| This memorandum supersedes the Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Force Management Policy memorandum, same subject,
dated April 4, 2000.
DoD Directive
1322.8, Voluntary Education Programs for Military
Personnel,
establishes that tuition assistance shall be provided for
service members and that the
amount of support available to each service member shall be uniform across the Military
Services. In accordance with this Directive, the following provisions are established as
Department-wide policy:
1. In support of the voluntary education and training of active duty service
members during their off-duty periods, each Service shall pay all or a portion,
as specified below, of the charges of an educational institution for the tuition
and expenses of that Service's members enrolled in such educational institution
for education and training during the members' off-duty periods.
(a.) When an institution's charges
are $250 or less per semester-hour of credit, or equivalent, the
responsible Service shall pay all of the amount charged by the
institution. (In computing credit equivalency the following
conversitions shall apply: ; quarter-hour credit = 2/3 semester-hour
credit. Fifteen contact hours shall be considered equivalent to one
semester-hour of credit when neither semester-hours nor quarter-hours
are specified for the education or training for which the service
member is enrolled.)
(b.) When an institution's charges exceed
$250 per semester-hour of credit, or equivalent, the responsible
Service shall pay $250 per semester-hour of
credit.
(c.) Each service member participating in
off-duty, voluntary education shall have available $4,500, in the
aggregate, for each fiscal year.
(d.) Covered charges include those
submitted to the Service by the educational institution for tuition,
instructional fees, laboratory fees, computer fees and course
materials directly related to the enrollment of that member in a
course of study offered by that educational
institution.
(e.) When approved in advance and
consistent with (a), (b), (c) and (d) above, service members may be
reimbursed for charges of an educational institution for certain
non-traditional courses for which, as a matter of policy, payment is
not authorized until proof of completion is provided.
2. The tuition assistance rate, credit cap, and
annual per capita ceiling, which shall be reviewed periodically in consideration
of inflation and other effects, shall be applied uniformly whether
instruction is delivered traditionally or through distance education.
Rates of tuition assistance other than as identified above are
not authorized.
Policy addressed in this memorandum
shall take precedence over subparagraph E2.1.2.2 of enclosure 2 of DoD
Instruction 1322.25, Subject: Voluntary Education Programs, and shall be
reflected in DoD Instruction 1322.25 when it is next revised.
In paragraph E2.1.6 of enclosure 2 to DoD
Instruction 1322.25, delete the second sentence which reads, "Veteran's
education benefits are not payable for courses paid in whole or in part by
the Armed Forces." The use of funds related to veterans' benefits to
supplement tuition assistance received by active duty military personnel
is now authorized.
The
provisions herein are effective immediately. Rates
of tuition assistance established in paragraph number 1 above
shall be applied to new enrollments that occur on or after October 1,
2002. Please take steps to ensure full implementation of the above.Your
continuing support of the off-duty, voluntary education program is
appreciated.
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