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Verification 101
Shannon SimmonsClayton State University
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Verification 101
• Process by which certain required data reported on the FAFSA is reviewed for accuracy and completeness.
What is Verification?
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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
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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
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Verification 101
• CPS selection1. Edit checks which identify inconsistencies and potential errors2. Random selection
• School selection– Criteria set by school
How Are Applicants Selected?
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• 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?
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• Student is incarcerated
• Student is recent immigrant who arrived in US during 2010 or 2011
• Spouse or Parents unavailableo Deceased or Mentally or Physically incapacityo 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
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• Household size• Number enrolled in college• Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)• U.S. Income tax paid• Certain untaxed income and benefits
o Child Supporto IRA/Keogh Deductionso Interest on tax-free bonds
Required Verification Items
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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
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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?
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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
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• Used when reporting Pell, ACG, SMART and Direct Loan payments to COD
o V - Verified o W - Paid without Documentationo S - Selected, but not verifiedo Blank - ISIR not selected by CPS or school
Verification Status Codes
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 notmerit PJ
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Questions?