Lawmakers: Keeping veterans here is key to reversing WV population decline

“Veterans are an educated group of people. They obviously have shown a desire to work, they’re driven and motivated,� said state Sen. Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, a veteran of Afghanistan. “They would make a great addition to our workforce.�

Bills aimed at giving veterans certain services and discounts — like college tuition exemptions — often require state funding. The measures have struggled in the budget-conscious Legislature tasked by Gov. Jim Justice with “minding the store.�

“Anytime there’s a bill with a fiscal note, it’s an uphill battle,� said Sen. Laura Wakim Chapman, R-Ohio. “Whatever we can do to help our veterans and their family members, we should do.�

Legislation to help veterans

While West Virginia has led the nation in the highest number of veterans per capita, the number has declined. Nearly 8% of the state’s population are veterans, still outpacing the national average of 6%.

Two years ago, state Department of Veterans Assistance Secretary Edward Diaz told lawmakers, “The biggest thing we can do is make our state as attractive to the veterans and their families,� he said, noting that Virginia offered a property tax exemption to fully-disabled veterans (residents recently approved a constitutional amendment to expand it to additional military spouses).

West Virginia lawmakers this year passed a handful of bills providing benefits to veterans. Legislation created the Veterans’ Home Loan Mortgage Program, which provides reduced-interest loans to veterans and active-duty military service members who are first-time homebuyers. Following the September special session, Justice signed legislation that provided $1.2 million for the Veterans Home in Barboursville.

Another bill provides in-state tuition rates to military members and their spouses and children.

Last year, prior to the bill’s passage, there were 21,000 veterans at our two- and four-year institutions, according to data from the state’s Higher Education Policy Commission.

But the bulk of veteran-focused bills didn’t make it to the finish line in the GOP-heavy Legislature, measures that would have exempted certain veterans from vehicle registration fees or provided a property tax credit for widowed spouses.

And there was Weld’s idea for tuition and fee exemptions for certain disabled veterans and their dependents. He believes it would encourage military families to remain in West Virginia.

Cost is the number one barrier to college, according to a report from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation.

The bill required recipients to be a West Virginia resident and rated as having 90% or greater service-connected disability by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The tuition exemptions would have extended to eligible veterans’ spouses and children. The measure never made it to the full Senate for a vote.

Diaz, when speaking before lawmakers in 2022, emphasized that veterans’ families “were a package deal.�

“We have to take care of them, as well,� he said, adding that several states, including Virginia, were already offering the free tuition to certain veterans and their family members.

Weld, who chairs the Senate Military Committee, plans to push the legislation again in 2025.

“I have introduced different iterations of this bill every year, and yes, everything we do comes down to dollars and cents,� he said. The measure didn’t come with a fiscal note.

He doesn’t think there’s a particular reason why veterans aren’t choosing to remain in West Virginia, but that it’s part of the state’s overall issue retaining its population.

Chapman, whose father is a veteran, also sponsored the legislation and said she’d support it again.

“This is a very limited bill … If it’s lucky enough to pass, I would like to expand it to more veteran families. I dont think a lot of people think about their sacrifice. They move around a lot, they have extended periods with their family members gone and worrying about their safety,� she said.

Barriers to education for veterans

In 2022, over $71 million dollars came into the state through veteran education benefits, according to the HEPC.

West Virginia University provides immediate residency and in-state tuition to any veteran or active-duty member who has a West Virginia address. The university also provides in-state tuition to out-of-state military dependents who have exhausted benefits and active-duty personnel who live out-of-state.

“If legislators pursue additional benefits to veterans and their families in future sessions, we would work with the Legislature, HEPC and other institutions to see how we can make West Virginia more friendly and affordable to veterans, their families and their dependents,� said WVU Communications Director April Kaull.

Stephen Belan is the director of Veterans Upward Bound, a program based in Elkins that helps veterans statewide prepare for and access higher education. His organization helps veterans with barriers to college — typically associated with how to pay for it.

Paperwork connected to the G.I. bill, federal aid forms and grants is the biggest barrier, he said.

“They’ll get in the process of applying for their G.l. bill, and they may not know who to send something to so they give up,� he said.

Many of the veterans who want to access higher education have families and jobs and want to stay in West Virginia, he noted.

“We do see all ages … we see very young vets who entered the military right out of high school who had a one-year deployment in their early 20s. And we also see Vietnam veterans,� he said.

Chapman sees West Virginia as a great place for veterans to live, noting benefits like a bill passed earlier this year that exempted certain veterans from state park fees.

“If we are able to retain more veterans and their family members, I do believe they will contribute to our economy. It’s a win-win for everyone,� she said.