Verification Policy

Students completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are subject to verification of information provided on their application in accordance to Article 34 Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) 668.57. This includes information that the school or the applicant and if appropriate the applicants’ parent(s), guardian(s) or spouse may be required to verify. A student may be selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education or the school. As required by federal regulations, Lindsey Hopkins Technical College must verify the applications of selected students who will receive or have received student financial aid.

A student selected for verification will be flagged with a value of “Y” on their Institution Student Information Report (ISIR). Appearing next to the EFC will be an asterisk referring to a comment in the student section of Student Aid Report (SAR) that inform applicants that their FAFSA has been selected for a review process called verification and that the school has the authority to request copies of certain documents from them, their spouses, parents or guardians. Verification tracking flags will place on a student in one of six verification tracking groups.

The school has the discretion to require a student to verify any FAFSA information and to provide reasonable documentation in accordance with consistently applied school policies.

A student selected for verification will be notified in writing by the Financial Aid Office to submit the required documents in order to complete the verification process. The Financial Aid Office will provide the student the appropriate Verification Worksheet to identify and request the required information and documents.

Students have twenty (20) business days from receipt of notification to submit all requested documentation to the Financial Aid Office.

If the requested information is not submitted within the required timelines, the student may forfeit his/her financial aid eligibility.

Students who are selected for verification will be placed in one of the three following groups. The group determines which FAFSA information must be verified.

Tracking Group V1 – Standard Verification: Students in this group must verify the following if they are tax filers:

  • Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)
  • Income tax paid
  • Untaxed portions of IRS distributions
  • Untaxed portions of pensions
  • IRA deductions and payments
  • Tax-exempt interest income
  • Education credits
  • Household size
  • Number in college
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits
  • Child support paid

Students who are not tax filers must verify the following:

  • Income earned form work
  • Household size
  • Number in college
  • SNAP benefits
  • Child support paid

Tracking Flag V4 – Custom Verification:

  • Students must verify high school completion status and identity/statement of educational purpose in addition to the items in the Standard Verification Tracking Group V1 as applicable

Tracking Flag V5 – Aggregate Verification:

  • Students must verify high school completion status and identity/statement of educational purpose in addition to all the items in the Standard Verification Tracking Group V1 as applicable.

The verification process will begin once the student has successfully submitted all requested documents within the required twenty (20) business-day timeline. A meeting will be held with the student and Financial Aid Officer at submission in order to review and confirm that all required verification documents and verification worksheets have been submitted and signed as appropriate. Funds will not be disbursed until the verification process is completed.

Follow-up meetings will be scheduled with the student to, discuss the procedures for correcting FAFSA data and to request any additional documentation which may be needed to complete verification, as well as to review the results of the verification process. The school’s Financial Aid Officer will report and enter the correct verification code on the student’s verification status through the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) system before the disbursement of Pell Grant funds can be authorized.

Corrections and updates can be submitted by the student on the SAR or the Web or by the school using FAA Access to CPS Online or the Electronic Exchange (EDE).

When the data on the FAFSA is changed, the students’ Pell Grant will be recalculated on the basis of the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) on the corrected and valid SAR or ISIR.

Transfer students who completed verification for the current award year at another school before transferring must have the same FAFSA data as submitted to the previous school of attendance. A letter must be obtained from the previous school stating that verification was completed and provide the transaction number of the pertinent valid ISIR.

If a student’s Pell Grant is reduced as a result of verification and the student has received an interim disbursement, an adjustment will be made to following disbursement as necessary.

A student’s application maybe selected for verification after corrections are submitted and the student has been paid on previous unselected tracking group requirements. The Financial Aid Officer must verify the application before making further disbursements. If the verification does not justify aid already disbursed, then the student is responsible for repaying all aid for which they were ineligible.

All necessary verification documents obtained from the student will be reconciled with the SAR or ISIR to confirm payment eligibility. If the information is correct and there no conflicting information or outstanding issues, then the Financial Aid Officer will authorized the award and disbursement of aid for which the student is eligible.

Students can request assistance with their SAR information by contacting the Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) at 1-800-433-3243.

For additional information on verification and federal student aid, students can access the following web sites, http://studentaid.ed.gov/ or the Federal Student Handbook at http://ifap.ed.gov/ .

Lindsey Hopkins Technical College Financial Aid Office reserves the right to require students to submit other information and supplemental documentation when deemed necessary in order to complete the verification process.