About verification

Verification Process Changes for 22-23 Award Year

The U.S. Department of Education announced that they will be making temporary changes to the federal student aid verification process for the 2022-2023 award year. This temporary change aims to mitigate the barriers that have prevented students in need from accessing the financial aid they need to attend college, barriers largely attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU:

Most students who have been selected for the verification process will no longer be required to provide supporting documentation. Students may still have to submit documents if requested by HCC Financial Aid in instances where conflicting information was provided on a student’s FAFSA application, or other special circumstances.

About verification

Verification is a process by which certain required data reported on the FAFSA is reviewed for accuracy and completeness.  FAFSA data is selected randomly by the Central Processing System (CPS) of the U.S. Department of Education.  It is the responsibility of the Financial Aid Office to verify, compare and correct; if necessary, the following: 

• Federal Adjusted Gross Income (parent and student if the student is dependent)
• Federal Taxes Paid (parent and student if the student is dependent)
• Untaxed Income (parent and student if the student is dependent)
• Household Size
• Number in College (excluding parents for a dependent student)
• Certain untaxed income and benefits

When selected for verification and prior to offering a financial award package, the student will be notified by the U.S. Department of Education.  The student will be directed to their HCC College Campus financial aid office to review a list of the documents that must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office before an award can be made from federal or state need-based and non-need based funds. 

Students must submit all required verification documents prior to or before the end of the semester attended to be considered for financial aid funds.

If a student is selected for verification after being offered a financial aid award package, the student will be notified by HCC that they must submit all of the required documentation for the financial aid office to proceed with disbursing financial aid.  If the documents are not received, financial aid - federal and state need-based and non-need based aid – will be cancelled and prior disbursements may be reversed.  

If corrections need to be submitted as a result of incorrect or conflicting information, the data will be resubmitted by the Financial Aid Office for a recalculation of the Expected Family Contribution. 

The Financial Aid Office must have reasonable processing time to:

• submit the corrections to the CPS if required,
• receive the corrected data from the CPS,
• make the offer of financial aid to the student

To ensure the student responds to the financial aid award offer including the certification of any student loans by the last day of the student’s enrollment of the semester, academic year, or summer session.

Once verification has been completed, students will be notified of financial aid eligibility or changes to a financial aid award package by a PeopleSoft generated e-mail.  The student will be instructed to log into their HCC Student Account to review the original or revised financial aid award package and take any appropriate action as instructed.

Listed below are typical documents that may be requested by the FAO to resolve discrepant information or complete the verification process.  Additional documentation may be requested at the discretion of the financial aid professional. 

• Federal IRS tax return transcript.
• Form SSA-1098 for verification of discrepancies in social security payments is an acceptable form of documentation.
• Verification Form provides acceptable documentation on household size, number in college, and other verifiable income and data.
• Copy of Divorce Decree – for verification of divorce of parents or student/spouse.
• Copies of court ordered child support documentation – for verification of separation and/or child support payments received.
• Copies of birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or passport – for verification of citizenship. The financial aid office must view and copy the original.
• Copies of I-94 cards – for verification of non-citizen eligibility. The financial aid office must view and copy the original.
• Signed Social Security Card – for verification of discrepancies in social security number reported.
• Satisfactory payment arrangements on defaulted student loans – for verification that student has made satisfactory arrangements on prior defaulted loans.

Once all requested documentation has been received the financial aid professional will review the student’s application for accuracy. Any discrepant information will be updated and the student’s eligibility for financial aid will be recalculated.