Session C-33 Professional Judgment Carney McCullough U.S. Department of Education

Session C-33

Professional Judgment

Carney McCulloughU.S. Department of Education

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Professional Judgment

• Areas to which professional judgment applies

– Dependency override– Expected family contribution– Cost of attendance– Unsubsidized loan eligibility—new– FFEL/DL denial– Satisfactory academic progress

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Dependency Override

• Independent student is defined in section 480(d) of the HEA

– Meets one of eight criteria specified in the HEA and reflected on the FAFSA, or

– Is a student for whom a financial aid administrator makes a documented determination of independence by reason of other unusual circumstances.

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Dependency Override

• Case-by-case

• Unusual circumstances

– Per Webster: rare, extraordinary, uncommon, unexpected, distinctive

• Documented!

– Determination and supporting documentation

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Dependency Override

• Conditions that do NOT qualify as “unusual circumstances” individually or in combination

– Parents refuse to contribute to the student’s education

– Parents are unwilling to provide information on the FAFSA or for verification

– Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes

– Student demonstrates that he or she is totally self-sufficient

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Dependency Override• Examples that may constitute “unusual

circumstances”

– Student’s voluntary or involuntary removal from parents’ home due to an abusive situation that threatened the student’s safety and/or health

– Incapacity of parents such as incarceration or a disability or mental or physical illness

– Inability of the student to locate the parent(s) after making reasonable efforts

– Other extenuating circumstances sufficiently documented by a signed letter from a third party

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Dependency Override

• Documentation

– Must document the reason for the determination and maintain documentation supporting the decision

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Dependency Override

• Documentation—cont’d.

– Should obtain supporting documentation from a third party with knowledge of the unusual circumstances. Includes—

• Counselors or teachers• Clergy• Community groups• Government agencies• Medical personnel• Courts• Prison administrators

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Dependency Override


– In cases where third-party documentation cannot be obtained, may accept signed statement from relatives, friends, or the student

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Dependency Override

• You may make an otherwise dependent student, independent

• You may not make an independent student, dependent

• Annual determination—must affirm each year that the unusual circumstances still exist

• Valid only at the school that performed the override (2008-09)

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Dependency Override

• Effective for the 2009-10 award year, a financial aid administrator may rely on a dependency override performed by another institution for the same award year

--Section 480(d)(2), College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007

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Dependency Override

• What would you do?

– Margaret has lived with her father and grandmother her entire life. Her father died when she was 16 and she continues to live with her grandmother. There is currently a restraining order against her mother which forbids any contact. The order was issued after the mother tried to kidnap her when she was 15. She doesn’t know how to fill out her FAFSA.

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Dependency Override


– Annie is 21 years old. She’s been in trouble and was arrested, tried, and convicted for passing bad checks. She’s now on probation under very strict criteria. One of those criteria is that she is forbidden from having any contact with her mother who works for the probation department. She comes to you because she doesn’t know how she can get parental information to complete her FAFSA. Her father is deceased and she has a married sister who lives close by.

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Expected Family Contribution/Cost of Attendance

Section 479A of the Higher Education Act of 1965,as amended—

“(a) IN GENERAL—Nothing in this part shall be interpreted as limiting the authority of the financial aid administrator, on the basis of adequate documentation, to make adjustments on a case-by-case basis to the cost of attendance or the values of the data items required to calculate the expected student or parent contribution (or both) to allow for treatment of an individual eligible applicant with special circumstances.”

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• Examples of special circumstances listed in section 479A of the HEA—

– Elementary or secondary school tuition expenses

– Medical, dental, or nursing home expenses not covered by insurance

– Unusually high child or dependent care costs– Recent unemployment of family member or

independent student

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• Examples of special circumstances listed in section 479A of the HEA—cont’d.

– Family member or student is a dislocated worker

– Parents enrolled in college– Change in housing status resulting in

homelessness– Other changes in family’s income, family’s

assets, or student’s status

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• Use of professional judgment is—

– Not limited to these circumstances

– Not required in these circumstances

– Examples are just that:

• Ideas about the types of conditions you might consider

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• Examples of “unreasonable” adjustments—

– Vacation expenses– Tithing expenses– Standard living expenses such as utilities, cable

bills, credit card payments, cell phone, children’s allowances

– Standard maintenance items such as lawn care, home repair, and gasoline

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•Remember!

– Must be “special circumstances”– Must be individual, not a class of students– Must have adequate documentation– Cannot use professional judgment to

waive eligibility requirements (e.g. regular student) or circumvent the intent of the statute

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Expected Family Contribution

• To adjust the EFC—

– Must adjust a data element in the formula (e.g. AGI)

– May not—

• Change the formula itself (e.g. asset conversion rate) or the tables

• Make an adjustment to the PC, SC, or EFC• Make the adjustment on the initial FAFSA

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•Remember—– Must first resolve any conflicting

information before making an adjustment– Must verify base year data if selected for

verification– Adjustment is only valid at the school

making it– Must use resulting EFC consistently for all

FSA funds

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• Things to Remember—

– Income Protection Allowance

• For parents and independent students with dependents

– Increases as family size increases– Decreases as number in college increases

• For dependent students

– 2008-09 = $3,000– 2009-10 = $3,750

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• Things to Remember—cont’d.

•For independent students without dependents other than a spouse

– Single and married with both in college» 2008-09 = $6,050» 2009-10 = $7,000

– Married with one in college» 2008-09 = $ 9,700» 2009-10 = $11,220

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• The IPA is—

– 30% food– 22% housing– 9% transportation– 16% clothing and personal– 11% medical– 12% other family consumption

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• What would you?

– Sam is married and has two children– Sam had $2,300 in unreimbursed medical

expenses– Sam is the only family member in college– IPA is $24,220

• $24,220 x 11% = $2,664

– Would you make an adjustment for Sam?

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• What would you?

– Susie is a dependent student who lives with her mother and sister

– Susie is the only family member in college– Susie’s mother has incurred credit card

debt of $8,000– IPA is $19,150

• $19,150 x 12% = $2,298

– Would you make an adjustment for Susie?

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• Things to Remember—

– Education Savings and Asset Protection Allowance

• Increases with the age of the parent/independent student

• Deducted from net worth

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• Things to Remember—cont’d.

– Asset Conversion Rate

• Parent’s rate = 12%• Dependent student’s rate = 20%• Independent student

– Without dependents other than a spouse = 20%

– With dependents other than a spouse = 7%

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• How the Asset Contribution is calculated

$100,000 net value rental home+ 5,000 savings$105,000 net worth- 42,300 APA$ 62,700 discretionary net worthx .12 asset conversion rate$ 7,524 included in parental contribution

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– Mary’s parent s own a rental home with a net worth of $100,000

– The rental home burns down

– Family loses potential rental income

– Upcoming insurance settlement

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Cost of Attendance

• Tuition and fees

• Room and board

• Books and supplies; computer allowance

• Transportation

• Miscellaneous personal expenses

• Dependent care allowance

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Cost of Attendance – cont’d.

• Disability related expenses

• Study abroad expenses

• Cooperative education expenses

• Loan fees

• Cost of obtaining first professional credential or license

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• Less than half-time students—

– Tuition and fees

– Books and supplies

– Transportation

– Dependent care

– Room and Board (limited to not more than 3 semesters/2 consecutive)

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• Students enrolled in correspondence program—


– Books and supplies, if required

– Transportation

– Room and Board (only for required residential training)

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• Incarcerated students—


– Books and supplies, if required

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• Documentation—

– Must document the reason for the determination and maintain documentation supporting the decision

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• Documentation—cont’d.– Examples—

• Medical bills not reimbursed by insurance

• Elementary/Secondary school tuition bills

• Child care or dependent care bills

• Pay stubs

• Documentation of unemployment

• Tax returns

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– Can I collect too much documentation:

•Not a chance!•No way!•NO!•NEVER!•Not!

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Unsubsidized Loan Eligibility

• The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA) amended section 479A of the HEA to allow FAAs to offer a dependent student an unsubsidized FFEL/DL without parental data being provided on the FAFSA if the FAA verifies that—

– The parent or parents of such student have ended financial support of the student, and

– The parents refuse to file such form

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• New provision was effective upon enactment of the HEOA—August 14, 2008

• Operational details will be forthcoming

• What we do know is that the FAA must verify the situation by collecting appropriate documentation

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What would you do?

– Julie is a 21-year-old student who lives with her parents. Her parents do not believe that the Federal government has the legal right to levy income tax, so they have not paid taxes or filed a tax return for the last ten years. Julie has been working since she turned 18 and does file a tax return each year. Her parents refuse to provide any information or sign the FAFSA.

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FFEL/DL Certification

• An institution may refuse to certify or may reduce the borrower’s determination of need.

– Must be done on a case-by-case basis– Reason must be documented and provided to

the student in writing– Documentation must be retained in student’s

file– No discrimination

Section 479A(c) of the HEA, 34 C.F.R. sections 682.603(e) and 685.301(a)(7)

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Satisfactory Academic Progress

• An institution may determine that a student is making SAP although the student does not have the appropriate GPA at the end of the second year if the institution determines that student’s failure to meet the requirements is due to—

– Death of a relative– Injury or illness of the student– Other special circumstances

Must be documented!

Section 484(c) of the HEA, 34 C.F.R. section 668.34(c)

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Contact Information

We appreciate your feedback and comments. I can be reached at:

• Phone: 202-502-7639• Email: [email protected]• Fax: 202-502-7874

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Additional Scenarios

• What would you do? For each scenario:

– Would you exercise professional judgment?

– What type of documentation would you request?

– What type of adjustment(s) would you make?

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Additional Scenarios – cont’d.

• Evan is a 20-year-old student. Evan had lived with his mother and two younger siblings until his mother recently remarried. His mother and stepfather have a prenuptial agreement that the stepfather will cover household expenses, but no extra costs for Evan and his siblings like tuition, music lessons, etc. Evan asks that his stepfather’s income not be included because his mother and stepfather have only been married for six months and Evan has not lived with him.

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• Patrick is concerned because his father has been unemployed since February. This has caused the family to drastically cut their expenses and use their savings to meet living expenses. Using Patrick’s parents’ base year income, he has a nine-month EFC of 1450.

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• Dory has requested an income reduction due to the fact that her husband’s business is not making the same money this year as last year. He makes and installs cabinets and has had to drop his hourly rate from $26 to $14 to get business.

Documents

Session C-33 Professional Judgment Carney McCullough U.S. Department of Education