Armed Forces and Public Safety Officer Dependent Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Idaho State Board of Education

Overview of the Scholarship

• The scholarship is open for applications throughout the year.
• It is designed for dependents of Idaho's armed forces members or public safety officers who have either fallen or are permanently disabled to the point of being unable to work.
• Applicants must be residents of Idaho to be eligible.

The Dependent Scholarship for Armed Forces and Public Safety Officer (PSO) offers a waiver of tuition and fees, a book allowance of up to $750 per semester, and provisions for on-campus housing and subsistence. This is available to undergraduate students in Idaho who are children or spouses of Idaho military members or public safety officers who have either fallen or are permanently disabled to the point of unemployability.

Below are the stipulations and eligibility requirements for the scholarship. Please review them to determine your eligibility.

Conditions

• The scholarship is available to the spouse or children of an Idaho resident who entered active service as an Idaho resident, as indicated on a DD form 214 certificate of release or discharge from active duty. The service member must have been a resident of Idaho and determined by the federal government to have been a prisoner of war, missing in action, or died of, or has become unemployable due to injuries or wounds sustained during active duty or inactive duty training.
• The spouse or child of a full-time or part-time public safety officer (peace officer, firefighter, paramedic, or EMT), employed by or volunteering for the state of Idaho or for a political subdivision of the state of Idaho, is eligible. The public safety officer must have been a resident of Idaho at the time they were killed or totally and permanently disabled in the line of duty, as determined by the public employee retirement system of Idaho (PERSI). The death or disability must have occurred on or after January 1, 1975.
• The undergraduate educational benefits provided by the scholarship shall not exceed a total of thirty-six (36) months or four (4) nine (9) month periods.
• The educational benefits can be initiated within a period of ten (10) to nineteen (19) years after obtaining a high school diploma or its equivalent, or for a period of ten (10) years after the event that makes the applicant eligible for the scholarship, whichever is longer.

Eligibility Criteria

For a child of a military member or public safety officer, the applicant must:

• Be a resident of Idaho.
• Have graduated from an Idaho high school or its equivalent (GED from Idaho).
• Enroll in an academic or professional-technical program at one of the following institutions: North Idaho College, Lewis-Clark State College, College of Southern Idaho, College of Eastern Idaho, University of Idaho, Boise State University, Idaho State University, or College of Western Idaho.
• Be a child born before or after a military member or public safety officer is determined to be imprisoned or missing in action, killed, or becomes unemployable. The parent must have been an Idaho resident at the time they entered active service as an Idaho resident, as noted on the DD-214 under “home of record,” and must currently be an Idaho resident.
• If applying under the parent being unemployable:
• Armed Forces: The United States Department of Veterans Affairs must have determined individual unemployability; or the United States Social Security Administration must have made or recognized a determination of total and permanent disability, based on injuries or wounds sustained during active duty or inactive duty training.
• Public Safety Officers: Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho (PERSI).

For a spouse of a military member or public safety officer, the applicant must:

• Be a resident of Idaho.
• Enroll in an academic or professional-technical program at one of the following institutions: North Idaho College, Lewis-Clark State College, College of Southern Idaho, College of Eastern Idaho, University of Idaho, Boise State University, Idaho State University, or College of Western Idaho.
• Have been married to a military member or public safety officer at the time they were determined to be imprisoned or missing in action, killed, or became totally and permanently disabled.
• In cases where a military member or public safety officer becomes totally and permanently disabled, the applicant must still be married to such person.
• Be the spouse of a person who was an Idaho resident at the time they entered active service as an Idaho resident, as noted on the DD-214 under “home of record,” and is currently a resident.
• If applying under the spouse being unemployable:
• Armed Forces: The United States Department of Veterans Affairs must have determined individual unemployability; or the United States Social Security Administration must have made or recognized a determination of total and permanent disability, based on injuries or wounds sustained during active duty or inactive duty training.
• Public Safety Officers: Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho (PERSI).