Expands eligibility under the veterans tuition awards program

This bill expands the New York State Veterans Tuition Awards Program to include all resident veterans, regardless of whether they served in combat. Previously, eligibility was limited to veterans who served in specific conflicts after 1961 and received certain expeditionary medals, but this change removes those service restrictions. The law allows any New York resident who served in the U.S. armed forces and received an honorable or qualifying discharge to apply for tuition assistance for undergraduate, graduate, or vocational training programs. Eligible recipients can receive funding equivalent to eight full-time semesters, and the award amount is based on the lower of the actual tuition charged or the rate set by the State University of New York.