|
|
|
|
|
||
|
||
|
AwardYear: 1998-1999 EnterChapterNo: 2 EnterChapterTitle: Student Eligibility and Financial Need SectionNumber: SectionTitle: Introduction PageNumbers: 1-2 This chapter of The Federal Student Financial Aid Handbook describes the student eligibility requirements that affect the Student Financial Assistance (SFA) Programs. The calculation of financial need, a key determinant of student eligibility, is examined here, as are the details that pertain to documenting citizenship status and other eligibility criteria. Documentation necessary for proving citizenship status, information on eligibility matches, and the Selective Service's Status Information Letters appear in the appendices. [[Output document]] Schools and students receive information about the student's eligibility from the Central Processing System (CPS) on several different types of documents. These documents are the Student Aid Report (SAR) and SAR Information Acknowledgement, which are sent directly to the student, and the Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR), which is sent to schools either through the Electronic Data Exchange (EDE) or on tapes and cartridges. Throughout this chapter, we will use the term output document to refer to all of these CPS-produced documents. [[Record retention]] Schools are required to document that a student meets the eligibility requirements described in this chapter, and so must keep certain documents, such as output documents or financial aid history information. Although this chapter mentions some items that must be documented, Chapter 3, Section 7 has a detailed discussion of which records must be kept and how long they must be retained. [[Conflicting information]] A school is also required to reconcile any conflicting information it has about a student's eligibility before it pays the student. The school must consider all information available to it, not just the information on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If a school has conflicting information about a student or reason to believe the application information is incorrect, it must resolve the discrepancy before disbursing federal student aid. (See The Verification Guide for more about the general requirement to reconcile all conflicting information.) RECENT CHANGES -------------- There have been a few changes relating to the determination of student eligibility for 1998-99: - On September 19, 1997, the Department published a Federal Register notice listing deadlines for schools to participate in certain electronic processes. For 1998-99, schools must be able to receive ISIRs electronically, and must be able to add the school's Title IV Code to the CPS record for any student who provides a SAR to the school. Schools must also have on-line access to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). See Chapter 3 for general information on the electronic processes notice. - The Department has added a new process called "postscreening" as part of NSLDS. There have also been some changes to the information provided from NSLDS on the output document to help aid administrators use the NSLDS system more effectively. See Section 2 for more on NSLDS. As noted in the text, other possible changes were under discussion at the time this Handbook went to print. The Department also expects to issue further guidance on some topics. - The Department is developing an Action Letter to provide more information to schools on the requirements listed in the electronic processes notice. - The current list of approved ability-to-benefit tests is being reviewed to determine if they can be used for students with disabilities (see page 2-10). - The Department is planning to modify NSLDS to allow schools to report Pell, Perkins and FSEOG overpayments (see page 2-26). - As part of the introduction of the Renewal FAFSA on the Web, the Department may allow the student to provide a "digital signature" rather than submitting a signature page (see page 2-37). Up-to-date information on these and other topics will be available on the SFA BBS. In addition, for detailed information about any processing changes, and the processing system in general, see A Guide to 1998-99 SARs and ISIRs and the 1998-99 Counselor's Handbook for Postsecondary Schools. |
||||
Home | Privacy Statement | FAQs | IFAP Search Help Copyright © 2003, IFAP. All rights reserved. |
||||