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News to Know

News to Know. Office of Student Financial Assistance Florida Department of Education. August 2005. OSFA Welcomes Levis Hughes.

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News to Know

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  1. News to Know Office of Student Financial Assistance Florida Department of Education August 2005

  2. OSFA Welcomes Levis Hughes • OSFA is pleased to announce that Levis Hughes has joined OSFA as the Director of FFELP Operations. Levis is most recently from Nelnet, serving for 16 years in a multitude of operational and client services roles. He is committed to improving the operational support of the agency by assisting schools with their needs.You may contact Levis at 850.410.6842 or via e-mail at Levis.Hughes@fldoe.org.

  3. On Site Assistance • Fall is one of the most hectic time of years! Please remember that your Outreach Team is here to work for you. If we can be of any assistance to you and your staff, please do not hesitate to call on us. We will gladly arrange to spend time on your campus to help you and your staff!

  4. Exit Counseling Requirements • A school must ensure that exit counseling is conducted shortly before any Stafford loan borrower ceases enrollment on at least a half-time basis. The exit counseling may be conducted in person, by audiovisual presentation, or by interactive electronic means.  The school must ensure that an individual with expertise in Title IV programs is reasonably available shortly after the exit counseling has been conducted to answer the student borrower's questions. If a student borrower withdraws without the school's prior knowledge, or fails to complete the required exit counseling, the school must ensure that exit counseling is provided through interactive electronic means or by mailing written materials to the student borrower at his or her last know address within 30 days after learning that the student borrower withdrew from school or failed to complete the exit counseling as required.  For a student borrower enrolled in a study-abroad program that the home institution school may, as an alternative to in-person, audiovisual, or interactive electronic means, provide written exit counseling materials by mail within 30 days after the student completes the program. When counseling is conducted by another party or by interactive electronic means, the school remains responsible for ensuring that each student borrower receives the counseling materials and participates in and completes exit counseling.  Common Manual, Chapter 4, Subsection 4.4.C., Federal Regulations 682.604(g), Federal Student Financial Aid Handbook, Vol. 2, Chapter 6, page 113

  5. Hurricane Dennis Guidance • As everyone is aware, Florida has been hit by Hurricane Dennis. Please reference Dear Colleague Letter GEN-04-04 and Disaster Letter 99-28 for guidance in assisting Title IV participants affected by a disaster. The following counties have been designated as disaster areas in order to assist schools, lenders, students and borrowers. At this time FEMA has the following listings: • Bay, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gulf, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla, and Walton counties

  6. Administrative Forbearance • An administrative forbearance may be granted to borrowers who request temporary relief from their loan obligations because they have been adversely affected by a natural disaster. A forbearance for up to 3 months may be granted based on the borrower's oral or written request for assistance. The reason for the forbearance must be documented in the borrower's loan file but does not need to have supporting documentation or a signed written agreement from the borrower. However, a continuation of the forbearance past the initial 3-month period will require supporting documentation and a written agreement with the borrower. Note: This regulatory relief applies to all Title IV loan borrowers, students, and their families who, at the time of a disaster, were residing in, employed in, or attending an institution located in an area designated as a Federally-declared disaster area.

  7. MYF Chat Events • We are pleased to announce the following financial aid chats are available during the remainder of 2005. These chats are FREE to you and your students through our sponsorship of Mapping Your Future! • September 13, 2005, Debt Management Strategies • November 15, 2005, Managing your student loans, including repayment options, consolidation, and cancellation For more information on the MYF Chats, visit the MYF Website!

  8. 2004/2005 FAFSA Deadlines • Corrections to 2004-2005 processed applications, including signature pages, must be received and accepted by the CPS no later than midnight, September 15, 2005.

  9. State Programs Training • Our Training Unit has added a new member that is dedicated to State Programs. Eunice Selewski is available to assist you in your training needs. For more information or to schedule a training appointment, please contact Eunice Sewelski at 850-245-1972 or via email at: eunice.selewski@fldoe.org

  10. SSFAD Guide for Postsecondary Institutions • The SSFAD Guide for Postsecondary Institutions has been updated and is available on the web for your use! To review the Guide, visit our OSFA-State Programs website, and click on Postsecondary Institutions, then SSFAD Guide for Postsecondary Institutions.

  11. FSAG 2005-2006 Funding • The 2005-2006 annual award increased this year to $1,672 • The maximum award amount (round up to the nearest dollar first term awarded) • Semester ( $836 and $836 ) • Quarter ( $558, $557 and $557 ) • The EFC cutoffs remained the same • Public – 3850 • Private – 5820 • Postsecondary - 5282

  12. 2005-06 Florida Bright Futures Private School Award Amounts • The Private School Bright Futures award amounts are now available. To review the amounts, visit our OSFA - State Programs website, click on Postsecondary Institutions, and then Private School Award Amounts for Bright Futures, then select your institution type.

  13. Summer Grade and Hours Reporting • The 2005-2006 OSFA Summer G&H Report is available by batch or online via the OSFA - State Programs website. The only students found on this report are Bright Futures students disbursed in the 2004-2005 academic year who failed to meet the renewal criteria due to: • grade point average (GPA) and/or hours requirements, or • dropping from Florida Academic Scholar to Florida Medallion Scholar.   • Grade and hours for these students are only reported upon request from the student and should indicate hours earned in the summer term(s) and the new institutional cumulative GPA through the 2005 summer term. The submission of this information will result in the re-evaluation of Bright Futures for the 2005-2006 academic year.   • The deadline for these reports is September 30, 2005.

  14. Grade and Hour Reporting Enhancements • Enhancements to the 2004-2005 Grade and Hours Report include a Report Query that allows users to view their entire institutional list of students needing Grade and Hours on one page. • This format is consistent with the current view options for the Disbursement Eligibility Report (DER). This is an additional option for users that will coexist with the search function that allows users to work records individually.

  15. SSFAD Student Identifiers • The current SSFAD system uses a student’s Social Security Number (SSN) or a Psuedo SSN (such as a student ID number) as a Student Identifier. • OSFA has enhanced the SSFAD to accept the Student Identifier submitted by the postsecondary institution (PSI) as the primary identifier. If a PSI submits a Student Identifier that differs from what exists in the SSFAD internal systems, the PSI’s data will overlay the SSFAD internal identifier. • This enhancement assists in resolving matching and edit issues that occur when PSI data in SSFAD internal systems is not identical to what is submitted by the PSI.

  16. Online Reinstatement and Restoration Information • The Online Reinstatement/Restoration Application for students is now enhanced and fully functional on the SSFAD. • Students must utilize their USER IDs and PINs to ensure a secure login. Following a successful login, demographic information for the student pre-fills the application. Once the pre-filled data appears, it can be updated on the actual application and subsequently stored in the SSFAD. • Reinstatement applicants not needing certifications can immediately view eligibility results online. 

  17. GPA Certification for Bright Futures Restoration Applicants • To expedite and simplify the process for BF restoration applicants, PSI certification of grade point averages (GPAs) for BF restoration applicants is now exclusively available online. • To access this web-based certification page, please visit the OSFA- State Programs website, select Post-secondary Institutions, Initial/Renewal Reporting, Certification Reports, and Student. • Utilize your secure login and follow the on-screen instructions. Paper transcripts are no longer required from eligible Florida Bright Futures schools. The certifying institution will be the PSI the student last attended.

  18. Master Eligibility List (MEL) • We now offer the MELs for all centralized programs exclusively on the SSFAD. MELs can be accessed via the: • Web, • Downloadable Zip Files, and • Northwest Regional Data Center (NWRDC) for automatic processing. • We are enhancing the system so that the downloadable zip files are available by individual PSI in the near future. • For institutions using their existing connectivity to NWRDC to automatically process the file, the file naming convention for the 2005-06 “Bright Futures Only MEL” remains as it was in prior years. The naming convention for the All Programs MEL is OBF.H4.F30122.ALLPGM.ALLPSI.Y0506. • All institutions should be utilizing the new file layout posted on the OSFA website with a character length of 139 versus 125.

  19. MEL - Authorization to Fund • Remember that the MEL serves as official authorization from OSFA to institutions to disburse funds to eligible students per specified centralized programs. • It is especially important for the Bright Futures program that each institution match non-disbursed enrollments against the entire “Bright Futures Only MEL” to identify, fund and report financial aid awards via the DER. • Schools are authorized to add students to any program DER when an eligible student is located on the MEL but not found on the DER. This review of all students on the MEL ensures that all eligible students receive timely funding at the institution where they actually attend.

  20. Important 2005 FASFAA Dates • September 29, 2005 • FASFAA Graduate/Professional Financial Aid Symposium • Tampa • October 6, 2005 • FASFAA Region I Fall Workshop • Marianna • October 11, 2005 • FASFAA Region VI Fall Workshop • Location TBD • October 12, 2005 • FASFAA Region V Fall Workshop • West Palm Beach • October 13, 2005 • FASFAA Region III Fall Workshop • Kissimmee • October 25 - 28, 2005 • FASFAA Fall Training Conference • Orlando   For more information on these events and other future scheduled events, visit the FASFAA Website and click on “Calendar”

  21. Mission Statement • The Florida Department of Education, Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA), serves as a guarantor for the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), and the administrator of Florida’s scholarship and grant programs. The OSFA Mission is to facilitate higher education access and services by providing exemplary customer attention, comprehensive financial aid information, and convenient and efficient products.

  22. Philosophy • As a public agency, OSFA has the ability to offer its partners and customers something few guarantors can: the ability to shape OSFA programs and services based on their specific concerns. Earnings generated from OSFA’s loan programs are used to help fund scholarship and grant programs, financial aid workshops and publications, and to provide better services for our participants. When schools and students choose to use the OSFA guarantee for student loans, they are actually helping countless other needy and deserving students by investing in education programs. So, if a participant has a problem or suggestion, OSFA management listens and does whatever it takes to implement a solution that meets their needs. Public dollars deserve that kind of accountability in education finance.

  23. Outreach Team Contact Information • Ernest Smith, Director of Market Development • 850-322-6498 • Jacqueline Hill, Default Prevention Manager • 850-212-1108 • Lori Auxier, Manager of Outreach Services • 850-212-2997 • Karen Hurrell, Senior Outreach Representative • 904-745-3091 • Stephanie Durdley, Outreach Representative • 850-322-6219 • Kelly Bernhardt, Outreach Representative • 850-277-2331 • Robin Blank, Outreach Representative • 850-264-6008

  24. Regional Contact Information • Lori Auxier • Manager of Outreach Services • 850-212-2997 • lori.auxier@fldoe.org

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