AN ACT to expand eligibility criteria for the opportunity scholarship grant program to children of veterans without requiring prior attendance in a north carolina public school and to waive income eligibility criteria for veterans with a service‑connected disability of ONE HUNDRED PERCENT.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑562.1(3) reads as rewritten:

(3)      Eligible students. – A student residing in North Carolina who has not yet received a high school diploma and who meets all of the following requirements:

a.         Meets one of the following criteria:

…

6.         Is a child whose parent or legal guardian (i) is on full‑time duty status in the active uniformed service of the United States, including members of the National Guard and Reserve on active duty orders pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 12301, et seq., and 10 U.S.C. § 12401, et seq.seq., or (ii) served on active duty, other than for training, in any component of the Armed Forces of the United States for a period of 180 days or more, unless released earlier because of service‑connected disability, and who was discharged or released from the Armed Forces of the United States under other than dishonorable conditions.

a1.       Has not enrolled in a postsecondary institution in a matriculated status eligible for enrollment for 12 hours of academic credit.

b.         Meets one of the following criteria:

1.         Resides in a household with an income level not in excess of one hundred fifty percent (150%) of the amount required for the student to qualify for the federal free or reduced‑price lunch program. The Authority shall not count any distribution from the estate of a decedent in calculating the income level of the applicant's household for the purposes of determining eligibility for a scholarship under this sub‑subdivision.sub‑sub‑subdivision.

2.         Is a child whose parent (i) served on active duty, other than for training, in any component of the Armed Forces of the United States for a period of 180 days or more, unless released earlier because of service‑connected disability, and who was discharged or released from the Armed Forces of the United States under other than dishonorable conditions and (ii) has, or had at the time of his or her death, a service‑connected disability of one hundred percent (100%) as rated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with applications submitted for scholarship grants for the 2022‑2023 school year.