fsa systems: the big picture - welcome | easfaa · 2015-06-03 · • use the default ... cps...

For training/discussion purposes only EASFAA Conference, Newport, RI May 19-22, 2015

Zack Goodwin US Department of Education 1

Zack Goodwin

U.S. Department of Education

EASFAA Conference, May 19-22, 2015

Newport, RI

FSA Systems:

The Big Picture

Agenda

• High level overview of major FSA systems

− Production systems

− Administrative systems

• Relationships between systems

• Self-service & online features

• System Access

• Support and Documentation

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Agenda

• High level overview of major FSA systems

− Central Processing System (CPS)

− Common Origination and Disbursement (COD)

− National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)

− Grant Management System (G5)

− Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG)

− Participation Management System (PM) and the

Access and Identity Management System (AIMS)

− Postsecondary Education Participants System (PEPS)

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Summary: Required electronic processes

To be in compliance with the administrative

capability requirements of 34 CFR 668.16(o), a

school must:

• Use the E-App to submit and update the school’s eligibility

information: www.eligcert.ed.gov

• Enroll in the Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG):

https://fsawebenroll.ed.gov/

• Use FAA Access or its SAIG mailbox to exchange FAFSA data

with the Department’s Central Processing System:

https://faaaccess.ed.gov/FOTWWebApp/faa/faa.jsp or

www.saigportal.ed.gov

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• Use the COD website or its SAIG mailbox to exchange award

and disbursement data for Pell Grants, TEACH Grants, and

Direct Loans: cod.ed.gov or www.saigportal.ed.gov

• Use the eCampus-Based (eCB) System to file the FISAP

application and report www.cbfisap.ed.gov

• Submit to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)

the school’s Federal Perkins Loan data, student enrollment

records, FSA program overpayments, NSLDS transfer student

monitoring records, and Gainful Employment program records

(if applicable): www.nsldsfap.ed.gov

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• Electronically submit the school’s annual compliance and

financial statement audits and any other required audits:

www.ezaudit.ed.gov

• Use the Default Management website to receive its draft and

official cohort default rate data electronically:

ifap.ed.gov/DefaultManagement

• Use the Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP)

website: ifap.ed.gov

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• Creates and updates student records from

FAFSA applications & corrections

• Performs matches and edits to determine

student eligibility and ensure accuracy

• Exchanges data with students, schools, state

and federal agencies, and other FSA systems

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Central Processing System


• Calculates the student’s Expected Family

Contribution (EFC)

• Selects certain applications for verification

• Sends processed FAFSA information to student

and to designated schools

• Student receives a Student Aid Report (SAR)

• School receives an Institutional Student Information

Record (ISIR)

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Use FAA Access to CPS Online to:

• View students' SAR information

• Compare two ISIR transactions for the same student

• Submit a signature flag for an application in a signature hold

status

• Enter a FAFSA or Renewal FAFSA

• Correct a processed FAFSA

• Continue working on a saved FAFSA or Correction

• Request ISIR data

• Analyze ISIR data as a basis for improving your verification

process

• Calculate and manage the return of Title IV funds (R2T4)

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Internal Revenue Service Data Retrieval Tool (DRT)

• A link to the IRS from FAFSA on the Web (FOTW) that allows

the student and parent to request a transfer of some

completed tax return line items (including AGI & Federal

Taxes Paid)

• Increases accuracy of data submitted, and reduces time

required to complete the application and verification

• FOTW contains edits to help determine if eligible to use DRT •

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Social Security Administration (SSA) Data Matches

• To confirm the validity of each student’s SSN and

U.S. Citizenship status

• Dependent student’s mother’s and/or father’s SSN status

with the SSA database

• To ensure that students and parents are not using

deceased tax payer’s SSNs

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Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Data Match

• Match performed with DHS for students who provide an

Alien Registration Number

− Verifies Title IV eligibility of eligible noncitizens

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Veterans Affairs (VA) Data Match

• Applicants who indicate that they are a veteran of the

Armed Services are matched against the Department of

Veterans Affairs database

− Ensures that students who are independent due to veteran

status are properly classified

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Selective Service System (SSS) Data Match

• To confirm that male aid applicants are in compliance with

the Military Selective Service Act‘s registration

requirement

• Enables unregistered males to check a box on the FAFSA

to automatically register themselves

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Department of Defense (DOD) Data Match

• A student whose parent or guardian died as a result of

U.S. military service in Iraq or Afghanistan after

September 11, 2001, may receive increased amounts of

federal student aid (equal to the maximum Pell Grant)

• Ensures students in this category receive proper FSA

funds

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Department of Justice (DOJ) Data Match

• This match identifies students who have received a drug

conviction by a U.S. Court making them ineligible for

Federal Student Aid

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National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)

Data Match

• Applicants are matched with NSLDS, ED’s repository of

loan and grant information

− Defaults

− Overawards

− Annual and aggregate loan limits

• Identifies students ineligible for FSA funds due to loan

and/or grant issues

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NSLDS: Post screening Reason Code

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01 = Default added 15 = PLUS Master Promissory Note status change

02 = Overpayment added 16 = Grad PLUS Master Promissory Note status

change

03 = Default resolved 17 = Fraud conviction added

04 = Overpayment resolved 18 = Fraud conviction resolved

05 = Master Promissory Note status change 19 = TEACH Grant converted to a loan

06 = Loan went into disability discharged status 20 = Pell eligible and met or exceeded Pell lifetime

limit

07 = Loan out of disability discharged status 21 = No longer meeting or exceeding Pell lifetime

limit

08 = Closed school 22 = Pell eligible and close to Pell lifetime limit

09 = Exceeded subsidized loan limit 23 = No longer close to Pell lifetime limit

24 = Unusual enrollment history status change

10 = Exceeded combined loan limit 25 = Subsidized Usage Limit Applies Flag status

change

11 = Exceeding subsidized loan limit resolved 26 = Confirmed loan subsidy status change

12 = Exceeding combined loan limit resolved 27 = Decrease in Subsidized usage period

13 = For Federal Student Aid use only 99 = Other

14 = Loan entered active bankruptcy Blank = Not an NSLDS post screening transaction

Source: October 2014 (2015-2016) EDE Technical Reference Record Layouts 3-49


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COD/NSLDS System:

Demographic Data Exchange (DDE) File

• After each Compute, CPS extracts data and transmits it in

a file to COD and NSLDS to update all transactions

processed since the last file was received

PEPS Daily School Code File

• Each weekday, PEPS sends this file to CPS to update its

Federal School Code (FSC) data which determines

whether the schools listed on students’ FAFSAs are eligible

for Title IV aid

Common Origination and Disbursement

• Origination and disbursement records for: − Federal Pell Grants

− Iraq & Afghanistan Service Grants

− TEACH Grants

− Federal Direct Loans

• Schools send and receive batches of student records

via SAIG − Processes and applies edits to accept, correct, or reject records

− System generated responses

− Maintains funding

• COD website for reports and single record submissions

− Direct Loan Origination Tool

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COD: StudentLoans.gov

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COD sends to and/or receives data from:

• Schools via SAIG

• Credit bureaus (Plus Loan credit check – real time)

• G5 – funding authorizations & cash draws

• NSLDS

− Award and Disbursement Information

− Exit counseling results

− SULA usage

• Servicers

• CPS

• PEPS


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National Student Loan Data System

• The National Student Loan Data System

(NSLDS) contains disbursement data for Title IV

loans, Federal Pell Grants, and TEACH Grants − Grant overpayment data, student enrollment status

information, and exit counseling are also found in NSLDS

• NSLDS provides a centralized, integrated view of

Title IV loans and grants during their complete

life cycles

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• Financial Aid Professionals, students, lenders,

guaranty agencies, and State agencies access

the system

• Schools may communicate with NSLDS via the

SAIG or via online access

− Online access to NSLDS is given to individuals, not to

schools or organizations

− All participating schools must have at least one staff member

with online access

•

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NSLDS Professional Access

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www.nsldsfap.ed.gov


NSLDS online users should not share their NSLDS

access with anyone else

• SSN Lookup – enables users to retrieve borrower information

• Enrollment Update – enables users to update student enrollment data

• Overpayment Update – enables users to update overpayment data

• Transfer Monitoring

• Reports deliver via the SAIG

− e.g., Delinquent Borrower Report & School Portfolio Report

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Student enrollment status is reported to NSLDS

− Establishes eligibility for in-school deferment of student

loans

− Alerts loan servicers when student leaves school and

must begin repayment

− Electronic Announcement:

Reminder of Program-Level Enrollment Reporting

Requirement, September 26, 2014

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Transfer monitoring applies to any student who

attended a school (or schools), prior to coming to

your school, in that award year

• Identify students transferring to your school during award

year

• Provide identifying information for those students to NSLDS

• NSLDS alerts you to any relevant changes in student’s

financial aid history •

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NSLDS Data flows

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Grant Management System

• Grant Management (G5) is a delivery system that

supports program award and payment administration

• Schools may use G5 to request payments, adjust

drawdowns, and return cash, at www.g5.gov

• G5 provides continuous access to current grant and

payment information, such as authorized amounts,

cumulative drawdowns, current award balances, and

payment histories

• G5 receives program funding level data from COD...and

returns to COD cash draws and returns

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Student Aid Internet Gateway

• SAIG is a private, wide area network (WAN) that serves as

a store-and-forward file transfer service between FSA

systems and their many end users

• It is the secure mechanism used by FSA and the financial

aid community to transfer files over the internet. SAIG is

used to exchange batch files containing services

enrollment and organizational information with other FSA

systems

• Institutions wishing to sign up for an SAIG mailbox must

do so via the Participation Management (PM) system at

https://fsawebenroll.ed.gov

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• Organizations enroll individuals as Destination Point

Administrators (DPAs) in the SAIG

• DPAs are assigned Destination Points (TG numbers

or mailboxes) that receive and transmit data for

various Title IV student aid program systems such as

NSLDS, CPS, and COD

• Files are exchanged using message classes, which

help to define and describe the contents of the file

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FSA provides three software products at

fsadownload.ed.gov

• EDconnect

− Windows-based file transfer protocol (FTP) program that

enables users to send and receive Federal Student Aid

information electronically

• EDExpress for Windows

− With EDExpress, schools can manage Title IV student financial

aid application data, package awards, and exchange origination

and disbursement data with COD

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Participation Management System

• Primary system for enrolling, modifying, and terminating

enrollment into batch and online services for Federal

Student Aid (FSA) partner organizations and their users

(fsawebenroll.ed.gov)

• PM’s support of the FSA services enrollment process

requires it to interface with eight other FSA systems to

exchange user enrollment data and ensure access FSA

systems in a timely manner

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Access and Identity Management System

• AIMS is FSA’s security solution that manages access to the online

elements of systems

• AIMS allows users of FSA systems to log in using their FSA User ID,

password, and their TG mailbox number (where applicable)

• Participation Management is still the system of record for user

services entitlements information

• PM interfaces regularly with AIMS to provide AIMS with high level

entitlements data for individual users of online services that are

authenticated through AIMS (such as NSLDS Online, COD Online,

EDConnect, FAA Access, PM and others)

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Participation Management System



Postsecondary Education Participants System

• FSA’s management information system of all

organizations that have a role in administering

student financial aid and other Higher Education Act

programs

• PEPS maintains eligibility, certification,

demographic, financial, review, audit, and default

rate data about schools participating in the Title IV

programs

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Use the E-App to submit and update the school’s

eligibility information: www.eligcert.ed.gov

• Check the status of your application

• Display and print your Program Participation

Agreement (PPA) and Eligibility and Certification

Approval Report (ECAR)

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Postsecondary Education Participants System

E-Resources

Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP)

• IFAP (ifap.ed.gov) is your link to official guidance on

FSA program requirements, including the annual FSA

Handbook and ongoing updates in the form of Dear

Colleague Letters and Electronic Announcements

FSA Download

• FSA Download (www.fsadownload.ed.gov) is your

source for all ED-developed software along with User

Guides and Technical References for FSA systems and

required file formats

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Information for Financial Aid Professionals

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Thank you!

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Zack Goodwin

[email protected]

617.289.0051

We Appreciate Your Feedback

To ensure quality training we ask all participants to

please fill out an online session evaluation:

• https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZacharyGoodwin

This evaluation tool provides a means to inform us of

areas for improvement, and to support an effective

process for listening to our customers.

Additional feedback about training can be directed to

[email protected].

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https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZacharyGoodwin





Department of Education Contacts

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Region I Training Officers (New England)

Pam Gilligan

[email protected]

617.289.0022

Zack Goodwin

[email protected]

617.289.0051

Anita Olivencia

[email protected]

617.289.0130


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Region II Training Officers (New York/New Jersey)

Zack Goodwin

[email protected]

617.289.0051

Nautochia Webb

[email protected]

646.428.3758


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Region III Training Officers (Mid-Atlantic)

Amber Johnson

[email protected]

215.656.5998

Craig Rorie

[email protected]

215.656.5916




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Research and Customer Care Center 800.433.7327

[email protected]

Reach FSA 855.FSA.4FAA -- 1 number to reach 10 contact centers!

Campus Based Call Center eZ-Audit

COD School Eligibility Service Group

CPS/SAIG Foreign Schools Participation Division

NSLDS Research and Customer Care Center

G5 Nelnet Total & Permanent

Disability Team

fsa systems: the big picture - welcome | easfaa · 2015-06-03 · • use the default ... cps...

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