New Rule Gives Maximum Pell Grants to Children of Fallen Service Members

A new rule takes effect July 1 that expands higher education benefits to more children of fallen service members, while also raising the age limit to receive the aid and exempting it from a separate law that cost prior recipients hundreds of dollars a year.

The Education Department is implementing the FAFSA Simplification Act, signed into law in 2021. The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which students must fill out each year to receive the assistance. While some schools have their own internal deadlines, the Education Department's deadline for the FAFSA is June 30.

The new law includes a "special rule" that kicks in with the new academic year: The department will no longer award Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants to the children of parents who died as a result of their service in those wars.