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Hurricane Information - Hurricane Rita Information - Postsecondary Schools
Postsecondary Schools with questions can call 1-800-433-7327 or they can send an e-mail to fsa.customer.support@ed.gov.
Hurricane
Rita FAQ's
October 5, 2005
S 1. What assistance is available to schools impacted by Hurricane Rita?
S 2. I need additional staff to help me catch up with ISIR processing. How can I get help?
S 5. How is the mailing of student documents being affected?
S 7. How do I report my students on the SSCR who are unable to attend school due to Hurricane Rita?
S 1. What assistance is available to schools impacted by Hurricane Rita?
A. FEMA declared certain
counties in Texas and certain parishes in Louisiana disaster areas eligible
for "Individual Assistance" as a result of Hurricane Rita. These declarations
are in addition to the parishes and counties that FEMA had previously declared
disaster areas as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The provisions of Dear Colleague
Letter GEN-04-04 (http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN0404.html)
can and should, be relied upon by individuals, institutions, loan holders, and
guaranty agencies located in the Hurricane Rita declared disaster areas. (9/26
updated 10/05)
S 2. I need additional staff to help me catch up with ISIR processing. How can I get help?
A. CPS/SAIG Technical Support
can help you enroll additional people for FAA Access to CPS Online. Signature
pages are not required for FAA Access to CPS Online enrollment. If the person
you are enrolling already has a PIN, enrollment is effective immediately. Call
CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 800-330-5947 (TDD/TYY 800-511-5806) between the
hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Central Time or send an e-mail to CPSSAIG@ed.gov
for assistance.
A. The EDESuite software
is available to download from the Department’s FSA Download Web site at
http://fsadownload.ed.gov. CPS/SAIG
Technical Support can help you download and install the software. CPS/SAIG Technical
Support can restore files up to 180 days old to your SAIG mailbox. ISIR data
older than 180 days can be requested from the ISIR Datamart. Call CPS/SAIG Technical
Support at 800-330-5947 (TDD/TYY 800-511-5806) between the hours of 7:00 a.m.
and 7:00 p.m. Central Time or send an e-mail to CPSSAIG@ed.gov
for assistance.
A. The Department's published guidance, GEN-04-08 - Required Electronic Processes and Related System Requirements, contains the minimal and optimal system requirements. For additional information, call CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 800-330-5947 (TDD/TYY 800-511-5806) between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Central Time for assistance. (9/26)
S 5. How is the mailing of student documents being affected?
A. Because mail may not be delivered to many areas impacted by the hurricane, documents (i.e. SARs, PIN Mailers, Direct Loan billing statements, etc.) are being held until mail delivery resumes. We encourage all schools, lenders, servicers and guaranty agencies to check with the U.S. Postal Service to determine how to proceed with scheduled mail service to impacted areas. (9/27)
S 6. I may not be able to disburse all of my school’s allocated campus-based funds due to Hurricane Rita. Will future awards be reduced?
A. If a school returns more than 10 percent of its allocation under the Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Work-Study (FWS) or Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) program, the school's allocation for that program for the second succeeding award year is typically reduced by the unexpended amount. Schools impacted by Hurricane Rita that are located in an area that has been designated by FEMA for disaster assistance for individuals may be eligible for a waiver of this requirement. A school can request a waiver of the requirement when it files the FISAP. (9/27)
S 7. How do I report my students on the SSCR who are unable to attend school due to Hurricane Rita?
A. Until further notice from the Department, schools should continue to report as “in-school” all students who were in “in-school” status prior to the hurricane. This includes those students who are not currently attending for any other reason related to Hurricane Rita. Additional information can be found in the Department’s guidance on this subject, GEN-04-04 -General Guidance for Helping Title IV Participants Affected by a Disaster http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN0404.html. However, if a school learns of a student's withdrawal and wishes to report a withdrawal status on its SSCR, it may do so. In addition, if a displaced student enrolls in another institution, the receiving institution may add that student to its SSCR roster. For assistance, please contact the NSLDS Call Center at 1-800-999-8219. (9/27)
S 8.
My school may not be able to meet the minimum Federal Work-Study (FWS) community
service requirements because of placement difficulties caused by the effects
of Hurricane Rita. Will the requirement be waived?
A. Normally, schools are required to submit requests for such waivers before the beginning of the award year. However, schools impacted by Hurricane Rita that are located in an area that has been designated by FEMA for disaster assistance for individuals may be eligible for a waiver of this requirement. The Department is developing an alternate waiver request process for schools unable to meet this requirement. Once the new process has been developed, we will post it on this site. Please remember that employing FWS students in the cleanup and relief efforts for the communities affected by a disaster would be considered part of the institution's community services activities under the FWS Program. (9/27)
S 9. Will the awarding of campus-based aid for 2006-2007 awards be delayed because some schools will be late filing their FISAPs due to the hurricane?
A. At this time, 2006-2007 campus-based awards for all schools are expected to be announced on time by February 1, 2006. (9/27)
S 10. Due to Hurricane Rita, some of our students have experienced substantial economic and personal loss. Does my financial aid office have discretion in adjusting a student’s cost of attendance to reflect these extraordinary circumstances?
A. Section 479A of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, specifically gives the financial aid administrator the authority to use professional judgment to make adjustments to a student's cost of attendance or to the values of the items used in calculating the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) to reflect the student's special circumstances. Consistent with guidance we previously provided (see Dear Colleague Letter GEN-04-04 http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN0404.html on IFAP), the Secretary strongly encourages institutions to consider using professional judgment in order to reflect more accurately the financial need of students and families affected by a disaster. (9/27)
A. In some cases the new institution may not have received an ISIR from the CPS, since the student did not include that institution when the FAFSA was submitted. The new institution can be added to the CPS record in a number of ways -
In all instances, the receiving institution will be added to the CPS record and an ISIR will be generated and sent to the receiving institution within 24 to 72 hours.
For additional information, please review Electronic Announcement #1 http://www.ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/0927ritaann1.html on processing transfer students affected by Hurricane Rita. (9/29)
A. An FAA may sign a student’s paper FAFSA in place of the parent if the parent cannot be located. Using FAA Access, the signed paper FAFSA can be used as documentation to support the submission of an electronic application with the parent signed field being set. (10/04)
A. Affected schools in
Louisiana and Texas that offer a two-year associate or four-year bachelor’s
degree and are unable to provide 30 weeks of instruction because of Hurricane
Rita must contact the Department’s Dallas regional office (214 661-9490
or jackie.shipman@ed.gov) to request
a reduction to between 26 and 29 weeks. The current law does not allow the Secretary
to approve a reduction for schools that do not offer an associate or bachelor’s
degree or to approve a reduction of less than 26 weeks for any school. Please
see Hurricane
Rita Electronic Announcement #2 for additional details. (10/04)