Federal Student Aid - IFAP
   

Publication Date: October 10, 2006

Author: G. Kay Jacks, General Manager, Application, Operations and Delivery Services, Federal Student Aid

Summary: Transition Completed--Funds Available for Campus-Based, ACG, National SMART Grant, Pell Grant, and Direct Loan (EDCAPS/GAPS and COD)

Posted on 10-10-2006

As explained in an Electronic Announcement posted on August 23, 2006 , the Department of Education (the Department) transitioned to a new financial operating environment in conjunction with the year-end close out of Fiscal Year 2006. We are pleased to report the successful completion of this work and the availability of the Grant Administration and Payment System (GAPS).

We appreciate schools' patience and understanding as the Department completed this important activity. As a reminder, we expect the financial processing backlog to be caught up in EDCAPS/GAPS by Thursday, October 12, 2006.

Notes:

1. Disbursements submitted to the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System during the EDCAPS/GAPS outage period will now be funded.

2. A school is not yet able to submit Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant) records to the COD System. However, the school is allowed to draw down and disburse ACG and National SMART Grant funds.

If a school needs additional ACG and/or National SMART Grant funds, it can request the funding increase per the guidelines we provided in an Electronic Announcement posted on August 9, 2006 . Requests submitted during the EDCAPS/GAPS outage period will now be funded.

If you have any questions about funding, contact one of the following help desks:

  • For questions related to the GAPS, contact the GAPS hotline at 888/336-8930 or go to the e-Payments Web site .
  • For questions related to the Campus-Based programs, contact the Campus-Based Call Center at 877/801-7168. You may also e-mail CBFOB@ed.gov.
  • For questions related to the COD System, contact the COD School Relations Center at 800/4PGRANT (800/474-7268) for ACG, National SMART Grant, and Pell Grant or 800/848-0978 for Direct Loan. You may also e-mail CODSupport@acs-inc.com.