§5066. With other financial assistance

            A. A grant awarded pursuant to this Chapter may be combined with a disbursement from the Louisiana Student Tuition Assistance and Revenue Trust Program, as provided in R.S. 17:3091 through 3099.2, to pay the student's tuition, and any portion of the grant which is offset by such a disbursement shall then be expended in payment of current year educational expenses as defined by the administering agency and billed to the student by the institution. Any remaining balance of the grant award may then be expended by the student in payment of room and board.

            B.(1)(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this Chapter to the contrary, any student who qualifies for an award as provided in this Chapter and who also qualifies for any other financial assistance offered by the state public college or university which the student attends shall be allowed to combine such award and financial assistance in any manner to cover any "cost of attendance" as determined for that student in accordance with regulations governing the award of federal student aid under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended, including room and board, books, and other instructional materials.

            (b) Additionally, notwithstanding any provision of this Chapter to the contrary and effective for the 2004-2005 award year and thereafter, any student who qualifies for an award as provided in this Chapter shall be allowed to use such award in any manner to cover any "cost of attendance" at an eligible public college or university as determined for that student in accordance with regulations governing the award of federal student aid under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended.

            (2) If a student is receiving other financial assistance that, when combined with a tuition payment under this Chapter, exceeds the "cost of attendance" as determined for that student in accordance with regulations governing the award of federal student aid under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, the amount of the tuition payment shall be reduced by the amount of such excess.

            (3)(a)(i) Any student who receives a financial assistance award pursuant to this Chapter may elect to accept the award on the basis provided in this Paragraph. The student may elect to delay the acceptance of his financial assistance award until after the student, if he is not claimed as a dependent of a parent or court-ordered custodian on a federal income tax return, or his parent or court-ordered custodian, if he is claimed as a dependent on a federal income tax return, files his federal income tax return.

            (ii) If the student delays the acceptance of his award and the student, parent, or court-ordered custodian claims a federal income tax credit for money expended on educational tuition for the postsecondary education of the student, the administering agency shall pay directly to the student an amount equal to the amount of the award that would have been paid to the eligible institution on behalf of the student less the amount of the tax credit claimed plus as an incentive for claiming the credit and thus reducing the cost to the state of this program, an amount equal to twenty-five percent of the amount of the credit claimed.

            (iii) If the student delays the acceptance of his award and the student, parent, or court-ordered custodian does not claim such a credit, then the amount of the award that would have been paid to the eligible institution on behalf of the student shall be paid directly to the student.

            (b) In order to receive the additional incentive payment provided for in Item (a)(ii) of this Paragraph, the student, parent, or court-ordered custodian filing the return shall provide such proof to the administering agency of the amount of federal income tax credit for money expended on educational tuition claimed as required by the agency, including access to their federal income tax records or other appropriate records.

            (c) In any case in which the award amount is paid directly to the student as a result of an election under this Paragraph, the amount of the award may be expended on any item considered as part of the "cost of attendance" as determined for that student in accordance with regulations governing the award for federal student aid under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.

            (d) The administering agency shall establish by rule the procedure and time schedules necessary for a student to make the election provided for in this Paragraph, for receipt of notice of such an election by the agency, and for delayed payment of the award and any applicable incentive.

            (e) In any case in which a federal income tax credit claim for tuition is disallowed, no additional payment shall be made by the agency as a result.

            (f) The election provided for in this Paragraph may be made in any year for which the student is eligible for an award under this Paragraph.

            Acts 2015, No. 227, §1.