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Special Family Circumstances and the FAFSA
SACAC Drive Through WorkshopAugust 27, 2015
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AgendaOUR
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• Orphans, students who were/are in foster care OR who have court appointedlegal guardians
• Homeless or @ Risk of Homelessness
• Dislocated Workers
• Displaced Homemakers
• “DACA” Students
General Resources OUR
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• NASFAA’s “Tip Sheet” for Completing the FAFSA - http://www.nasfaa.org/uploads/documents/ektron/0c3be92f-1e30-40fe-b62c-fb599b8bac22/049171f4b7d44a01a5e8d4e9f9e589b412.pdf
• NASFAA’s “Tip Sheet” for Non-Traditional Students – http://www.nasfaa.org/uploads/documents/ektron/23ba3c72-1143-4435-b3bc-1f82ca20c806/686fdd58d2b546debe734859086967872.pdf
General Resources OUR
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• NASFAA has worked in collaboration with other higher education organizations and The U.S. Department of Education to develop an English-to-Spanish Glossary of Financial Aid Terms - http://www.nasfaa.org/uploads/documents/ektron/88fdd293-2f4e-4c63-996e-f4bb95192879/0787ae7a3bcd4d0e98888ea6e82a69344.pdf
• Providing Effective Financial Aid Assistance to Foster Care and Unaccompanied Homeless Youth http://www.californiacasa.org/Downloads/Providing_Effective_Financial_Aid.pdf
Orphans, Students in Foster Care or Who have Legal Guardians
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Who is the “FAFSA Parent” in this age of blended families?
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/sites/default/files/fafsa-parent.pdf
To file the FAFSA as an orphan, must be able to ultimately show that both biological
parents are deceased
Orphans, Students in Foster Care or Who have Legal Guardians
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Students who indicate that they are / were placed in foster care on or after their 13th birthday OR have legal guardians appointed on or after their 13th birthday may need to provide documentation to the school to support this status• Documentation must come from the court that either
put the student in foster care OR appointed a legal guardian for them.
• Parents do not count as “legal guardians” for the purpose of this question.
These students are treated as “independent” students for the purpose of federal student aid programs
What happens with the FAFSA ?OUR
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“The online FAFSA will ask you whether you are able to provide information about your parents. If you are not, you will have the option to indicate that you have special circumstances that make you unable to get your parents’ information. The site then allows you to submit your application without entering data about your parents.
However, it is important for you to understand the following:Although your FAFSA will be submitted, it will not be fully processed. You will not receive an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and must immediately contact the financial aid office at the college or career school you plan to attend.
The financial aid staff may ask for additional information to determine whether you can be considered independent and have an EFC calculated without parent data. Gather as much written evidence of your situation as you can. Written evidence may include court or law enforcement documents; letters from a clergy member, school counselor or social worker; and/or any other relevant data that explains your special circumstance.
The financial aid office’s decision about your dependency status is final and cannot be appealed to the U.S. Department of Education.”
Other Resources for these StudentsOUR
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• Foster Care2Success - http://www.fc2success.org/Volunteers help youth meet their immediate needs – housing, jobs and transportation, before helping them develop goals beyond basic survival. With four small $500 grants, the founder created what is now the FC2S scholarship program. FC2S has grown into the largest provider of college funding and support services for foster youth in the nation.
• Chafee Education and Training Voucher Program - https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/sites/default/files/foster-youth-vouchers.pdf and http://www.osfa.la.gov/Chafee.htm
• “CASA New Orleans - http://www.casaneworleans.org/ • New Orleans Family Justice Center -
http://www.nofjc.org/
An individual is considered homeless if he or she lacks fixed, regular and adequate housing. You may be homeless if you are living in a shelter, park, motel or car, or temporarily living with
other people because you have nowhere else to go.
Also, if you are living in any of these situations and fleeing an abusive parent you may be
considered homeless when completing your FAFSA even if your parent would provide support
and a place to live.
Homeless / “At Risk for Homelessness”OUR
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Resources:
The National Association for Education of Homeless Children and Youth (“NAEHCY”) – Higher Education Resources Section - http://www.naehcy.org/educational-resources/higher-ed
-- Avoiding Common FAFSA ErrorsThis NAEHCY tip sheet lists the most common errors many students, including homeless students and students coming out of foster care, make when completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). These errors stop the processing of the FAFSA and delay the disbursement of funds students need to pay college expenses. The tip sheet also provides suggestions for avoiding these mistakes.
Homeless / “At Risk for Homelessness”OUR
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Making Student Status Determinations for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth: Eligibility Tool for Financial Aid Administrators
This form, developed collaboratively by NAEHCY and the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE), is to be completed by a college financial aid administrator (FAA) who is evaluating a student’s eligibility for independent student status. It provides guidance to assist FAAs in making a determination in cases where a student, seeking independent student status as an unaccompanied homeless youth, comes to the attention of a FAA and a prior status determination by a local liaison or shelter is unavailable.
Homeless / “At Risk for Homelessness”OUR
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• Volunteers of America Homeless Teen Services - http://www.voaut.org/homeless-teen-services
• Covenant House New Orleans - http://www.covenanthouseno.org/
• UNITY of Greater New Orleans - http://unitygno.org/
Other ResourcesOUR
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The “FAFSA” Question:As of today, are you (or your spouse) a dislocated worker?
In general, a person may be considered a dislocated worker if he or she• is receiving unemployment benefits due to being laid off or losing a job and is unlikely to return to a previous occupation;• has been laid off or received a lay-off notice from a job;• was self-employed but is now unemployed due to economic conditions or natural disaster;• is the spouse of an active duty member of the Armed Forces and has experienced a loss of employment because of relocating due to permanent change in duty station;
Status does NOT apply to anyone who voluntarily QUITS a job
Who is a “Dislocated Worker” ?OUR
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The federal student aid formulas assume that PRIOR year income is a good indicator of CURRENT YEAR income. When it isn’t (which means that the family has to provide documentation to the financial aid office), schools can switch to using “estimated year” income to determine the student’s eligibility for aid.
Schools normally will send the family a form asking them to describe their current year income and sometimes expenses. An example is posted at http://olhcc.edu/finaid/docs/1516_Income-Reduction%20Loss-Prof-Judg.pdf
Who is a “Dislocated Worker” ?OUR
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A displaced homemaker is generally a person who:
• previously provided unpaid services to the family (e.g., a stay-at-home mom or dad),
• is no longer supported by the husband or wife,
• is unemployed or underemployed, AND
• is having trouble finding or upgrading employment.
Victims of domestic violence potentially fall into this category
Who is a “Displaced Homemaker” ?OUR
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Scholarship information for “non-traditional” students - http://olhcc.edu/finaid/scholarships/non-traditiional_student.html
Dress for Success New Orleans - https://neworleans.dressforsuccess.org/
New Orleans Family Justice Center - http://www.nofjc.org/
Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence - http://lcadv.org/
Louisiana Workforce Commission - http://www.laworks.net/Office of Workforce Development , City of New Orleans - http://www.nola.gov/economic-development/workforce-development/
The Allstate Foundation’s Moving Ahead Through Financial Management Curriculum - https://www.allstatefoundation.org/domestic_violence_financial.html
- Purple Purse Program : http://purplepurse.com/
ResourcesOUR
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Aid for Undocumented Students OUR
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Aid for Undocumented Students OUR
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Undocumented students...• Are aspiring citizens who came to the United States without legal documentation or who have overstayed their visa.• Often don’t know they are undocumented until they begin the college application process.• Don’t qualify for federal grants or loans even if they are in financial need and their parents pay taxes.• Have worked and studied hard, and they want to be able to use their talents and gifts to give back to their communities.
National Immigration Law Center Toolkit http://www.nilc.org/pubs.html
Aid from Colleges and Universities
•Institutional scholarships, grants, loans, or work-study programs•Availability of institutional aid varies widelyFor more information: http://getmetocollege.org/hs/financial-aid/info-for-undocumented-students/school-policies-towards-undocumented-students
Student Options for Financial AidOUR
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Resources from NASFAA
Five Tips for Advising Undocumented Students About Financial Aid http://www.nasfaa.org/news-item/1393/5_Tips_For_Advising_Undocumented_Students_About_Financial_Aid
Tip Sheet for Working with Undocumented Studentshttp://www.nasfaa.org/uploads/documents/ektron/9bbef920-9549-441f-a931-a23cc97a3889/b5eb27cfd02d4b1dbefda62566dd9af45.pdf
Student Options for Financial AidOUR
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Federal Student Aid Resources
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/sites/default/files/financial-aid-and-undocumented-students.pdf
1. Instructions on how to complete the FAFSA2. STUDENT must have a Social Security Number –
http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/deferred_action.pdf
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/rights/guid/unaccompanied-children.html
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/rights/guid/unaccompanied-children-2.pdf
Student Options for Financial AidOUR
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Examples of Aid from Private Sources:
•Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund - http://www.maldef.org/
•Latino College Dollars - http://www.latinocollegedollars.org/
•Geneseo Migrant Center - http://www.migrant.net/index.html
Student Options for Financial Aid
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NASFAA’s List of Policies and Laws on Undocumented Students per state - http://www.nasfaa.org/DREAM_Act_for_Undocumented_Students
National Immigration Law Center Resources–Access to Education: http://www.nilc.org/highered.html–Map: http://www.nilc.org/eduaccesstoolkit2.html#maps–Information on DACA http://www.nilc.org/dreamdeferred.html
Immigrant Legal Resource Center: www.ilrc.org
Admistrative Relief Resource Center: www.adminrelief.org iAmerica.org : www.iamerica.org Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) -https://cliniclegal.org/We Own the Dream: www.weownthedream.orgU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services www.uscis.gov
Other ResourcesOUR
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College Guide for Undocumented Students - http://www.bestcolleges.com/resources/undocumented-students-guide/
From the College Board:-- Advising Undocumented Students : https://professionals.collegeboard.com/guidance/financial-aid/undocumented-students
-- Repository of Resources for Undocumented Studentshttps://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/Repository-Resources-Undocumented-Students_2012.pdf
General ResourcesOUR
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