§ 668 — Regents awards for children of deceased and disabled veterans

§ 668. Regents awards for children of deceased and disabled veterans.\n1. Period of military service. For a student to be eligible, the\nparent, or step-parent where the student is the dependent of the\nstep-parent, (i) must have been a recipient of the armed forces\nexpeditionary medal, the navy expeditionary medal or the marine corps\nexpeditionary medal for participation in operations in Lebanon from June\nfirst, nineteen hundred eighty-three to December first, nineteen hundred\neighty-seven, in Grenada from October twenty-third, nineteen hundred\neighty-three to November twenty-first, nineteen hundred eighty-three, or\nin Panama from December twentieth, nineteen hundred eighty-nine to\nJanuary thirty-first, nineteen hundred ninety, or (ii) must have served\non regular active duty (other than for training) in the armed forces of\nthe United States during part of one of the following periods:\n (a) April sixth, nineteen hundred seventeen to November eleven,\nnineteen hundred eighteen.\n (b) December seven, nineteen hundred forty-one to December thirty-one,\nnineteen hundred forty-six, or have been employed by the War Shipping\nAdministration or Office of Defense Transportation or their agents as a\nmerchant seaman documented by the United States Coast Guard or\nDepartment of Commerce, or as a civil servant employed by the United\nStates Army Transport Service (later redesignated as the United States\nArmy Transportation Corps, Water Division) or the Naval Transportation\nService; and who served satisfactorily as a crew member during the\nperiod of armed conflict, December seventh, nineteen hundred forty-one,\nto August fifteenth, nineteen hundred forty-five, aboard merchant\nvessels in oceangoing, i.e., foreign, intercoastal, or coastwise service\nas such terms are defined under federal law (46 USCA 10301 & 10501) and\nfurther to include "near foreign" voyages between the United States and\nCanada, Mexico, or the West Indies via ocean routes, or public vessels\nin oceangoing service or foreign waters and who has received a\nCertificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and a discharge\ncertificate, or an Honorable Service Certificate/Report of Casualty,\nfrom the Department of Defense or have served as a United States\ncivilian employed by the American Field Service and served overseas\nunder United States Armies and United States Army Groups in world war II\nduring the period of armed conflict, December seventh, nineteen hundred\nforty-one through May eighth, nineteen hundred forty-five, and who (i)\nwas discharged or released therefrom under honorable conditions, or (ii)\nhas a qualifying condition, as defined in section one of the veterans'\nservices law, and has received a discharge other than bad conduct or\ndishonorable from such service, or (iii) is a discharged LGBT veteran,\nas defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and has\nreceived a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such\nservice, or have served as a United States civilian Flight Crew and\nAviation Ground Support Employee of Pan American World Airways or one of\nits subsidiaries or its affiliates and served overseas as a result of\nPan American's contract with Air Transport Command or Naval Air\nTransport Service during the period of armed conflict, December\nfourteenth, nineteen hundred forty-one through August fourteenth,\nnineteen hundred forty-five, and who (iv) was discharged or released\ntherefrom under honorable conditions, or (v) has a qualifying condition,\nas defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and has\nreceived a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such\nservice, or (vi) is a discharged LGBT veteran, as defined in section one\nof the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge other than\nbad conduct or dishonorable from such service.\n (c) June twenty-seven, nineteen hundred fifty to January thirty-one,\nnineteen hundred fifty-five.\n (d) November first, nineteen hundred fifty-five to May seventh,\nnineteen hundred seventy-five.\n (e) August two, nineteen hundred ninety to the end of hostilities in\nthe Persian Gulf conflict.\n (f) From September eighteenth, two thousand one until the end of the\nUnited States military efforts in Afghanistan.\n (g) From October sixteenth, two thousand two until the end of the\nUnited States military efforts in Iraq.\n 2. Eligible groups. Awards shall be made to students each of whom has\na parent with such service, or a step-parent with such service where the\nstudent is the dependent of the step-parent even if the student's\nbiological parent is still living, who:\n (a) was a legal resident of New York state at the time of his or her\ndemise and who died or die while so serving, or as a result of injury or\nillness suffered or incurred during such military service; or\n * (b) (i) is an honorably discharged veteran of the United States or\nmember of the armed forces of the United States, or (ii) has a\nqualifying condition, as defined in section three hundred fifty of the\nexecutive law, and has received a discharge other than bad conduct or\ndishonorable from such service, or (iii) is a discharged LGBT veteran,\nas defined in section three hundred fifty of the executive law, and has\nreceived a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such\nservice, who is a resident of the state of New York, and who has a\ncurrent disability of forty percent or more as a result of an injury or\nillness which is incurred or was incurred during such military service;\nor\n * NB Effective until April 1, 2023\n * (b) (i) is an honorably discharged veteran of the United States or\nmember of the armed forces of the United States, or (ii) has a\nqualifying condition, as defined in section one of the veterans'\nservices law, and has received a discharge other than bad conduct or\ndishonorable from such service, or (iii) is a discharged LGBT veteran,\nas defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and has\nreceived a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such\nservice, who is a resident of the state of New York, and who has a\ncurrent disability of forty percent or more as a result of an injury or\nillness which is incurred or was incurred during such military service;\nor\n * NB Effective April 1, 2023\n (c) is now deceased, who was a resident of this state at the time of\nhis or her demise, and who at the time of his or her demise had a\ndisability to a degree of forty percent or more as a result of an injury\nor illness which was incurred during such military service; or\n (d) is classified as a former prisoner of war, or as missing in\naction, who has been so classified by the United States department of\ndefense, and who is a resident of the state of New York if a former\nprisoner of war or was a resident of the state of New York when\nclassified as missing in action.\n 3. Determinations of disability. Determinations concerning disability\nor death by the United States Administrator of Veterans Affairs or the\nseparate branches of the armed forces of the United States shall be\nconclusive.\n 4. Amount and duration. Every recipient shall receive an annual award\nof four hundred fifty dollars for each of not more than four academic\nyears, or five academic years if the recipient is enrolled in a program\nnormally requiring five years, as defined by the commissioner, pursuant\nto article thirteen.\n