Federal WorkStudy

1
Federal Work-Study

• NCASFAA 2008 Fall Conference
• Winston-Salem
• Presented by
• Emily Bliss and Kathy Fritz

2
Purpose of Session

• Provide background on the FWS program
• Provide regulatory information
• Share FWS experiences from UNCW
• Encourage discussions and questions in ways to
  improve FWS programs at our school and yours

3
How it Begins

• Funding from the Federal Government based on
  successful completion of FISAP
• 25 match from State, Institution or Outside
  entity
• Work with departments and agencies to provide a
  worthwhile experience for both students and
  worksite

4
Program Participation Requirements for FWS

• FWS must be reasonably available to all eligible
  students based on funding
• Award FWS that will complement and reinforce each
  recipients educational or career goals
• FWS may be used to support programs for
  supportive services to students with disabilities
• Inform all eligible students of community service
  opportunities

5
Student Eligibility

• Must meet all Title IV eligibility requirements
• SAP
• Need
• Can be undergraduate or graduate
• Teacher Certification students may receive FWS
• Student may be less than full timeactually
  schools are required to offer a portion to LTFT

6
Determining Who to Award

• Must have need
• Did student request FWS on the FAFSA
• Start a waitlist if you over award the total fund
  based on anticipated no shows

7
Student is AwardedNow what do you do?

• How long should you allow for an acceptance?
• How long should you allow for students to find a
  job?
• How do you advertise for jobs?
• Are other offices on your campus involved in the
  process?
• Career Services
• HR

8
Types of jobs

• When possible, jobs should be in academic
  departments that pertain to students course of
  study.
• Cannot replace a full time position
• Must have a job description
• Remember to include privacy statement
• Pay must be reasonable in relation to work
• Students must be paid at least the minimum wage

9
Time to Pay

• Students must get paid at least once a month
• Pay can be either electronically to bank account
  or by check
• Who checks time sheets to make sure students have
  not worked over their allocation
• Someone needs to make sure departments are paying
  out of the correct fund
• No office can both authorize FWS payments and
  disburse FWS funds to students

10
Community Service

• Visit organizations and schools to see if they
  are interested in hiring students. Ex. Schools,
  conservation organizations, community action
  groups
• Draw up a contract for community service
  organizations and school to sign
• Work out a training schedule
• Be prepared to have students complete a
  background check
• Background checks are not mandated by the Federal
  Government but may be by the organization

11
Community Service

• Schools are required to spend at least 7 of
  their allocation on community service jobs
• At least one student receiving FWS must work in a
  family literacy project providing service to
  preschool or elementary children or
• As a reading tutor to preschool or elementary
  students

12
Community Service

• You may have to pay a higher salary to cover
  travel costs
• America Reads and America Counts do not require a
  25 match
• The school can pay the 25 match for community
  service organizations
• UNCW bills the organization
• You must have at least one student in a literacy
  program

13
Federal Match

• If students are employed at a private for-profit
  agency, then 50 of wages must be paid by that
  agency.
• Waivers for matches are available for special
  circumstances. Contact the Department of Ed.

14
Contacting Schools

• It is a good idea to visit schools where students
  are working in the AC/AR program at least once
  each semester
• Introduce yourself to the staff.
• Ask if they have concerns or questions

15
2009-2010

• You can now transfer funds from FSEOG to FWS and
  you can transfer funds from FWS to Perkins
• Found in the new HEOA of 2008
• Schools have always been able to move 25 of
  funds to FSEOG

16
Overawards

• Keep close track
• Call departments in which the student is working
  regarding eligibility limits. Departments must
  pay 100 of wages forward
• 300 over award tolerance can be left in the
  package
• Be sure to count hours worked but not yet
  recorded for the month in which the student is
  working

17
Summer Work Study

• It can be a good source of labor to help with
  answering telephone during the busy summer months
• Can be awarded to students not enrolled in summer
  school, if they are planning on returning or
  entering school for the first time in the fall
• Must come out of fall aid package, however you
  can add funds to their fall budget to cover
  expenses over the summer

18
FISAP

• Keep good records in order to complete the FISAP
• AR/AC must be tracked separately
• Community Service must be tracked separately
• You can count the States or your Institutional
  funds match toward the 25 match

19
FISAP

• If you have a JLD program or are thinking of
  beginning one, look at the FISAP first.
• You must record total expenditures
• Institutional expenditures
• Number of students for whom jobs were located or
  developed
• Total earnings of students mentioned above

20
FISAP

• It is not essential to spend exact FWS allocation
  in one year
• 10 of the federal allocation can be moved either
  forward or back or you can do both if you have
  not spent enough
• An additional 10 can be moved to cover summer
  salaries as long as the student is employed after
  May 1

21
Administrative Cost Allowance

• 5 of expenditures
• Used to help offset administrative costs
• The ACA does not have to be charged to the FWS
  program. It may be taken from Perkins or FSEOG

22
Advertising FWS

• Mention it during orientation
• Tell parents students can work and study
• Have counselors suggest it to students who did
  not check it on the FAFSA
• Tie it to an institutional grant program
• Advertise in your school newspaper

23
Job Locator Development

• A position can be created, usually in Career
  Services
• Funds to pay position must come out of FWS,
  either 10 or 50,000 which ever is less.
• Most schools I know of do not have such a
  position
• The employee in this position must find jobs for
  FWS as well as non-FWS in the community
• See FAS Handbook for details

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Limitations

• Students cannot be employed to perform political
  activities
• Students cannot perform work that benefits the
  school at a proprietary school such as cleaning,
  purchasing, public relations
• If students work at a parochial school it must be
  classified as a private, nonprofit school and
  students may not tutor on religious matter

25
References

• FSA Handbook Volume 6, Chapter 2
• 34 CFR 675