(a)(1) Any spouse or widow whose spouse, during their marriage, meets any of the following criteria shall be entitled to training in any qualifying school for a period of five standard academic years, not to exceed 45 months, or to training for the equivalent of 45 months if enrolled part-time, pursuant to the tuition reimbursement guidelines as provided in subsection (c): a. Was killed or died in the line of duty or is listed as missing in action or is or was a prisoner of war while serving as a member of the armed forces; b. Died from a disability incurred from military service; c. Was killed or died while on state active duty status as defined in Section 31-12-1, or whose death results proximately and within three years from an injury sustained while on state active duty status; or d. Is 100 percent permanently and totally disabled, whose permanent and total disabilities were service-connected. (2) One change of program shall be allowed without counseling. All training received under this section must be completed within eight years after its initiation. This section shall not apply to the spouse of any deceased serviceman or veteran who has remarried prior to applying for and obtaining educational benefits under this section, and should any spouse of the deceased serviceman or veteran remarry during the time he or she is in attendance upon any of the qualifying schools mentioned in this section, then he or she shall pay tuition and fees for the course of study or attendance upon the qualifying school from the time of the remarriage. (b) The educational benefits provided by this section to spouses and widows making application for benefits for the first time beginning with the fall term of the 2014-2015 academic year, and thereafter, shall be limited to undergraduate courses of study only, and the value of tuition paid shall be limited to the in-state tuition rate of the qualifying school attended. (c) For those first filing for benefits under this chapter on or after July 31, 2017, and for those attending a qualifying private school, the educational benefit shall be for tuition reimbursement and books and fees reimbursement. The value of tuition paid per semester hour (or equivalent) shall be limited to four hundred dollars ($400). The value of the books and fees paid per semester shall be limited to one thousand dollars ($1,000) per student.
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