Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 11, August 30, 2024
(1)
Academic Qualifications and Satisfactory Progress of Eligible Students: A
student is considered academically qualified if he/she is currently enrolled
and matriculated, or has been enrolled in an eligible program of an eligible
institution, and is maintaining, or did maintain, satisfactory progress in a
course of study he or she is or was pursuing according to the standards and
practices of the institution in which the student is or was in attendance. A
participating institution must check whatever elements of its satisfactory
progress standards are applicable for each payment period.
(2) Board: Tuition Eligibility
Board.
(3) Educational Grant: A
grant is defined as a financial award by the state of Alabama to a Police
Officer's and Firefighter's Survivor's Educational Assistance Program applicant
who is designated to be an eligible student who was enrolled in, or is enrolled
in, or accepted for enrollment, in an eligible institution, and is to be
awarded to the student to defray direct educational-related expenses: tuition,
and mandatory fees as stated in the institution's catalog, plus the cost of
books and supplies.
(4) Cost of
Education: The cost of education is defined as the cost of instruction and fees
to the student, as stated in the institution's catalog, plus the cost of books
and supplies.
(5) Eligible
Institution: An eligible institution is a public postsecondary educational
institution -- a state college, state community college, state junior college,
state technical college, or state university -- in the state of Alabama and
which submits a complete application to the Police Officer's and Firefighter's
Survivor's Educational Assistance Program for grant assistance to its students
and complies with all regulations of the Alabama Commission on Higher
Education.
(6) Eligible Program: An
eligible program is any program leading to a diploma, certificate, or
undergraduate degree in a state college, state community college, state junior
college, state technical college, or state university, in the State of
Alabama.
(7) Eligible Student: An
eligible student is an applicant who completes a Police Officer's and
Firefighter's Survivor's Educational Assistance Program application, and
(a) Is classified as an undergraduate student
as defined in .04(15);
(b) Is
enrolled or accepted for enrollment, or was enrolled, in an eligible program
within an eligible institution for a minimum of 6 semester/quarter hour per
academic term;
(c) Is making
satisfactory academic progress as defined by the eligible institution and
consistent with guidelines applicable to Title IV programs at the institution
or institutions;
(d) Is the
dependent child, or spouse who has not remarried of a full-time law enforcement
officer or firefighter employed by the State, by any county, or by any
municipality, and any volunteer firefighter, as defined, or rescue squad
members, as defined and killed or totally and permanently disabled in the line
of duty.
1. Volunteer Firefighter - any person
who meets all requirements set forth by his or her department, as attested by
the chief of that department, and who is any of the following: a member of a
certified volunteer fire department as provided in Code of Ala.
1975, Section
9-3-17;
a volunteer firefighter of a fire department of an incorporated municipality; a
volunteer firefighter of a fire district established pursuant to state
law.
2. Rescue Squad Member - A
member of an organized rescue squad of a city, town, county, or other
subdivision of the state or of a public corporation, organized for the purpose
of providing, within the scope of his or her practice: First aid, treatment or
transport of the sick or injured; rescue or recovery operations at incidents of
drowning; search and rescue of individuals lost or incapable of self-rescue; or
any other emergency or non-emergency incident where the services provided by
the rescue squad are deemed necessary for incident stabilization. The term
includes all commanders, officers, and member of organized rescue squads that
are members of the Alabama Association of Rescue Squads.
(e) Dependent Children qualifying categories:
1. Natural born children of deceased
firefighters, police officers, volunteer firefighters and rescue squad members
who are under 21 at the time of death.
2. Adopted children of deceased firefighters,
police officers, volunteer firefighters and rescue squad members who are under
21 at the time of death.
3. Natural
born children of totally disabled firefighters, police officers, volunteer
firefighters and rescue squad members who are under 21 at the time total
disability is established.
4.
Adopted children of totally disabled firefighters, police officers, volunteer
firefighters and rescue squad members who are under 21 at the time permanent
disability is established. In order to receive benefits, an adopted dependent
of totally disabled firefighter, police officer, volunteer firefighter and
rescue squad member shall have been adopted and resided in the household for at
least five years prior to enrollment in undergraduate study.
(f) If a spouse, the applicant
must not have remarried and must enroll in an eligible program of an eligible
institution within five years of the death or total and permanent disability of
a law enforcement officer, firefighter as defined, or rescue squad member, as
defined or within five years from October 1, 2000 for persons whose spouses
became totally and permanently disabled in the line of duty on or after July
23, 1987.
(8) False
Statement or Misrepresentation: Any person who knowingly makes or furnishes any
false statement or misrepresentation knowing the same to be false, for the
purpose of enabling an individual or institution to obtain monies wrongfully
under this program, shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor, and upon
conviction thereof, shall be subject to a fine or to imprisonment, or to both,
as such misdemeanor is defined in Act No. 607, S.33 of the 1977 Regular Session
(Acts 1977, No. 11, p. 812).
(9)
Matriculated Status of Eligible Students:
(a)
To be eligible for a Police Officer's and Firefighter's Survivor's Educational
Assistance program grant, a student must be or have been in a "matriculated
status" in an eligible program leading to a diploma, certificate, or
undergraduate degree in an eligible institution. For purposes of the Police
Officer's and Firefighter's Survivor's Educational Assistance program, a
student shall be considered in "matriculated status" if he or she is enrolled,
or has been enrolled, in an appropriate diploma, certificate, or degree
program.
(b) A student is to be
considered matriculated and eligible only if the courses pursued by the student
are fully recognized as contributing toward fulfillment by the students of the
requirements for completion of the program. That the student may be required,
or has been required, to complete certain courses to make up deficiencies in
background or training does not necessarily negate the student's status as a
recognized certificate, diploma, or degree candidate, so long as acceptance and
credit are not contingent upon additional and special requirements designed to
establish his/her qualifications to pursue the program successfully. If credit
toward the certificate, diploma, or degree is conditional upon satisfactory
completion of additional special requirements, then the student must be
considered not fully matriculated and ineligible for assistance during his/her
present program of study.
(c) A
student who meets all eligibility requirements for the Police Officer's and
Firefighter's Survivor's Educational Assistance Program and who is, or has
been, permitted to enroll in an eligible institution or an early admission
basis is eligible to receive an educational grant provided he/she meets all
other matriculated status criteria of these procedures.
(10) Public Institution of Higher Education.
A public institution of higher education is an educational institution which,
(a) Is in Alabama;
(b) Admits as regular students only persons
who have a high school diploma or have the recognized equivalent of a high
school diploma, or are beyond the age of compulsory school attendance, and have
the ability to benefit from the training offered;
(c) Is legally authorized to provide an
educational program beyond secondary education;
(d) Provides an educational program for which
it awards an associate or baccalaureate degree, or provides at least a two-year
program which is acceptable for full credit toward a baccalaureate degree, or
provides at least a one-year training program which leads to a certificate or
diploma and prepares students for gainful employment in a recognized
occupation;
(e) Is accredited by a
nationally-recognized accrediting agency or association or, if not accredited,
is an institution whose credits are determined to be accepted on transfer by at
least three accredited institutions on the same basis as transfer credits from
fully accredited institutions.
(11) Refund Policies and Procedures.
(a) If a student transfers, or becomes
ineligible for an educational grant, prior to the delivery of program funds to
the student, the institutional financial aid administrator will not disburse
Police Officer's and Firefighter's Survivor's Educational Assistance Program
funds to the student.
(b) If a
student withdraws from school or reduces his/her course load after receiving
Police Officer's and Firefighter's Survivor's Educational Assistance program
funds, but before the end of the academic term or terms, and is not entitled to
a refund in accordance with the institution's refund policy, the Police and
Firefighter's Survivor's Educational Assistance Program will not require a
refund of any portion of the educational grant which was utilized by the
student toward payment of the institution's net charges to the student for the
period of actual attendance. However, if an educational grant award payment to
the student exceeds the amount of the educational costs of the student, the
institution must return to the Police Officer's and Firefighter's Survivor's
Educational Assistance Program the refund amount and the institution must
maintain with the student's records documentation listing (a) the date the
student withdrew, (b) the net institutional charges to the student for the
period of the student's attendance, (c) the amount of the student's educational
grant award, and (d) the amount of refund due the Police Officer's and
Firefighter's Survivor's Educational Assistance Program.
(12) Student Application Procedure: Each
applicant for a Police Officer's and Firefighter's Survivor's Educational
Assistance Program grant must submit to the Alabama Commission on Higher
Education a Police Officer's and Firefighter's Survivor's Educational
Assistance Program student application. Completed applications will be
forwarded to the Tuition Eligibility Board for review and certification of
eligibility.
(13) Transfer Student:
Each Police Officer's and Firefighter's Survivor's Educational Assistance
Program award is made on the basis of the student applicant's attending the
postsecondary educational institution listed on his/her student application
form. An award recipient who elects to transfer to another educational
institution may apply for a new award in accordance with the student
application procedure. The original application will be cancelled
automatically, unless the student has met the student eligibility requirements
for receipt of funds for attendance at that institution. A Police Officer's and
Firefighter's Survivor's Educational Assistance Program award is not
transferable from one institution to another.
(14) Tuition: Tuition is defined as the cost
of instruction and fees to the student as stated in the institution's catalog,
plus the cost of books and supplies.
(15) Undergraduate Student: An undergraduate
student is defined as a person who is or was enrolled in an eligible program at
an eligible institution and has not earned a baccalaureate or professional
degree. Students who have previously earned a baccalaureate or professional
degree, even though they may be enrolled in an undergraduate course of study,
are not eligible for a Police Officer's and Firefighter's Survivor's
Educational Assistance Program grant.
(16) Full-time Student: A full-time student
is an enrolled student who is carrying a full-time academic workload which
amounts to the equivalent of a minimum of 12 semester hours or 12 quarter hours
per academic term.
(17) Half-time
Student: A half-time student is an enrolled student who is carrying a half-time
academic workload which amounts to the equivalent of a minimum of 6 semester
hours or 6 quarter hours per academic term.
Author: Dr. William H. Wall
Statutory Authority:
Code of Ala.
1975, Act 87-609.
