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Armed Forces and PSO Dependent Scholarship

The Armed Forces and Public Safety Officer Dependent Scholarship is awarded to eligible spouses and children of certain military members and public safety officers who have been killed, are missing in action, or are totally and permanently disabled due to service-related events. Applicants must be an Idaho resident. 

Application Portal

Do I Qualify

To qualify for this scholarship, you (the applicant) must meet ALL of the following requirements.

  • Have a Qualifying Relationship to the Service Member or Officer

    You must be the child or spouse of: 

    • A member of the United States Armed Forces or
    • A public safety officer (law enforcement officer, firefighter, paramedic, or emergency medical technician) 

    If you are a spouse there are marital status requirements: 

    • You must have been legally married at the time that they were determined to be imprisoned, missing in action, killed or became unemployable. 
    • If eligibility is based on total and permanent disability, you must remain married to the service member or officer. 
    • The service member or PSO must have been an Idaho resident at the time they entered active service, and must still be a resident if alive. 

  • Qualifying Service - Related Event Must Have Occured

    The service member or officer must have been:

    • Killed in action
    • Killed in the line of duty
    • Declared a prisoner of war
    • Declared missing in action, or
    • Totally and permanently disabled as a result of:
      • Military service, or Public safety service in the line of duty
      • If applying under the spouse being unemployable:
        • Armed Forces: The United States department of veterans affairs has made a determination of individual unemployability; or the United States social security administration has made or recognized a determination of total and permanent disability, and the determination is based on injuries or wounds sustained during active duty or inactive duty training.
        • Public Safety Officers: Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho (PERSI) will provide a determination of unemployability.

    For public safety officers, the qualifying event must have occurred on or after January 1, 1975.

  • Meet Residency and Education Requirements

    You must: 

    • Be an Idaho resident 
    • Have graduated or will graduate from an Idaho high school, Idaho home school (with a transcript), or its equivalent (GED/HSE from Idaho)

    Learn More About the FAFSA

  • Meet Enrollment Requirements

    Be accepted to, attend, and meet the admission and academic requirements of an eligible Idaho public college, university, or public career-technical school. 

    Eligible Colleges and Universities: 

What are the Details of the Scholarship?

Final award amounts and eligibility are subject to verification and approval by the Idaho State Board of Education. Benefits are provided according to Idaho law and administrative rules. 

Award Amounts

Covers tuition and requires fees at an eligible Idaho public college or career school. 

May include up to $750 per term for books, supplies, and equipment. 

May include standard on-campus housing and meals if you: 

  • Are enrolled full time, and
  • Live in school-owned housing 

Time Limits

You must use the scholarship within 19 years of one of the following: 

  • Your high school graduation, or
  • The qualifying service-related event 


Program Limits

The scholarship can be used for up to 36 months or four nine-month periods. 

The scholarship is for undergraduate education only. 

You must meet all qualifications to receive this scholarship. 

What Documents Do I Need Before I Apply?

Before you apply, gather a few documents. Having these ready will make the application easier. 

Proof of Relationship

For children, we need a birth certificate proving your relationship to your parent (or a marriage certificate in the case of a step-parent). 

For spouses, we need a marriage certificate. 

Proof of the Qualifying Service-Related Event

Proof of the total and permanent disability form the Social Security Administration or PERSI (dated within the last five years), AND documentation of service with either a letter from the employer or a DD-214. 

TIP: This last document should show the injury occurred in the line of duty and in the case of a member of the armed forces, showing the injury happened while deployed to an area of armed conflict. 

Proof of Education

We need a high school diploma or transcript proving you graduated or will graduate form an Idaho high school or equivalent. 

How do I apply??

If you think you qualify, please contact Joy Miller, the Scholarship Program Manager.

jmiller@edu.idaho.gov

FAQ's

This scholarship is for dependents for Idaho residents who were killed or rendered permanently disabled (to the point of unemployability) in the line of duty while deployed to an area of armed conflict. Disability determinations must come from the Social Security Administration (SSA) for military veterans and PERSI for public safety officers. 

Please email Joy Miller - jmiller@edu.idaho.gov if you have questions and/or to receive application instructions. 

The individual must have been a resident of Idaho and deployed to an area of armed conflict at the time their injury occurred in order for you to be eligible to apply. 

Unless the VA Disability letter explicitly states that the person is unemployable, the disability determination does need to come form the Social Security Administration. For Public Safety applicants, it needs to be from PERSI. 

We need a recent determination letter (dated within the last five years). 

Unanswered Questions?

If you have unanswered questions about the Armed Forces and PSO Dependent Scholarship , please contact our scholarship team.

scholarshiphelp@edu.idaho.gov
208-332-1595