1. VERIFICATION 2017-2018 COMMENT CODE 399

2. APPLICATION PROCESSING 2017-2018
No longer printing FAFSA as a color packet
Medicaid added as federal means-tested benefit
ISIR sent to College will only contain that college’s information. Student’s SAR will still contain all schools listed.
State agencies will still receive all schools listed
Randomization will be delayed until the FAFSA

3. Early FAFSA/PPY: Items
Electronic Announcement #4 March 18, 2016
Outlines income related items on FAFSA that will be based on 2015 data
Tax filing status, tax return status, type of return, return eligibility, AGI, taxes paid, exemptions, income earned from work, income exclusions, untaxed income.
FAFSA items current at time FAFSA completed or for current award year (not PPY data)
Dislocated worker, household size, number in college, assets, certain means-tested benefits

4. Early FAFSA/PPY: Q & A
Will FAFSA applicants have an option to use tax year income and tax information?
NO. Students and parents are required to use 2015n tax data. FA Administrators may use PJ to change any of the income or tax items by using 2015 (or any other recent 12 month period) income and tax information, if the FAA determines that there are extenuating circumstances that justify the use of information other than the tax year
***The fact that the student might be eligible for more aid based upon use of 2016 information is NOT, by itself, sufficient reason for an FAA to make a PJ decision to use 2016 income.

5. Early FAFSA/PPY: Q & A
Will the FAFSA (either initial or renewal) be pre-populated with information from the applicant’s FAFSA since the information should be the same?
NO. There are too many instances where such pre-populating would result in incorrect information being included on the FAFSA (changes in dependency status, changes in marital status, PJ.
Institutions should encourage use of the IRS DRT.
Use of IRS DRT should help to reduce students selection for verification.

6. Early FAFSA/PPY: Outreach
Materials and Resources for Outreach
FAFSA: FinancialAidToolkit.ed.gov/fafsa
Resources: FinancialAidToolkit.ed.gov/resources
FAFSA Changes: FinancialAidToolkit.ed.gov/fafsa-changes
Talking points
Table of FAFSA launch dates and tax years
Fact sheets for counselors and parents & college students
Outreach calendar
PowerPoint presentations
Information about upcoming webinars

7. Early FAFSA/PPY: PJ Professional Judgement (GEN-16-03)
Encouraged to use PJ as appropriate and properly documented
Likely to see an increase in use of PJ
Set PJ flag to 1 (EFC adjustment processed) to indicate that the CPS submission was the result of a PJ determination

8. COMMENT CODE 399 Result of PPY & Early FAFSA
A one time situation where two aid years (16-17 & 17-18) will use the same tax information (2015)
Comment Code 399 is a new ISIR comment code
Comment Code 399 will be used by ED to identify students whose tax info conflicts across aid years.
School is responsible for resolving conflicting information.

9. C Code 399 is generated if: A student completes a 16-17 & 17-18 FAFSA
ED determines there is a significant difference in financial information and no excluding event

10. C Code 399 is NOT generated if:
The student is not expected to be Pell Grant-eligible based on ISIR
Between the two FAFSA years there was a change in:
The student’s dependency status
The student’s or parent’s marital status
On either transaction a Professional Judgment flag exists.

11. What C Code 399 means to you:
Added administrative burden
Research
Outreach
Documentation
Negative student experience
Students may
Receive less aid
Have to pay back previous disbursements

12. What C Code 399 means to you:
Increased attrition
Students may withdraw if funds are held
If unable to resolve conflicting information all disbursements for 16/17 & 17/18 are held

13. ACTIONS SCHOOLS SHOULD TAKE
C CODE 399 APPEARS
IDENTIFY
HOLD
RESEARCH
RESOLVE
UPDATE