WASHINGTON – The U.S. Coast Guard announced that tuition assistance is reinstated for the remainder of fiscal 2013 but with revised eligibility requirements.
The Coast Guard revised eligibility requirements for members seeking assistance in order to ensure the $4.6 million set aside for the program is enough to sustain it to the end of the fiscal year.
The new requirements for eligibility include the member must be on active duty at the rank of petty officer 1st class or below and pursuing undergraduate courses, only. Reservist members on extended active duty also qualify. For eligible members, benefits are restored to pre-suspension levels of $250 per individual credit hour and an annual cap of $4500.
The U.S. Coast Guard has averaged nearly 10,000 enrollees a year for the last three years and expected around the same number this year. 7,000 members had participated this year prior to suspension.
The Coast Guard joins the other military services in reinstating tuition assistance after an amendment to the Appropriations Bill directed all military services to do so. The initial decision to suspend tuition assistance was a result of the service's attempt to meet the provisions of the Budget Control Act.
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