Illinois § 55

§ 55.

Police officer or fire officer survivor grant. Grants shall be provided for any spouse, natural child, legally adopted child, or child in the legal custody of police officers and fire officers who are killed or who become a person with a permanent disability with 90% to 100% disability in the line of duty while employed by, or in the voluntary service of, this State or any local public entity in this State. Beneficiaries need not be Illinois residents at the time of enrollment in order to receive this grant. With respect to disabled police and fire officers, children need not be born, legally adopted, or in the legal custody of the officer before the disability occurred in order to receive this grant. Beneficiaries are entitled to 8 semesters or 12 quarters of full payment of tuition and mandatory fees at any State-sponsored Illinois institution of higher learning for either full or part-time study, or the equivalent of 8 semesters or 12 quarters of payment of tuition and mandatory fees at the rate established by the Commission for private institutions in the State of Illinois, provided the recipient is maintaining satisfactory academic progress. This benefit may be used for undergraduate or graduate study. The benefits of this Section shall be administered by and paid out of funds available to the Commission and shall accrue to the bona fide applicant without the requirement of demonstrating financial need to qualify for those benefits. (Source: P.A. 100-673, eff. 8-3-18; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19.)