California College Fee Waiver for Veteran Dependents

Education Code section 66025.3 exempts listed dependents from mandatory systemwide fees at the three public higher education segments. CalVet administers it as the College Fee Waiver for Veteran Dependents and calls the paths Plan A through Plan D. The waiver covers mandatory systemwide tuition and fees. It does not cover books, parking, campus-specific fees, or self-supported programs, which means extension and extended-education courses, degrees, and certificates are outside it because they are neither state funded nor systemwide. Plan A covers the dependent of a veteran who is totally service-connected disabled, with that rating in place before the child's 21st birthday, or who died of service-related causes. The veteran has to have served during a period of war declared by Congress, or have been awarded a campaign or expeditionary medal. Plan A has no income limit. A child has to be under 27, and the limit is extended to 30 when the child is a veteran. There is no age limit for a spouse, an unmarried surviving spouse, or a registered domestic partner. A dependent cannot receive Plan A while receiving VA Chapter 35 benefits. Plan B covers the child, with no age limit, of a veteran who has a service-connected disability, had one at the time of death, or died of service-related causes. Plan B carries the income test. The child's adjusted gross income plus the annual value of support received from a parent cannot exceed the state poverty level, which section 66025.3 defines as the amount calculated for a single person with no dependents under Revenue and Taxation Code section 18501. CalVet set that limit at $22,273 for academic year 2025-26 and $22,941 for 2026-27. It changes every year. A Plan B applicant who reports zero income and zero support has to file a certified statement explaining how the student affords to attend and how they support themselves. Plan C covers a dependent or unmarried surviving spouse of a California National Guard member who was killed, permanently disabled, or died of a disability resulting from activation under Military and Veterans Code section 146. Plan D covers Medal of Honor recipients and their children, with the children under 27, income qualified, and California residents. Apply on form DVS-40 through a county veterans service office. The student and the veteran both sign it. Benefits run by academic year and the student has to reapply each year. The earliest effective date is the first day of the academic year in which the application is received, so apply before the term starts. A stepchild or an adopted child has to have entered that status before the child's 23rd birthday. Relationship is proved with a government-issued birth certificate, adoption records, or a marriage certificate. A denial is appealed in writing to the Veterans Services Division within 90 days of the denial letter.