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Hurricane Information - Hurricane Katrina Information - Postsecondary Schools
Postsecondary Schools with questions can call 1-800-433-7327 or they can send an e-mail to fsa.customer.support@ed.gov.
Hurricane
Katrina FAQ's
October 4, 2005
S 6. I need additional staff to help me catch up with ISIR processing. How can I get help?
S 7. How is the mailing of student documents being affected?
S 13. Should Transfer Student Monitoring reports be run more frequently?
A. We encourage institutions to enroll students who have been impacted by the hurricane as regular students (i.e., enrolled for the purpose of obtaining a degree, certificate or other recognized educational credential offered by that institution), even if information that would normally be needed for an admissions decision is not immediately available. If the receiving institution waives admissions requirements that it would normally impose, it should include an explanation of that action in the student's file.
Non-regular student enrollment - Some receiving institutions have expressed concern that, for various operational and timing reasons, they may not be able to admit as regular students, students who had planned on enrolling at an impacted institution. An impacted institution is an institution whose operations have been significantly impaired by the hurricane. Instead, they may be permitting these students to enroll in a non-matriculated status (transient, visitor, etc.). Since only regular students are eligible to receive funds under the Title IV, federal student aid programs, we have been asked if any accommodation can be made for students in this situation.
In those limited instances where a receiving institution is unable to enroll a student from an impacted institution as a regular student, it may provide the student with Title IV, federal student aid program funds after the student has signed a certification that he or she was enrolled in a degree, certificate, or other credential program at a specifically identified eligible institution that has been impacted by Hurricane Katrina. This authority is limited to any academic terms or payment periods that begin prior to January 1, 2006.
If you have additional questions, please contact 1-800-433-7327. For additional information, please review Electronic Announcement #1 http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/0902HurricaneKatrinaGuid.html and Electronic Announcement #3 http://www.ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/HURRICANEKATRINAINFONUMBER3.html on processing transfer students affected by Hurricane Katrina. (9/14)
A. In some cases the new institution may not have received an ISIR from the CPS, since the student did not include that institution when the FAFSA was submitted. The new institution can be added to the CPS record in a number of ways -
In all instances, the receiving institution will be added to the CPS record and an ISIR will be generated and sent to the receiving institution within 24 to 72 hours. (9/8)
For additional information,
please review Electronic Announcement #1 http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/0902HurricaneKatrinaGuid.html
and Electronic Announcement #3 http://www.ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/HURRICANEKATRINAINFONUMBER3.html
on processing transfer students affected by Hurricane Katrina. (9/14)
A. While it is likely that
some of the students may have had Title IV, federal student aid program funds
disbursed to them from the impacted institution, determining if and how much
aid may have been disbursed is probably not possible at this time. While there
may be a few exceptions, in most cases any funds that had been disbursed would
not represent more than one-half of the student's eligibility at the former
institution. Therefore, institutions are encouraged to calculate their awards
and to disburse the first portion of those awards as soon as possible. In the
coming weeks, we will assess the situation and advise program participants of
a simplified process to determine if and how much of the earlier disbursements
need(s) to be considered before the receiving institution makes its second disbursements.
When awarding aid to students
who had planned on attending an impacted institution, the receiving institution
must use its own ISIR or SAR records and its own budgets, definitions and packaging
policies. All loan certifications and originations, and disbursements must be
made under the name and number of the receiving institution.
For additional information,
please review Electronic Announcement #1 http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/0902HurricaneKatrinaGuid.html
and Electronic Announcement #3 http://www.ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/HURRICANEKATRINAINFONUMBER3.html
on processing transfer students affected by Hurricane Katrina. (9/8 updated
9/15)
A. Several reporting deadlines, including the FISAP deadline, have been extended to December 1, 2005 for schools impacted by Hurricane Katrina. For additional information, please see http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/0909deadlinesannouncement2.html. (9/9)
A. The EDESuite software is available to download from the Department’s FSA Download Web site at http://fsadownload.ed.gov. CPS/SAIG Technical Support can help you download and install the software. CPS/SAIG Technical Support can restore files up to 180 days old to your SAIG mailbox. ISIR data older than 180 days can be requested from the ISIR Datamart. Call CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 800-330-5947 (TDD/TYY 800-511-5806) between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Central Time or send an e-mail to CPSSAIG@ed.gov for assistance. For additional information, see Hurricane Katrina Information Electronic Announcement #4 http://www.ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/HURRICANEKATRINAINFORMELECTRONICANNOUNCEMENT4.html. (9/13)
S 6. I need additional staff to help me catch up with ISIR processing. How can I get help?
A. CPS/SAIG Technical Support can help you enroll additional people for FAA Access to CPS Online. Signature pages are not required for FAA Access to CPS Online enrollment. If the person you are enrolling already has a PIN, enrollment is effective immediately. Call CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 800-330-5947 (TDD/TYY 800-511-5806) between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Central Time or send an e-mail to CPSSAIG@ed.gov for assistance. (9/13)
S 7. How is the mailing of student documents being affected?
A. Because mail is not being delivered to many areas impacted by the hurricane, documents (i.e. SARs, PIN Mailers, Direct Loan billing statements, etc.) are being held until mail delivery resumes. We encourage all schools, lenders, servicers and guaranty agencies to check with the U.S. Postal Service to determine how to proceed with scheduled mail service to impacted areas. (9/13)
A. If a school returns more than 10 percent of its allocation under the Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Work-Study (FWS) or Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) program, the school's allocation for that program for the second succeeding award year is typically reduced by the unexpended amount. The Department will grant a waiver of this requirement to those schools impacted by Hurricane Katrina that are located in an area that has been designated by FEMA for disaster assistance for individuals. A school can request a waiver of the requirement when it files the FISAP. (9/13 updated 9/16)
A. Until further notice from the Department, schools should continue to report as “in-school” all students who were in “in-school” status prior to the hurricane. This includes those students who are not currently attending for any other reason related to Hurricane Katrina. Additional information can be found in the Department’s guidance on this subject, GEN-04-04 -General Guidance for Helping Title IV Participants Affected by a Disaster http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN0404.html. (9/13)
A. The Department's published guidance, GEN-04-08 - Required Electronic Processes and Related System Requirements, contains the minimal and optimal system requirements. For additional information, call CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 800-330-5947 (TDD/TYY 800-511-5806) between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Central Time for assistance. The Department published guidance, GEN-04-08 - Required Electronic Processes and Related System Requirements http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN0408.html, contains the minimal and optimal system requirements. (9/13)
A. Normally, schools are required to submit requests for such waivers before the beginning of the award year. However, the Department will grant a waiver of this requirement to those schools impacted by Hurricane Katrina that are located in an area that has been designated by FEMA for disaster assistance for individuals.
A school that is unable to meet the FWS community service requirements should submit a written waiver request to the Department. The request must include the information specified in Q&A #4 of Dear Colleague Letter CB-05-05 (http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/CB0505FWSCSWRequest.html). As soon as the school is able to do so, it should submit this request by fax, hand delivery, or mail per the instructions in Q&A #5 of that same letter. As an alternative, the school may contact the Campus-Based Call Center at 877-801-7168 or by e-mail to CBFOB@ed.gov.
Please remember that employing FWS students in the cleanup and relief efforts for the communities affected by a disaster would be considered part of the institution's community services activities under the FWS Program. (9/13 updated 10/04)
A. At this time, 2006-2007 campus-based awards for all schools are expected to be announced on time by February 1, 2006.(9/14)
S 13. Should Transfer Student Monitoring reports be run more frequently?
A. Yes. If your school
is accepting more transfer students, Transfer Student Monitoring reports should
be run as often as necessary. (9/14)
The Secretary will not enforce the verification requirements of the regulations for the 2005-06 award year for any student an institution determines is unable to provide requested verification information because of the impact of Hurricane Katrina. An institution must document when it does not complete verification for this reason, and should use Verification Status Code "S" when reporting a Federal Pell Grant award to the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System. For additional information, please see HURRICANE KATRINA INFORMATION-ELECTRONIC ANNOUNCEMENT # 5 http://www.ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/0916HurricaneKatrinaInfo5.html. (9/19)
A. Section 479A of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, specifically gives the financial aid administrator the authority to use professional judgment to make adjustments to a student's cost of attendance or to the values of the items used in calculating the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) to reflect the student's special circumstances. Consistent with guidance we previously provided (see Dear Colleague Letter GEN-04-04 http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN0404.html on IFAP), the Secretary strongly encourages institutions to consider using professional judgment in order to reflect more accurately the financial need of students and families affected by a disaster. For additional information, please see HURRICANE KATRINA INFORMATION-ELECTRONIC ANNOUNCEMENT # 5 http://www.ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/0916HurricaneKatrinaInfo5.html. (9/19)
A. The Department of Education
is proposing legislation to help colleges and universities receiving displaced
students meet the unexpected costs associated with educating these students.
Colleges and universities would receive a $1,000 payment for each displaced
student. (9/19)
A. Until further guidance
is provided by the Department of Education, schools should hold all funds they
received from the Department of Education or from a FFEL lender. (9/20)
A. Until further guidance is provided by the Department of Education, schools should follow all Department cash management policies and hold all funds they received from the Department of Education or from a FFEL lender in an interest-bearing account. (9/26)
A. Until further guidance is provided by the Department of Education, schools should hold all funds they received from the Department of Education or from a FFEL lender. (9/26)
S-20. My school is non-operational due to Hurricane Katrina but we anticipate re-opening in October. For those students receiving federally guaranteed loans for the first time through either the FFEL, Perkins or Direct Loan programs, do we need to re-set the 30 day delay before these loans can be disbursed?
A. Yes. However, if that student enrolled at another school during the period your school was non-operational, they may have satisfied that requirement. (9/26)
A. An FAA may sign a student’s paper FAFSA in place of the parent if the parent cannot be located. Using FAA Access, the signed paper FAFSA can be used as documentation to support the submission of an electronic application with the parent signed field being set. (10/04)
A. Affected schools in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi that offer a two-year associate or four-year bachelor’s degree and are unable to provide 30 weeks of instruction because of Hurricane Katrina are approved to have an academic year of between 26 and 29 weeks. The current law does not allow the Secretary to approve a reduction for schools that do not offer an associate or bachelor’s degree or to approve a reduction of less than 26 weeks for any school. Please see Hurricane Katrina Electronic Announcement #6 for additional details. (10/04)