Dependency Issues Presented by: Diann G. Maldonado Cosme Associate Director Michigan State University

Independent or Dependent

Michigan State University Founded in 1855 in East Lansing, MI Nation’s first land-grant institution Largest residence hall system in US –24 halls, 3 apartment villages, 18,000 residents 49,000 students from 125 countries 69% of students receive financial aid $602M in disbursed aid for –$225M - grants/scholarships –$305M – student loans (federal and private) –$69M – parent loans –$3M – work study

Brief Background Info Office of Financial 40 fulltime/part-time staff members 8 Student employees

Dependency Status  Age  aid year: born before  Married  Graduate or Professional Studies  Active military duty  Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces  Supporting a legal dependent(s) other than spouse  Orphan, Foster child, or ward of the court  Emancipated Minor or in legal guardianship  Unaccompanied homeless youth

Things to think about …  How do you identify these students to verify status?  What documentation do you accept or require?  What happens in continuing years?

Orphan, Foster child, or Ward of the court  Expanded to include  Foster children  Age 13  If student was a foster child, or ward of the court at the age of 13 or older, than they are independent  Ward of the state may be used instead of ward of the court

Emancipated Minor or Legal Guardianship  Must be this status at the time of reaching the age of majority in their state of residency  Challenges:  Documentation received is not current  i.e. in guardianship in 2003 or earlier per the court documentation submitted, but unclear if they continued in guardianship until the age of 18 (for most states)  Require most up-to-date court documentation: this can be obtain from the courts (public record)  Common error: student indicates in guardianship of parents  No parental data provided results in a rejected transaction after status is verified, delay in aid

Unaccompanied homeless youth  Unaccompanied on or after July 1, 2010  Whether they are currently in that status or not  Verified through school district homeless liaison, designee of an emergency shelter program funded by HUD, or the designee of runaway/homeless center

Challenges  Not well documented  Student has not shared circumstances with anyone in the school  Unsure who to obtain documentation from

MSU stats  Number of students selected for independent verification**   785   1090  (stats incomplete, current year)  951 ** After new dependency questions were added, decided to select all students answering yes to these questions and collect documentation.

Support  Partnership with the MSU School of Social Work Identify foster youth through FAFSA results Contact and invite students to register for “Foster Youth Alumni Services” –127 active registered students currently enrolled –Networking & Support throughout campus –Not just a number…

Support

Best Practices… Question/comments…