UHEAA Introduces New Service    

As a service to its participating schools and lenders, the Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority (UHEAA) will begin to provide a monthly UHEAA Bulletin reviewing recent announcements and releases from the U.S. Department of Education.  These reminders will cover topics of general interest and importance that relate to the administration of federal student aid.  We hope you find this service useful. 

These monthly Bulletins will appear much like this issue by listing pertinent Dear Colleague/Partner letters, Announcements and other releases with brief summaries and links to the respective Web sites.  Following are recent publications and announcements for your review. 

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 

A monthly summary of selected announcements, publications and guidance from the U.S. Department of Education brought to you by UHEAA.

Dear Partner/Colleague Letters

GEN-04-13
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN0413.html

Summary:  This letter informs schools that additional copies of the 2004-2005 FAFSA will become available in December; and requests assistance in reducing the use of paper FAFSAs as electronic filing increases.

GEN-04-14
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN0414.html

Summary:  This letter contains information on changes made to the Higher Education Act to provide increased Federal Stafford Loan forgiveness for certain Elementary and Secondary School Teachers.

GEN-05-01
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/P0501.html

Summary:  2005-2006 Federal Pell Grant Payment and Disbursement Schedules.  This letter includes the Regular and Alternate Payment and Disbursement schedules for determining Federal Pell Grant awards for the 2005-2006 award year-July 1, 2005, to June 30, 2006.  Each schedule consists of four separate tables: full-time, three-quarter-time, half-time, and less-than-half-time.

ANN-05-01
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/ANN0501.html

Summary:  This letter announces FSA's release of the first of two web-based 2005-06 EDExpress Basics training modules.  EDExpress and EDConnect software basics training will be a computer/web-based training product available through the Internet to all schools.  EDExpress Basics will focus on providing users with the basic skills required to access and navigate the software.

ANN-05-02
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/ANN0502.html

Summary:  This letter announces a series of one-day workshops on Managing Audits and Program Reviews: Paths for Success, which will also cover self-assessment tools for post secondary institutions to use.  It also provides a link to FSA’s new registration system, where all workshops and locations are listed.

Announcements

Availability of 2005-2006 ISIR Guide
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/12010506ISIRGUIDE.html

The ISIR Guide is an invaluable reference designed to help Financial Aid Administrators (FAAs) interpret the information contained in electronic Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) returned to schools by the Central Processing System (CPS).  The term "ISIR" refers to all processed student information records that are sent electronically directly to institutions by the CPS.

2005-2006 SAR/ISIR Reference Materials
http://ifap.ed.gov/sarmaterials/0506SARISIRGuideJanUpdate.html

Guide to 2005-2006 ISIRs - January 2005 Update to the above referenced guide.

New PIN Terms and Conditions Activation Agreement and Challenge Question and Response Process To Be Implemented on  December 26, 2004
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/1216PINTermsCondChallenge.html

Two significant changes to the PIN (Personal Identification Number) process were implemented on December 26, 2004.  The PIN is an important tool for many of the Department’s online products. The PIN gives users the ability to sign documents electronically and to access personal data online.  The enhancements described in this message are important measures designed to provide a secure environment for all PIN users.

The changes include the implementation of a PIN Terms and Conditions Activation Agreement and a Challenge Question and Response. These security enhancements affect all PIN users, including students, parents, and financial aid administrators (FAAs).  Current holders of a PIN, as well as those who apply for a PIN on or after December 26, 2004, are affected by these changes.

Central Processing System (CPS) Updates Resulting from Changes to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Match
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/1223CPSVAMatchChanges.html

The following is a summary of the changes to the VA match process beginning on January 3, 2005:

1) Records returned from VA with match flag values of 2 (not a qualifying veteran) and 3 (not on VA database) will no longer have an assumed value of "No" to the veteran status question. This will prevent the record from being rejected solely for lack of parental data.

2) Records with match flag values of 2, 3, and 4 (active duty) will receive a SAR/ISIR comment and a SAR C flag if their veteran status is the only reason they are independent. If they qualify as independent for other reasons (marriage, age, dependents, etc.), no comment or C flag will be set.

3) Comment text for flags 2, 3, and 4 has been updated to direct the student to contact their Financial Aid Administrator (FAA) and provide the necessary documentation of their status.

Availability of EDExpress for Windows 2004-2005, Service Release 2.1
http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/12280405edexpressservrel21.html

The Department announces the availability of EDExpress for Windows 2004-2005 Service Release 2.1, which adds necessary functionality to EDExpress to synchronize the software with upcoming changes to the ED PIN authentication process.

2005-2006 Process Guide for Student Web Application Products
http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/1230ProcGuide0506WebApp.html

The Guide contains information about the changes the Department is making in 2005-2006 to FAFSA on the Web (www.fafsa.ed.gov) and the PIN Web site (www.pin.ed.gov).

Availability of EDExpress for Windows 2005-2006, Release 1.0
http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/0104EDExpress0506Release1.html

The posting of EDExpress for Windows 2005-2006, Release 1.0, on the Department's Federal Student Aid Download (FSAdownload) Web site, located at http://fsadownload.ed.gov.  This release contains Global, Application Processing, and Packaging functionality for the 2005-2006 cycle.

Updated 2005-2006 SAR/ISIR Comment Codes and Text (January 2005 Version)
http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/0111SARISIRCommCodes0506Jan.html

2005-2006 SAR/ISIR Comment Codes and Text - January 2005 Update is a guide for Financial Aid Administrators to evaluate comments on Student Aid Reports/Institutional Student Information Reports that are provided by the CPS as FAFSAs are processed.  This announcement includes a link to the following: http://ifap.ed.gov/sarmaterials/0506SARISIRCommCodesJan05.html

The reference guide is designed as a stand-alone document as well as a companion to the 2005-2006 EDE Technical Reference. It includes the 2005-2006 SAR Comment Text, the 2005-2006 SAR Acknowledgement Comment Text, the 2005-2006 ISIR Comment Text and the Tracking Log, which lists the changes.

EFC Formula Worksheets and Tables
http://ifap.ed.gov/efcinformation/0506EFCFormulaGuide.html

The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is the amount a family can be expected to contribute toward a student’s college costs. Financial aid administrators determine an applicant’s need for federal student aid from the U.S. Department of Education and other non-federal sources of assistance by subtracting the EFC from the student’s cost of attendance (COA). The EFC formula is used to determine the EFC and ultimately determine the need for federal student financial assistance.  This guide explains the EFC formula and includes the various worksheets that could be used in a hand calculation of the EFC.

FYI

Department of Veterans Affairs - Final Rule
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/06jun20041800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/pdf/04-27474.pdf

Summary:  Increase in Rates Payable Under the Montgomery GI Bill--Active Duty.  Monthly rates of basic educational assistance payable under the Montgomery GI Bill--Active Duty program must be adjusted each fiscal year.  Rates for the Fiscal Year 2005 (October 1, 2004, through September 30, 2005) are changed to show a 2% increase.  This final rule is effective December 15, 2004.

2005-2006 Verification Worksheets
http://ifap.ed.gov/vgworksheets/0506VerifWksheets.html

Contains both the Dependent and Independent 2005-2006 Verification Worksheets in PDF format. The use of the federal verification worksheets is not required. An institution may use a worksheet of its own design, or no worksheet at all. An institution may also require other documentation in addition to, or instead of, a completed verification worksheet.

NSLDS Reference Materials
http://ifap.ed.gov/nsldsmaterials/121704NSLDSTSMFAH.html

The National Student Loan Data System “Transfer Student Monitoring/Financial Aid History Processes and Batch File Layouts.”  Please note there are some important changes since the last release of the Transfer Student Monitoring/Financial Aid History Processes and Batch File Request document.

FASFA Instructions – Award Year 2005-2006
http://ifap.ed.gov/fafsa/0506DrugWorksheets.html

The final 2005-2006 drug worksheets. As in previous years, the Department has a version of the "Worksheet for Question 31" that will be mailed with the SAR as well as a drug worksheet for the Renewal Application. The format of the "Worksheet for Question 31" has not changed from last year.