News to Know

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_at_fldoe.o
  rg.

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_at_fldo
  e.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 GH 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 students 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 PSIs 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.Y0
  506.
• 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
  Floridas 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 OSFAs 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_at_fldoe.org