Policy & Procedure for Financial Aid Verification
Academy for Nursing and Health Occupations has developed the following policies and procedures for the verification of information provided by applicants for Federal Title IV student financial aid.
- A student's ISIR may be selected for verification. Verification is a process that the U.S. Department of Education (ED) requires for certain students to confirm the accuracy of information reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students selected for verification may be required to provide documentation supporting the information reported on the FAFSA. The specific items subject to verification are determined annually by the U.S. Department of Education and may include, but are not limited to, income information, household information, identity, educational purpose, or other federal eligibility requirements.
- The institution's financial aid staff will use the most current Application and Verification Guide (AVG) in the Federal Student Aid (FSA) Handbook for the award year in which the student applied for eligibility. If the student has already provided information to the institution at the time of their initial visit, that information will still be verified, and the student must complete a verification worksheet. The verification worksheet must be signed by the student and, if dependent, by at least one parent whose data was used to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). There is an independent verification worksheet and a dependent verification worksheet. Students selected for verification must submit all requested documentation before federal financial aid eligibility can be finalized.
- If students completed their FAFSA at the institution and had their documentation with them to complete it, the institution will have the information to proceed with the verification process and will have the student complete and sign a verification worksheet. For those who did not complete the FAFSA at the institution, ANHO will give the student written or electronic notice of what they need to bring in and a deadline to do so. Failure to submit all requested documentation by the established deadline may delay the awarding or disbursement of federal financial aid or result in the loss of eligibility for certain federal student aid programs.
- Title IV funds will not be disbursed until verification is complete when verification is required by the U.S. Department of Education and all requested documentation has been received and reviewed by the Financial Aid Office.
- Students selected for verification must submit all requested documentation within the deadlines established by the U.S. Department of Education and ANHO. Failure to complete verification by the applicable federal deadline may result in the loss of eligibility for federal student aid for the applicable award year. Students remain responsible for all tuition and fees not covered by financial aid while verification is pending.
- If the verification process indicates that corrections are required to the student's FAFSA information, the Financial Aid Office will submit the appropriate corrections to the U.S. Department of Education, when required. If the corrections result in changes to the student's Student Aid Index (SAI), Federal Pell Grant eligibility, or other Title IV eligibility, the student's financial aid eligibility will be recalculated based on the updated Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) before Title IV funds are disbursed.
- Certain applicants may qualify for verification exclusions as permitted by the U.S. Department of Education. Verification exclusions will be administered in accordance with the most current Federal Student Aid Handbook, Application and Verification Guide (AVG), and other applicable federal guidance.
- The financial aid file must be documented with the date that verification is completed and all documentation supporting the verification process will be maintained in accordance with applicable federal record retention requirements.