1. Verification: Birds and Bees Megan DeWitt North Central Missouri College April Mason University of Missouri

2. Verification Roadmap Introduction – Who should be verified and why? Standard Verification – Verification tracking groups – Required verification items – Acceptable verification documentation QA Verification – What is it and how is it different? – QA verification process Common Verification Issues – Conflicting information – Other Questions

3. Why verify? Verification: The process your school uses to confirm that the data reported on your FAFSA is accurate. Your school has the authority to contact you for documentation that supports income and other information that you reported.

4. Who must be verified? Student selected by the Department of Education – Verification flag of “Y” – Asterisk next to EFC referring to a comment in the student section of the SAR that tells applicants they will be asked by their schools to provide additional documentation Student selected by the school – Must verify any information you have reason to believe is incorrect – May require a student to verify any FAFSA information and to provide reasonable documentation in accordance with consistently applied institutional practices

5. Standard Verification 2014-2015 Verification Tracking Groups – V1: Standard Verification – V2: SNAP, eliminated for 2014-2015 – V3: Child Support Paid Verification – V4: Custom Verification Group – V5: Aggregate Verification Group – V6: Household Resources Verification Group

6. V1 Required Verification Items All Applicants – Household Size – Number in College – SNAP Benefits (if reported on ISIR) – Child Support Paid (if reported on ISIR)

7. V1 Required Verification Items Tax Filers – Adjusted Gross Income – U.S. Income Tax Paid – Untaxed Portions of IRA Distributions – Untaxed Portions of Pensions – IRA Deductions and Payments – Tax Exempt Interest Income – Education Credits Non-Tax Filers – Income Earned From Work

8. V1 Acceptable Verification Documentation Tax Filers – IRS Data Retrieval Tool – Tax Return Transcript Non-Filers – Signed statement certifying Individual has not filed and is not required to file 2013 tax return Sources of income earned from work and amounts of income from each source – Copy of W-2s for each source of employment income

9. V1 Acceptable Verification Documentation Household size – signed statement (name, age, relationship) is not required if: -Dependent student household size reported is 2 and parent is single, separated, divorced or widowed; OR if the household size is 3 and parents are married or unmarried and living together. –Independent student household size is 1 and applicant is single, separated, divorced or widowed; OR if the household size is 2 and the applicant is married. # in College – signed statement (name, age of household member attending at least ½ time and eligible postsecondary institution) is not required if reported number is 1 (student).

10. V1 Acceptable Verification Documentation SNAP Documentation – Statement signed by applicant/parent affirming SNAP benefits received by someone in household during 2012 and/or 2013 – If school has concerns with accuracy of information, the institution must obtain documentation from the agency that issued the SNAP benefits

11. V1 Acceptable Verification Documentation Child Support Paid Documentation – Statement signed by the applicant/parent certifying: Amount of child support paid Name of the person who paid the child support Name of the person whom child support was paid Name of children for whom child support was paid – If school has concerns with accuracy of information, the applicant must provide additional documentation such as divorce decree, copies of checks, signed statements, etc.

12. V3 and V4 Required Verification Items V3 – Child Support Paid V4 – HS Completion Status – Identity/Statement of Educational Purpose – SNAP Benefits (if reported on ISIR) – Child Support Paid (if reported on ISIR)

13. V4 Acceptable Verification Documentation High School Completion Status – HS diploma – Final official HS transcript showing date diploma awarded “Secondary school leaving certificate’’ for students who completed secondary education in a foreign country and unable to get copy of HS diploma/transcript

14. V4 Acceptable Verification Documentation Recognized Equivalent of a High School Diploma – Copy of the student’s General Educational Development (GED) certificate, an official GED transcript that indicates the student passed the exam, or a state-authorized HS equivalent certificate; OR – Academic transcript of a student who has successfully completed at least a 2-year program acceptable for full credit toward a bachelor’s degree; OR – Student excelled academically is HS and met all criteria to be admitted into a 2-year degree program or higher

15. V4 Acceptable Verification Documentation Homeschooled – Transcript, or the equivalent, signed by the parent or guardian, that lists the secondary school courses completed by the applicant and documents the successful completion of a secondary school education – A secondary school completion credential for home school provided for under State law

16. V4 Acceptable Verification Documentation: Identity/Statement of Education Purpose Documentation: students that appear in person must present the following to an institutionally authorized individual – A valid govt.-issued photo ID; and – A signed statement of educational purpose Provided by ED, cannot be modified Maintain an annotated copy of the identification, the date the documentation was received, and the name of the representative authorized to take the documentation

17. V4 Acceptable Verification Documentation: Identity/Statement of Education Purpose Documentation: student unable to appear in person Must provide the institution: – A copy of a valid govt.-issued photo ID – An original, notarized statement of educational purpose signed by the applicant Cannot be faxed or scanned After examining the original Statement of Educational Purpose for accuracy and completeness, the institution may store it electronically

18. V5 Required Verification Items HS Completion Status Identity/Statement of Educational Purpose AND All items indicated-Tax Filer (V1) All items indicated-Non-Tax Filer (V1)

19. V6 Required Verification Items All items indicated-Tax Filer (V1) All items indicated-Non-Tax Filer (V1) AND Other untaxed income – Payments to tax-deferred pension and savings – Child support received – Housing, food, and other living allowances paid to members of the military, clergy, and others – Veterans noneducation benefits – Other untaxed income – Money received or paid on the applicant’s behalf

20. V6 Acceptable Verification Documentation Other Untaxed Income Documentation: – Signed statement listing – - Sources and amounts of income for tax year 2013 2. Copy of IRS W2s for sources of employment income received for tax year 2013 where applicable If school determines amounts provided do not appear to provide sufficient support for family members reported, the applicant (and parent/spouse) must: – Provide additional signed statement listing other resources used to support family (may include items not required to be reported on FAFSA® or other verification forms) – Explain how financially supported during 2013 calendar year

21. Standard VS. QA Verification Who gets verified? QA offers flexibility Applicants Verified Items to be Verified Acceptable Documentation Signatures Tax Return Transcript/Data Retrieval Tool vs Return http://ifap.ed.gov/qahome/about.html

22. QA Process and Procedures ISIR Analysis Tool (IA Tool) Selection criteria Change or remove criteria Example Parent used DRT $0 tax deferred pension Requested W2 QA Data used in determining standard verification

23. Common Verification Issues Conflicting Information – Information in a student’s file or Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) record that is contrary to information present elsewhere in his or her file and that may affect his or her eligibility to receive Title IV, and possibly, state and institutional financial aid. Conflicting information must be resolved in order for federal financial aid processing to proceed. Other – Tax filing status – Household size

24. Resources Application and Verification Guide – http://ifap.ed.gov/fsahandbook/1415FSAHandbookAVG.html http://ifap.ed.gov/fsahandbook/1415FSAHandbookAVG.html Tax Return Transcript Matrix – http://www.nasfaa.org/Main/elec-ann/2014/4-17__2014- 2015_FAFSA_Verification-IRS_Tax_Return_Transcript_Matrix.aspx http://www.nasfaa.org/Main/elec-ann/2014/4-17__2014- 2015_FAFSA_Verification-IRS_Tax_Return_Transcript_Matrix.aspx

25. Questions?