application processing update michele brown, applicant products and customer service jody sears,...

Application Processing Update

Michele Brown, Applicant Products and Customer Service

Jody Sears, Application Processing Division

U.S. Department of Education

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Agenda 2008-2009 Highlights

• Early Awareness• Spanish Initiatives• SAR Redesign• Print Distribution

Changes• Real-Time PIN

• Simplification, Enhancements and Improving Accuracy of Applicant Data– FOTW– Renewals– Corrections– FAA Access– CPS Processing

Updates

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Early Awareness• Goals of FAFSA4caster

– Provide general information relative to student financial aid

– Foster early awareness and create familiarity with the aid application process and form

– Serve as an early analysis tool informing of college affordability

– Reduce the time required to submit the “official” financial aid application in students’ senior year and beyond

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FAFSA4caster www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov

Early Awareness

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Early Awareness

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Early Awareness

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Early Awareness

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Early Awareness

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Early Awareness

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Early Awareness

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Spanish Initiatives• FOTW re-designed to work as a

stand-alone Spanish language Web site

• Spanish language outputs, notifications and survey have been added

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Spanish Initiatives

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Spanish Initiatives

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Spanish Initiatives

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SAR Redesign• Goals of SAR redesign

–Streamline the text and provide results of the application process

–Provide EFC–Verification selection–Next steps, including issue resolution

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SAR Redesign• Front page

simplified by creating two main sections– Application

Status– Federal Student

Aid Eligibility• Students informed

if they have been selected for verification

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SAR Redesign• Comments on

page 3 re-formatted to create a checklist identifying tasks that students must complete

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Application Processing StatisticsThrough Week 44

For 2007-2008• 96% of FAFSAs

were filed electronically

• 4% of FAFSAs filed on paper

0

2,000,000

4,000,000

6,000,000

8,000,000

10,000,000

12,000,000

14,000,000

Electronic Paper2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008

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FAFSA Print and Distribution Strategy

• To date, Federal Student Aid printed and distributed over 12 million 2007-2008 paper FAFSAs

• The strategy for 2008-2009 is to increase the application options for students

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FAFSA Print and Distribution Strategy

• FAFSA on the Web– FOTW worksheet – Available for order through FSAPubs– Available for download on FOTW

• PDF FAFSA• Paper FAFSA

– Available to students through FSAIC• Paper FAFSA

– Available by special request to schools and delivery partners through FSAPubs

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Real-Time PIN

• Top issues for 1-800-4FED-AID–I lost my PIN–I need to get a duplicate PIN–How do I retrieve my PIN?–Do my parents need a PIN?

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Real-Time PIN

• Our customers wanted-–To receive their PIN instantly–Ability to create a meaningful PIN during the application process

–Avoid delays in the application process

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PIN Home Page

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FAFSA Simplification• Enhanced skip logic

– Reduced the number of questions and Web pages that display

• Enhanced parent data transfer – Improved parent data transfer

function for multiple children • Enhanced user experience

– Reordered and reworded questions for better flow and clarity

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FAFSA Enhancements

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Improving the Accuracy of Applicant Data

• CPS processing enhancements added to improve the accuracy of applicant data–Edit changes–CPS match changes– ISIR changes–NSLDS elements

REAL-TIME PIN APPLICATION PROCESS

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Real-Time PINPIN Web Site

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Real-Time PINPIN Web Site

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Real-Time PINPIN Web Site

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Real-Time PINPIN Web Site

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Real-Time PINPIN Web Site

• PINs will be generated and available to immediately sign the FAFSA– Prior to a successful SSA match,

the PIN will have limited functionality

– After a successful SSA match, the PIN will have full functionality

– If SSA match fails, PIN will not be usable until the match reject is resolved

2008-2009 FAFSA SIMPLIFICATION,

ENHANCEMENTS AND IMPROVING ACCURACY OF

APPLICANT DATA

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FAFSA SimplificationSkip Logic

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FAFSA SimplificationSkip Logic

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FAFSA SimplificationSkip Logic

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FAFSA SimplificationImproved User Experience

• Re-worded some questions and responses to improve clarity

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Now allows 10 School Codes

FAFSA Simplification Improved User Experience

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FAFSA Simplification Improved User Experience

• Improved the Parental information transfer function

FAFSARenewal

RenewalFAFSA

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FAFSA SimplificationSignature Process

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FAFSA SimplificationSignature Process

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FAFSA SimplificationSignature Process

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FAFSA SimplificationSubmission Confirmation

2008-2009 RENEWAL PROCESS

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Renewal Process

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Renewal Process• For 2008-09, the following

records will be renewal eligible:– Records with Dependency Override

set– Records with Professional

Judgment (FAA Adjustment) set

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Renewal Process• Records submitted on the web

will be checked for a Dependency Override in the previous year– If dependent, message will refer the

student to the FAA – Students who have become

independent since the previous year will be allowed to complete FAFSA by providing student information only

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Renewal Process• For 2008-09, the following values will

not be carried forward– Means-tested federal benefits programs – Exemptions for parent and student

• For 2008-09, the following values will be carried forward– Active Duty Military?– Are you Male?– Type of Aid Interested in Receiving?

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Renewal Process• Students will receive renewal

reminders to complete their pre-filled FAFSAs in January and February– E-mail reminder notifications will

contain a link to the FAFSA Web site– Paper reminder notifications will be sent

to students without valid e-mail addresses

2008-2009 CORRECTION PROCESS

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Correction Process

New Old

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Correction Process

FAA ACCESS TO CPS ONLINE

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FAA Access to CPS Online• Increased school code choices

and housing choices to ten• FAAs can access another

student’s record from Application Entry and the Verification Tool

• FAAs will be able to access renewal applications using the students DRN

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FAA Access to CPS OnlineCorrections

• Fourth column removed

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FAA Access to CPS OnlineCorrections

• New pop-up message

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ISIR Analysis Tool

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ISIR Analysis Tool-New Feature

• Demonstration Site – NEW for 2008-09

• Enhanced report feature to examine ISIR fields that impact EFC and Pell Grant Eligibility

• Available February 2008

IMPROVING ACCURACY OF APPLICANT DATA

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Improving AccuracyCPS Edit Changes

• New Reject 4: non-verifiable reject (FAA-only override) if Marital Status Date is greater than the date the application was signed

• New Reject 20: non-verifiable reject (FAA-only override) for non-filers whose income exceeds the IRS requirements for filing a federal tax return

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Improving AccuracyCPS Edit Changes

• Added a warning edit for applicants whose tax filing status is “Will File” and they are correcting one of the following fields:– AGI– Earned Income– Taxes Paid– Exemptions

• New edit will ask applicants to re-answer the tax return question

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Improving AccuracyMatch Changes

• Selective Service– SAR C Flag and comment will be

suppressed when •Student indicates veteran status and•VA Match Flag equals 1 (Match) and•Selective Service Match equals “N”

(No Match) or “T” (Match conducted, student within 45 days of 18th birthday)

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ISIR Changes• Unofficial EFC will be calculated for

records with signature only rejects (14, 15 and/or 16)– Records will be rejected with no official EFC

calculated– Signature Reject EFC field added to ISIR for

use by state agencies and schools– Signature required to resolve reject– Unofficial EFC will not display on SAR– Unofficial EFC cannot be used to award or

disburse aid

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ISIR NSLDS Changes

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ISIR NSLDS Changes • ACG and National SMART Grant Data fields

added

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Participation ManagementSystem Changes

• Current assignment of TG numbers is being modified to allow for alpha characters in the 3rd byte (e.g. TGA1234)

• Supply of existing unassigned TG numbers is dwindling-- – Currently at number TG45988– We will run out of numbers at

TG49999

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Web Demo Sites• Fafsademo.test.ed.gov

– FOTW– FAA Access to CPS Online– ISIR Analysis Tool (available

February, 2008)• User Name: eddemo• Password: fafsatest • Available 12/2/2007

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2008-09 Application Processing Release Schedule

• August–Draft ISIR Record Layout posted to IFAP

• October– Summary of Changes for the

Application Processing System– CPS Test System Users Guide– EDE Technical Reference

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2008-09 Application Processing Release Schedule

• November– ISIR Guide–SAR Comment Codes and Text–School Electronic Process Guide

–Student Web Application Products Process Guide

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2008-09 Application Processing Release Schedule

• December– EFC Formula Guide

• January– FOTW available for 2008-09 (1/1)– CPS Processing starts up for 2008-

09 (1/2)– 2008-09 EDExpress Release 1

becomes available

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Other Application Processing Sessions of Note

• Resolving Database Match Results (SAR-C Codes) and CPS Rejects (Session #14)

• EDExpress (Session #15)• Hands-on - FAA Access to CPS Online

for New Users (Session #21)• Hands-on Tour of R2T4 on the Web

(Session #22)

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Contact Information We appreciate your feedback and

comments. We can be reached at:

Michele BrownPhone: 202-377-3203

Email: Michele.Brown@ed.gov

Jody SearsPhone: 202-377-3604

Email: Joellen.Sears@ed.gov