VA HB56

Directs the Department of Veterans Services (DVS) and State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) to study expanding the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program to include survivors of military service members who died in the line of duty

Requires estimation of how many additional survivors and dependents would become eligible for tuition and mandatory fee waivers if line of duty deaths are added as a qualifying category

Mandates assessment of additional costs to public institutions of higher education, including whether costs would be absorbed by institutions or require state funding support

Requires review of eligibility verification standards and the role of federal certification in determining line of duty deaths

Study findings and recommendations must be reported to specified House and Senate committees by December 1, 2026