Federal Student Aid - IFAP
   

Publication Date: May 2006

DCL ID: ANN-06-05

Subject: HERA Training Opportunities

Posted on 05-30-2006

Since March, Federal Student Aid has issued a number of announcements and Dear Colleague Letters concerning the provisions of the Higher Education Reconciliation Act (HERA)(P.L. 109-171). We will also be offering on-line training on HERA, beginning next month, and we will be providing additional training and information in other venues as noted below. These include:

  • A series of instructor-led, live internet training sessions of approximately 1 ½ to 2 hours in length to be offered June 13 through August 17. These will include 16 sessions each of three modules: (1) ACG/SMART Grants, (2) Student Eligibility, Program Eligibility, Cost of Attendance, and Need Analysis, and (3) Loan Provisions.

    These are easy to attend web-based sessions. You can participate in them (each will be led by federal trainers) without leaving your desk. You will be able to view the PowerPoint presentations on your computer screen, and connect to the federal trainers through a toll-free telephone conference line. You will also be able to interact with the instructors and other participants by using your computer keyboard.

    Registration is required for these sessions. Please click on the link (http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/training/specific.html#hera) to choose the specific module, date and time that best fits your schedule.

  • A series of live Internet presentations of approximately 2 hours in length, delivered by senior Federal Student Aid officials. The first of these presentations is June 28, and we will provide more details on topics to be covered and registration procedures in the coming weeks.
  • A series of instructor-led, day-long workshops to be held at school sites and in Federal Student Aid's Regional Training Facilities. These workshops will be provided between September 12, 2006 and December 15, 2006. Watch for our training announcements posted to IFAP and follow the links to the registration site to select the session that best fits your needs.
  • Electronic Access Conferences: Federal Student Aid will provide a number of interest sessions at these conferences relating to the provisions of the Higher Education Act and the ways they affect the process of reporting and disbursing aid. The EAC's are scheduled for:
    • October 30 -November 2, 2006 in Orlando, FL.
    • November 28-December 1, 2006 in Las Vegas, NV.
  • NASFAA Conference, Seattle, WA, July 5-8, 2006: Federal Student Aid staff will be providing a number of interest sessions relating to the provisions of the Higher Education Reconciliation Act, including a federal update the last morning of the conference.
  • State and regional conferences: Federal Student Aid staff will be including information related to the Higher Education Reconciliation Act in Federal Updates and interest sessions when invited to do so by conference organizers.

Federal Student Aid is committed to providing financial aid administrators at all postsecondary institutions the information and tools necessary to comply with the provisions of the Higher Education Reconciliation Act. As new opportunities for information present themselves, we will inform you of those opportunities.