(a) A child is a full-time elementary or secondary school student if he or she meets all of the following conditions:

(1) The child is in full-time attendance at an elementary or secondary school; or

(2) The child is instructed in elementary or secondary education at home in accordance with a home school law of the State or other jurisdiction in which the child resides; or

(3) The child is in an independent study elementary or a secondary education program administered by the local school, district, or jurisdiction, which is in accordance with the law of the State or other jurisdiction in which he or she resides.

(b) The child is in full-time attendance in a day or evening non-correspondence course of at least 13 weeks duration and he or she is carrying a subject load that is considered full-time for day students under the institution's standards and practices. If he or she is in a home schooling program as described in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, he or she must be carrying a subject load that is considered full-time for day students under the standards and practices set by the State or other jurisdiction in which the student resides.

(c) To be considered in full-time attendance, scheduled attendance must be at the rate of at least 20 hours per week unless one of the exceptions in paragraphs (c) (1) and (2) of this section applies. If the student is in an independent study program as described in paragraph (a)(3) of this section, the number of hours spent in school attendance is determined by combining the number of hours of attendance at a school facility with the agreed upon number of hours spent in independent study. The student may still be considered in full-time attendance if the scheduled rate of attendance is below 20 hours per week if the Board finds that:

(1) The school attended does not schedule at least 20 hours per week and going to that particular school is the student's only reasonable alternative; or

(2) The student's medical condition prevents him or her from having scheduled attendance of at least 20 hours per week. To prove that the student's medical condition prevents him or her from scheduling 20 hours per week, the Board may request that the student provide appropriate medical evidence or a statement from the school; or

(3) The student is not attending classes, but is graduating in that month and classes ended the month before.

(d) An individual is not a full-time student if, while attending an elementary or secondary school, he or she is paid compensation by an employer who has requested or required that the individual attend the school. An individual is not a full time student while he or she is confined in a penal institution or correctional facility because he or she committed a felony after October 19, 1980.

(e) A student who reaches age 19 but has not completed the requirements for a secondary school diploma or certificate and who is a full-time elementary or secondary student, as defined in paragraph (a) of this section, will continue to be eligible for benefits until the first day of the first month following the end of the quarter or semester in which he or she is then enrolled, or if the school is not operated on a quarter or semester system, the earlier of:

(1) The first day of the month following completion of the course(s) in which he or she was enrolled when age 19 was reached; or

(2) The first day of the third month following the month in which he or she reached age 19.