Veterans fight for tuition money from state: suit challenges Abbott ruling that only those who are citizens get funds.(Attorney General Greg Abbott)

Byline: Rosanna Ruiz

Jun. 30--When Gulf War veteran William Sanchez was ready to go to college, he learned he was not eligible for Texas tuition benefits.

The former Marine sergeant thought his tuition and fees would be waived, as allowed for vets under a state law called the Hazlewood Act. Two years ago, he found out that was not so.

The 37-year-old and thousands of others like him who were legal residents -- but not citizens -- when they enlisted are ineligible for tuition benefits, and now are the subject of a federal lawsuit filed Thursday in San Antonio by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

"I finally had enough money to take time off and go to college, and I was counting on Hazlewood to cover education costs," said Sanchez, who moved to Houston with his family from Tamaulipas, Mexico, when he was a young boy. "I'm a Texas vet, and I feel let down by my state."

Sanchez joined MALDEF's suit challenging Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott's August 2005 opinion that Hazlewood benefits only go to Texas veterans who are U.S. citizens. Abbott's office said Friday it was reviewing the suit.

The Hazlewood Act exempts qualified Texas veterans and dependents from all tuition and fees at state colleges, except those for property deposits and student services. Nearly 9,000 veterans benefited from Hazlewood in fiscal 2005, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.