1. NSLDS Update Ron Bennett Valerie Sherrer U.S. Department of Education
Session C-19
NSLDS Update
Ron Bennett
Valerie Sherrer
U.S. Department of Education

2. Agenda
NSLDS Enhancements
Coming Soon
NSLDS Access and Security
FFELP Data Standards Initiative
Customer Service Reminders

3. NSLDS Enhancements College Cost Reduction Access Act (CCRAA)
MR Deferment Type
Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant
TEACH Loan - “D8” for Direct Unsubsidized Loans
TEACH Overpayment
TEACH Org Contact
NSLDS will be implementing the CCRAA requirements in a phased approach. Phase I and II changes were completed as of June 29, 2008 and are reviewed in this Newsletter:
Phase I
NSLDS started accepting and displaying the new deferment codes “MR” for National Guard, Reservist or Retired Military
Phase II
Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant reporting by Direct Loan Servicing
Web displays for TEACH Grant and new Loan Type Code “D8” for Direct Unsubsidized Loans (TEACH) on the NSLDSFAP Web site
Overpayments and Org Contacts for TEACH Grants

4. Military Reserve Deferment
The CCRAA created a new deferment in the FFEL, Direct Loan, and Federal Perkins Loan programs for members of the National Guard or Military Reserve, and members of such forces in a retired status, who are called or ordered to active duty service. These borrowers may receive deferment on repayment of the their Title IV loans for a maximum period of 13 months following their completion of active duty military service if the borrower was enrolled in a post-secondary institution at the time of or six months prior to activation.

6. TEACH Grant to Loan
NSLDS displays a loan symbol to identify a TEACH Grant that has converted to a loan. The Grant and Loan share the same Award ID. Click the loan symbol to navigate to loan detail.

7. The Direct Unsubsidized Loans (TEACH) row is dynamic and will only display in a borrower’s Loan History if they have any D8 loan types.

9. NSLDS Enhancements Perkins Loans Technical Update PK-2008-02
Detailed Perkins Loan data be reported as separate award year loans
Effective July 1, 2008
Technical Update PK
Relaxed edits for Student’s Academic Level (Field Code 270) until October 1, 2008
Separate reporting of Perkins Loans must begin with loans made for any payment period that is part of the award year, effective 7/1/08
For NSLDS reporting purposes an award year includes all payment periods within an award year, without regard to when the disbursement was made. If a school includes a Perkins award for a period that crosses over an award year (begins prior to July 1 and ends on or after July 1) it must assign that payment period and the award to either the ending award year or the beginning award year.

10. NSLDS Enhancements
Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act (ECASLA)
Increased Aggregate Limits to accommodate increased unsubsidized loan limits effective 7/1/08
Established reporting by ED Servicer for Loans under the Loan Purchase Program
FEMA link for students to
During the prescreening and postscreening processes, NSLDS looks to see if applicants have exceeded aggregate loan limits. If so, NSLDS notifies the CPS to send out SAR/ISIR transactions to students and schools with a SAR "C" flag and the corresponding SAR comment. However, because NSLDS currently uses pre-ECASLA aggregate loan limits, some of the initial prescreened and system-generated postscreened transactions may be in error and students may be eligible for loan awards that NSLDS has flagged as potentially exceeding the combined aggregate loan limits.
NSLDS already accommodates the Lender of Last Resort Program

11. Coming Soon TEACH Grant and Direct Unsubsidized (TEACH) Loan, D8
Will be included on ISIRs
Will be included for Transfer Student Monitoring alerts beginning January 1, 2009
Transfer Student Monitoring Web Enhancements
School will be able to customize the period of time for NSLDS monitoring
School User will be able to “repopulate” Transfer Monitoring List
NSLDS ISIR Information
TEACH Grant and Direct Loan Unsubsidized Loan (TEACH) data will initially display on award year ISIRs starting January Prior award year ISIRs will not display NSLDS TEACH data.
TEACH Data and Transfer Student Monitoring
From July 1 through December 31, 2008 TEACH Grant and TEACH Loan data will not trigger Transfer Student Monitoring (TSM) Alerts. When adding students to the TSM Inform List during this timeframe, NSLDS will not start the monitoring process for TEACH data until January 1, 2009.
Transfer Student Monitoring- Web enhancements
- Schools to customize the period of time for NSLDS’s monitoring window. Currently is 90 days beyond enrollment begin date but can change to whatever number of days that works best for their institution.
- Provide school users to repopulate Transfer Monitoring lists. This allows schools to use the web to find previously informed students and update them with new monitoring data. Some schools continuously add the same students from 1 year to the next, so this will aid in that data entry effort.

12. Coming Soon Security Training Required of all NSLDS Users Annually
Rules of Behavior
Commitment required at sign-on daily

13. Coming Soon ECASLA Changes to accommodate Loan Limits in all functions
PLUS Loans Deferments - PD
PLUS 6-month post-enrollment period

14. Coming Soon
NSLDSFAP
Display the “P” for unsub loan for which there was a PLUS Denial reported or assumed

15. NSLDS Access and Security
Gen Access To and Use of NSLDS Information
NSLDS Users must:
Use their access properly
Protect the sensitive data
Not share User IDs and Passwords
From Gen05-06 – warning that leads into next slide.
This letter reminds members of the financial aid community who have access to information contained in NSLDS that they are responsible for using their access properly and for protecting the sensitive data contained in the system.
Failure to comply with NSLDS access and use requirements, as described in this letter, may result in the organization or individual user losing access to NSLDS and/or being subject to sanctions, including, but not limited to, the initiation of a limitation, suspension, or termination action or a debarment proceeding against the postsecondary institution or FFEL participant.

16. NSLDS Access and Security
NSLDS Newsletter #18
Outlines the rules and responsibilities of users granted on-line access to NSLDS. This information should be reviewed by all users of NSLDS.
This Newsletter outlines the rules and responsibilities of schools, and school servicers (herein referred to as servicers), their CEO/President, Primary Destination Point Administrator (PDPA) and individual users under which NSLDS on-line access is granted. This information should be reviewed by all users of NSLDS.

17. Establishing Relationships
Guidelines in determining when a relationship between a student and a school exists:
Currently enrolled students at the school
Students who have applied for admission at the school
The student has applied for financial aid at the school
Previously enrolled students
It is important to note that a student who is inquiring with general admissions or aid eligibility questions does NOT establish a relationship with the school and accessing NSLDS in such cases would be a violation of NSLDS Access rules.

18. Acceptable uses of NSLDS
NSLDS is to be used to perform Title IV aid eligibility requirements including:
Determining a student’s Title IV eligibility for aid
Determining loan eligibility including resolving loan aggregates
Reporting overpayments
Submitting student enrollment information
Transfer student monitoring activities
Exit counseling
Determining a student’s Title IV eligibility for aid
Determining loan eligibility including resolving loan aggregates
Default resolution
Managing loan accounts for Title IV borrowers held by the school ( Perkins loan or School as Lender)
Reporting overpayments
Submitting student enrollment information
Transfer student monitoring activities
Ensuring the accuracy of a financial aid or borrower record
Assisting with student loan program default aversion activities
Exit counseling

19. Privacy Act Reminder
Each time you log into NSLDS you must personally confirm that you are an authorized user and that you will protect the privacy of the data.
From the Newsletter:
All NSLDS users are responsible for safeguarding the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of student records. Schools should also ensure that their policies comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). For more information, refer to Volume 2 of the Federal Student Aid Handbook.
Any data covered by the Privacy Act that is exchanged via must be password protected and must include a notification to the recipient that the data is covered by the Privacy Act. ALWAYS send the file password in a separate .
All printed materials are to be marked as “Personally Identifiable Information”. All sensitive information existing in hard copy should be stored in a locked container in a limited or exclusion area, an access controlled electronic environment, or be under the physical control of an authorized individual.
The penalty for knowingly disclosing information to unauthorized individuals or willfully violating security standards is a misdemeanor with a fine up to $5,000.

20. Keeping NSLDS Data and Access Secure
Masking SSNs
Additional Monitoring of Access
alert notifications to Primary Destination Point Administrator (PDPA)
New reports to assist the PDPA’s monitoring process

21. SSN Masking Web Pages Display vs. Data Entry of SSN New reports
New reports delivered (viewable) on website

22. SSN Masking- Web pages

23. Web pages: Masked & Not Masked

24. Reports- SSN Masking
New reports delivered (viewable) on website will mask SSNs
New reports delivered via SAIG will show full SSN with no masking

25. Security Monitoring Enhancements
Alert Notifications to PDPA
Monitoring Activity/Usage
Does not suspend user access
Questionable Activity
Suspends user access
Could lead to deactivation of Online Services at fsawebenroll
Monitor and notification to PDPA for their users if we notice:
excessive logons (machine logging on/off)
excessive usage of time
lookups not found
session takeovers (could appear to be sharing of User IDs/passwords)
multiple IP addresses (for same user id)
users placed in the suspension table after user reaches threshold of excessive logons and session takeovers
Users failing CAPTCHA
PDPA Notification when users added to suspended user list- NSLDS will not allow other IDs associated with offending user
Notifying Participation Management to remove NSLDS online access after we determine to send it to PM

26. Email Alerts to PDPA- Monitoring Activity/Usage
User can continue accessing NSLDSFAP (PDPA should investigate)
PDPA’s own user ID close to being turned off for 365 days of non-use
Organization has no relationship with borrower

27. Email Alerts to PDPA- Questionable Activity
User is suspended from NSLDSFAP
Log on an excessive number of times per day
Attempt to log on from more than one computer simultaneously an excessive number of times
Log on to NSLDS from several locations in same day
Fails Human Interface Verification (CAPTCHA) while logging on
s to alert PDPA of potential security issues

28. Email Alerts to PDPA- Email Text
s include online user’s:
Name
TG#
NSLDS ID
Organization Code
Organization Name
Suspension Date
Reason for Suspension
PDPA should keep warning s for reference
For a duplicate, PDPA can contact NSLDS Customer Service.
Ph:

29. PDPA should keep warning emails for reference
Resending s
PDPA should keep warning s for reference
For a duplicate, PDPA can contact NSLDS Customer Service
Ph:

30. Security Monitoring Enhancements
New reports to assist the PDPA’s monitoring process
Reports to provide details of potential security issues to PDPA
Various Web reports to include:
Lookups found
Lookups not found
Average logged on
lookups with no relationship
Unusual IP address
Unusual working hours
Summary of usage
Reporting of active users with Non-usage
Utilizing the suspend table for excessive logons, multiple sessions and CAPTCHAs
PDPA Notification when users added to suspended user list- NSLDS will not allow other IDs associated with offending user
Notifying Participation Management to remove NSLDS online access after we determine to send it to PM

31. New Web Reports- PDPA user  
After receiving an , how can the PDPA research to help ensure there users are not abusing NSLDS?

32. FFEL Business Process and Data Standardization
Goals:
Eliminate duplicative reporting through collection of the right data from the right data provider at the right time
Collect data based on business needs
Establish in the XML Registry and Repository (XML R&R) a common definition for data attributes that Federal Student Aid and the FFEL Community exchange

33. Benefits to Students and Parents
Single integrated view of student information
Improved default prevention by predictive modeling to identify at-risk borrowers and early intervention to assist those borrowers
Example of “improved security of individual information” is using Person ID for data exchanges.

34. Benefits to Students and Parents
Reduced data entry burden through pre-population of information (e.g., consolidation application)
Improved security of individual information through reduced reliance on the Social Security Number
Information quality
Example of “improved security of individual information” is using Person ID for data exchanges.

35. FFEL Data Standards Phased Approach
The FFEL Data Standards project consists of 3
phases:
Phase I - Internal Analysis with Federal Student Aid and Department of Education Business Owners
Phase II – External Analysis with the FFEL Community of Interest
Phase III – Modify/Add Data Standards through Postsecondary Education Standards Council (PESC) Change Control Board
Phase I – Activities were conducted between September and December all areas were represented to articulate their business need/requirement for data.
Phase II – Work with community to review proposed high-level process changes and most importantly to develop data standards to support future business processes
Phase III – Coordinate between FSA Enterprise Data Management area, which maintains XML R&R with PESC Change Control Board (CCB) process in order to prep for future FSA implementation initiatives such as reengineering NSLDS or DMCS.
Phase 1:
Internal Analysis with Business Owners
Phase 2:
External Analysis
with FFEL
Community
Phase 3:
PESC CCB
Data Requirements
Gathering

36. Project Communication
Updates on project progress provided through a link on the Financial Partners Portal,
NCHELP, NASFAA and COHEAO provided the monthly communication to their respective listserves
A dedicated address for community comments and questions -

37. NSLDS Reminders
ORG Contact Information
It is important to keep your Org contacts up to date on the NSLDS ORG Contacts List Page
NSLDS uses Contacts from this page for important notifications
NSLDS Org Contacts provide users with contact information at your school. Be sure you provide all appropriate processes.
The ORG Contact List will display with an “Add New Contact "selection option. To change a contact listed, click on the number beside the function to view the contact detail and update or delete the information.
For enrollment reporting needs these specific ones.
Each school must also ensure that an accurate contact exists for the school’s CEO through PEPS by using the Application/ Certification (E-App) Web site at 37 37

38. NSLDS Reminders NEVER Share your NSLDS User ID and Password
Protect the Privacy Act Data in NSLDS
Sharing is a security violation and your access to NSLDS will be suspended.

39. Contact Information
We appreciate your feedback and comments. We can be reached at:
Phone:
Fax:
Web: