orphans Scholarship Program that provides college-tuition assistance to children of deceased or severely disabled Ohio veterans who served in the armed forces during a period of declared war or conflict.

In 2013, the program expanded eligibility to children of veterans who received the Armed Force Expeditionary Medal for service in Panama, Grenada and Lebanon.

Hundreds of Ohio college students, including 78 in Mahoning County, are receiving benefits under the program.

To receive benefits, a student must be enrolled for full-time undergraduate study and be pursuing an associate or bachelor’s degree at an eligible Ohio college or university. Applicants must be Ohio residents and under 25, said Jeff Robinson, director of communications for the Ohio Board of Regents.

Scholarship benefits cover nearly all of the instructional and general fee charges at two- and four-year public institutions and a smaller portion of those charges at private colleges and universities.

For the 2013-14 academic year, the amount of the War Orphans Scholarship is 93 percent of tuition and general fees for recipients attending public universities and community colleges and $6,628 for those attending independent nonprofit and for-profit private institutions, Robinson said.

Benefit recipients must attend school full-time, and prior recipients must have at least a cumulative 2.0 grade-point average.

The Ohio War Orphans Scholarship Board meets annually, usually in July, when it establishes benefits and selects recipients for the next school year. Applicants and schools are notified of their status by the end of July or in early August, said Robinson.

Applications are available online and from the Ohio Board of Regents/State Grants and Scholarships Department, high-school guidance offices, veterans service offices and college financial-aid offices.

For information about the Ohio War Orphan Scholarship Program visit www.ohiohighered.org/ohio-war-orphans.

To find a scholarship application, visit www.ohiohighered.org/sites/ohiohighered.org/files/uploads/sgs/war-orphans/war-orphans-scholarship_072213.pdf.

Veterans Service Commissions in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties can help with the application process. They are:

Columbiana County Veterans Service Commission, 7989 Dickey Drive, Suite 1, Lisbon. Phone: 330-424-7214.

Mahoning County Veterans Service Commission, 345 Oakhill Ave., Suite 100, Youngstown. Phone: 330-740-2451, ext. 8390.

Trumbull County Veterans Service Commission, 280 N. Park Ave., Suite 201, Warren. Phone: 330-675-2585 or 330-675-2586.