Review of Recent Announcements
As a service to its participating schools and lenders, Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority offers the following review of recent announcements and releases from the U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, and related sources. These reminders cover topics of general interest and importance that relate to the administration of federal student aid.
Electronic Announcements
Date: March 3, 2009
Summary: FSA will implement a new login process for the FAA Access to CPS online and the Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG) Enrollment Web sites using an FSA User ID and password to authenticate a user’s identity.
http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/030309PMSAIntergraOverview.html
Date: March 6, 2009
Summary: Important information was issued by FSA regarding the processing of the G-845 form at DHS for manual secondary confirmation that schools must sometimes perform.
http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/030609DHSG845ProcessIssue.html
Date: March 12, 2009
Summary: FSA began the work needed to modify systems, Web and software products, technical documents, training materials, and publications to facilitate implementation of the 2009-2010 Federal Pell Grant Payment and Disbursement Schedules.
http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/031209PellGrantPymt0910Schedules.html
Date: March 20, 2009
Summary: The U.S. Department of Education has determined that any amounts of stimulus payments received by taxpayers during the summer of 2008 are excluded from the EFC calculation and should not be reported on the 2009-2010 FAFSA.
http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/032009EconomicStimulusPymt0910.html
Date: March 23, 2009
Summary: Beginning March 21, 2009, FSA began processing the Pell Grant Administrative Cost Allowance (ACA) payments for the 2008-2009 Award Year.
http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/032309FirstPellGrantACAPymt0809.html
Date: March 26, 2009
Summary: The FY 2007 draft student loan cohort default rates were published by FSA.
http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/032609DraftStudentLoanCohDfltRatesFY07.html
Date: March 26, 2009
Summary: FSA announced the release, in both PDF and hardcopy, of the 2009-2010 edition of Funding Education Beyond High School: The Guide to Federal Student Aid.
http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/032609FundingEdBeyondHighSchool.html
Date: March 27, 2009
Summary: This Announcement follows that issued March 12th (see above), and describes the April 1 reprocessing of 2009-2010 ISIRs to identify Pell-eligible records based on 2009-2010 Pell Grant Payment and Disbursement Schedules.
http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/032709ISIRReprocessingPellSch0910.html
Federal Register
Date: March 11, 2009
FR: March 11, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 46) Page 10559
Summary: The U.S. Department of Education requests comments by May 11, 2009 on the revision of the 2008-2009 Fiscal Operations Report and the Application to Participate for 2010-2001 (FISAP).
http://ifap.ed.gov/fregisters/FR03112009FISAP.html
Date: March 17, 2009
FR: March 17, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 50) Pages 11362-11364
Summary: Notice was posted of the 2009-2010 award year deadline dates for the submission of requests and documents from postsecondary institutions for the campus-based programs.
http://ifap.ed.gov/fregisters/FR03172009.html
Dear Partner/Colleague Letters
Date: March 19, 2009
ANN-09-05
Summary: The DCL announces the newly redesigned FSA COACH, FSA’s introductory Web-based tutorial on federal student aid administration.
http://ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/ANN0905.html
Date: March 26, 2009
GEN-09-03
Summary: FSA explains the process by which institutions of higher education can request that an additional major or qualifying liberal arts curriculum be included on the list of eligible majors for the National SMART Grant Program for the 2009-2010 award year.
http://ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN0903.html
Federal Student Aid Handbook
Date: March 25, 2009
Summary: FSA posted as a PDF file the Application and Verification Guide, one volume of the 2009-2010 Federal Student Aid Handbook.
http://ifap.ed.gov/fsahandbook/0910AVG.html
Training and Conferences
Event: National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators Conference
Dates: July 12, 2009 – July 15, 2009
Location: San Antonio, TX
http://www.nasfaa.org/Home.asp
Any questions related to this Bulletin should be directed to UHEAA Policy and Training at 801.321.7166, or by e-mail to mjohnson@utahsbr.edu.
Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority has learned that Federal Student Aid issued a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) reminding financial aid administrators of their ability to use professional judgment when considering the special circumstances of students and families affected by the economic downturn.
Dan Madzelan, speaking on behalf of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, reminded aid administrators of their statutory authority to make adequately documented adjustments—on a case-by-case basis—to the information found in a student’s original Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Said Madzelan, “when families experience a layoff, face a costly medical situation, or lose a house to foreclosure, they are likely to feel vulnerable and unsupported.” He went on to state that “most do not know about their right to request that you adjust one or more of the components that determine their eligibility for financial aid.”
The DCL indicates it is appropriate for a financial aid professional to use information that realistically reflects the current and near-term economic situation of the individual and/or family. While aid administrators are encouraged to exercise professional judgment when appropriate, they are reminded of the statutory limitations. Additional guidance is provided in DCL GEN-09-04, which can be found at http://ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN0904.html.
Any questions related to this Bulletin should be directed to UHEAA Policy and Training at 801.321.7166, or by e-mail to mjohnson@utahsbr.edu.
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