New Aid Officer Training Verification 101 Shannon Simmons Clayton State University

New Aid Officer Training Verification 101 Process by which certain required data reported on the FAFSA is reviewed for accuracy and completeness. What is Verification? 2

New Aid Officer Training Verification 101 Deadlines for student to provide documentation and consequences of failure to meet deadlines Method by which students are notified of award changes resulting from verification Procedures for correcting FAFSA data for students Procedures for referring overpayments to ED Required Written Policies and Procedures 3

New Aid Officer Training Verification 101 School must provide a written statement providing a clear explanation of the documents required for student to submit for verification. Student’s responsibilities with regard to the verification process. This includes correction procedures, deadlines for completing any actions required & consequences of missing deadlines. Notification methods that the school will use to notify students of award changes as a result of verification and the time frame for notification. Notification to Selected Students 4

New Aid Officer Training Verification 101 CPS selection 1. Edit checks which identify inconsistencies and potential errors 2. Random selection School selection – Criteria set by school How Are Applicants Selected? 5

New Aid Officer Training Verification 101 General requirement is to verify all those selected by CPS BUT May stop at 30% of your applicant pool, if CPS selects more than 30% How Many To Verify? 6

New Aid Officer Training Verification 101 Student is incarcerated Student is recent immigrant who arrived in US during 2010 or 2011 Spouse or Parents unavailable o Deceased or Mentally or Physically incapacity o Residing in country other than U.S. and cannot be contacted by normal means o Can’t be located because his or her address is unknown and student can’t obtain it Death of the Student Applicant verified by another school Pacific Island resident Student not an aid recipient Verification Exclusions 7

New Aid Officer Training Verification 101 Household size Number enrolled in college Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) U.S. Income tax paid Certain untaxed income and benefits o Child Support o IRA/Keogh Deductions o Interest on tax-free bonds Required Verification Items 8

New Aid Officer Training Verification 101 Verification Worksheet – Department of Education forms or School created forms Appropriate Tax Forms Other documentation in lieu of Worksheet or Tax Returns – Signed statement for household size – Signed statement or institutional certification for number enrolled in college – IRS tax transcript, other signed IRS forms with tax data, Form W-2, Form 4868 or a signed statement for AGI & taxes paid – Signed statement or official agency documentation for untaxed income and benefits Documents Needed for Verification 9

New Aid Officer Training Verification 101 Compare the verification documents with the original FAFSA information  May create own checklist/spreadsheet  May use verification tool on FAA Access Determine that  information is correct or  corrections must be made May use tolerance option if all errors are dollar amount errors How to Verify? 10

New Aid Officer Training Verification 101 Tolerance is $400. If total difference between incorrect and correct values for certain items is more than $400, then correction is needed. If difference between the incorrect total and correct total is $400 or less, then errors are within tolerance. – Awarding may be done without submitting a correction or recalculating EFC Optional- Can always have student submit corrections for processing. Verification Tolerance 11

New Aid Officer Training Verification 101 Used when reporting Pell, ACG, SMART and Direct Loan payments to COD o V - Verified o W - Paid without Documentation o S - Selected, but not verified o Blank - ISIR not selected by CPS or school Verification Status Codes 12

New Aid Officer Training Verification 101 Within 120 calendar days after student’s last date of enrollment OR date specified in Federal Register (September 26, 2011) – Student must provide all verification documentation – ISIR must be corrected, if necessary Verification Deadline 13

New Aid Officer Training Verification 101 Conflicting information must be resolved, regardless of verification status Separate process from verification – Involves any information of which the school has knowledge – Must resolve before disbursing any aid Remember 14

New Aid Officer Training 15 Verification 101 Definition – Professional Judgment is the Authority provided under the Higher Education Act for aid administrators to exercise discretion in specific areas of student aid administration Professional Judgment

New Aid Officer Training 16 Verification 101 We (FA Administrators) have flexibility in dealing with unique circumstances We are allowed opportunities to deal with special circumstances which cannot be anticipated by legislation Through PJ, we are able to analyze students’ situation on a case-by-case basis that is not possible through the methodology. Importance of PJ

New Aid Officer Training 17 Verification 101 Parents refusing to contribute to the student’s education; Parents unwilling to provide information on the application or for verification; Parents not claiming the student as a dependent for income tax purposes; and/or Student demonstrating total self-sufficiency. No Parental Information Circumstances that are not unusual, does not merit PJ

New Aid Officer Training Verification 101 Questions? 18