Review of Recent Announcements

As a service to its participating schools and lenders, Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority offers the following review of recent announcements and releases from the U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, and related sources.  These reminders cover topics of general interest and importance that relate to the administration of federal student aid.

Electronic Announcements

Date: March 05, 2008
Summary: Federal Student Aid announced that a variety of information resources are available for blind and visually impaired students enrolling in or currently enrolled in postsecondary education. Those resources include an audio recording and publications in Braille.
http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/0305ResforBlindVisuallyImp.html

Date: March 24, 2008
Summary: FSA announced that the first Pell Grant Administrative Cost Allowance payments for the 2007-2008 award year would be deposited directly into school bank accounts over the next few weeks. ACA payment amount notifications will be sent to the school’s SAIG mailbox.
http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/0324FirstACAPellGrantACAPynt0708.html

Date: March 25, 2008
Summary: FSA corrected instructions for line 8 of Worksheet B of the 2008-2009 FAFSA. The instructions are being corrected in FAFSA on the Web and in online PDF files. However, FSA is unable to correct printed versions of the FAFSA and Worksheet until future reprints.
http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/0325CorrectWksht0809FAFSA.html

FSA Handbook

Date: March 06, 2008
Summary: Federal Student Aid posted Volume 6 of the 2008-2009 FSA Handbook.  Each chapter of Volume 6 - Campus-Based Programs is presented as a separate PDF file. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 software is required to read the file.
http://ifap.ed.gov/sfahandbooks/0809FSAHandbookVol6.html

Federal Register

Date: March 10, 2008
Summary: The Secretary of Education announced the 2008-2009 award year deadline dates for the submission of requests and documents from postsecondary institutions for the Campus-Based programs.
http://ifap.ed.gov/fregisters/FR03102008DeadlinedatesforCampusBased.html

Date: March 10, 2008
Summary: FSA provided notice of the deadline dates for the receipt of 2008-2009 State applications for the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) and Special Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (SLEAP) Programs.
http://ifap.ed.gov/fregisters/FR03102008DeadlinedatesforReceiptofStateApp.html

Date: March 21, 2008
Summary: The U.S. Department of Education posted Proposed Rules for the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant program and other Federal Student Aid programs as needed to implement the TEACH Grant program.  Anyone interested is invited to submit comments by April 21, 2008.
http://ifap.ed.gov/fregisters/FR03212008TECH.html

Date: March 24, 2008
Summary: The Secretary proposes to amend regulations governing education records maintained by education agencies and institutions under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. The proposed changes are needed to implement amendments to FERPA contained in the USA Patriot Act and the Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act, and to implement two U.S. Supreme Court decisions.  Comments on the proposed rulemaking are due May 8, 2008.
http://ifap.ed.gov/fregisters/FR03242008.html

Dear Partner/Colleague Letters

Date: March 18, 2008
CB-08-03
Summary: FSA announced the April 1, 2008, posting to the eCampus-Based Web site of the schools’ 2008-2009 final funding authorizations for the Campus-Based programs.
http://ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/CB0803.html

Date: March 19, 2008
ANN-08-02
Summary:  FSA announced a series of one-day workshops covering implementation of Final Rules published on October 29 and November 1, 2007, and the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) enacted September 27, 2007. Beginning April 15, the workshops will run through June 17, 2008. The Utah workshop is scheduled for May 30, 2008, in Salt Lake City.
http://ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/ANN0802.html

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.

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