La. Admin. Code tit. 28 § IV-2501

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section IV-2501 - General Provisions

A. Act 279 of the 2023 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature establishes the Louisiana National Guard Patriot Scholarship in R.S. 17:4101-4103.

B. Description and Purpose. The Louisiana National Guard Patriot Scholarship provides scholarships to Louisiana National Guard members who are enrolled in a Louisiana public postsecondary institution and who are eligible for the Louisiana National Guard tuition waiver provided for in R.S.29:36.1. This program provides for the payment of mandatory fees charged to the student by the institution as funds are appropriated for such purpose.

C. Effective Date. Awards shall be made, and these rules shall apply, beginning with the 2023-2024 academic year, when funds are appropriated for such purpose.

D. Authority to Audit. By participating in the scholarship and grant programs administered by the board and described in LAC 28:IV, all participants grant the board, LOSFA, and the Louisiana Legislative Auditor the right to inspect records and perform on-site audits of each institution's administration of the programs for the purpose of determining the institution's compliance with state law and the board's rules and regulations.

E. Discrimination Prohibition. The exclusion of a person from equal opportunity for a Louisiana National Guard Patriot Scholarship by the board because of race, religion, sex, handicap, national origin or ancestry is prohibited. No policy or procedure of this agency shall be interpreted as superseding or contradicting this prohibition.

F. Criminal Penalties. If an erroneous award has been made and the board determines that the award was made based upon incorrect information submitted by the student, the board may seek reimbursement from the student, and if it is further determined that the award was made due to an intentional misrepresentation by the student, then the board shall refer the case to the attorney general and to the Louisiana National Guard. If a student is suspected of having intentionally misrepresented the facts which were provided to the board and used by it to determine the eligibility of the student for the program and the board has referred the case to the attorney general and to the Louisiana National Guard, then the student shall remain ineligible for future award consideration pending an outcome of said investigation which is favorable to the student.

G. Award Amount

1. The award amount shall be equal to the amount of mandatory fees charged to the student by the institution as evidenced on the student's fee bill.

2. Each postsecondary institution/provider shall determine the award amount for eligible students based on the requirements in these rules.

3. The award amount provided by this Chapter may be paid for up to 12 semesters, which shall include the fall, spring, and summer semesters at semester schools or up to 16 quarters, which shall include the fall, winter, spring, and summer quarters at quarter schools.

H. The total amount awarded for the National Guard Patriot Scholarships during any academic year is limited to the total amount appropriated for the award for the academic year. Eligibility for an award during any particular semester, quarter or term does not guarantee that a student will receive the scholarship in a subsequent semester, quarter, term or intersession.

La. Admin. Code tit. 28, § IV-2501

Promulgated by the by the Board of Regents, Office of Student Financial Assistance, LR 50183 (2/1/2024).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 46:4101 et seq.