Advice on how to approach FA office for more aid? (new uncovered medical expenses)

Paying for College
1

<p>Hi-</p>

<p>My D was just accepted at a school she loves. The aid package was generous, but we will still need to borrow money to meet the institutional EFC, on top of the student loans they packaged.</p>

<p>When we updated her CSS profile, we added some text at the end describing our financial situation (which, due to uncovered medical expenses a couple of years ago, is awful: we are borrowing some $ every month just to buy food/heat.) We noted that there might be additional uncovered medical expenses this year, as I was just about to go in for some testing.</p>

<p>Now, it turns out I DO need surgery (possibly surgeries, plural), The surgery is scheduled and I have gotten an estimate of the minimum cost from the surgeon.</p>

<p>The college's web site specifically states that "unforeseen medical expenses" may be grounds for changing the aid award, so I would like to contact them about this ASAP to discuss, but would like some advice about how to go about it.</p>

<p>It's very, very likely that she will attend this school. She LOVES it. She is just waiting for decisions from 2 schools this week, and unless their FA offers are much better, this is where she wants to attend.</p>

<p>I really appreciate any insights. We are totally new to all this!</p>

<p>If it helps, here are the particulars:</p>

<p>The surgery is going to add an additional $6,500 at a minimum, barring more unforeseen complications, etc.
Our federal EFC is $6,899 (but as mentioned we will need to borrow about 3/4 of that)
The EFC figured by the school, based on CSS info, is $7,200</p>

<p>The school is "meets full need" so the award package is for everything but that $7,200:
grants
Work Study $2,100
Perkins Loan $1,500
Subsidized Stafford Loan $3,500</p>

<p>Is it fair to ask them to reconsider our new information in order to adjust their institutional EFC and increase the grants?</p>

2

<p>Absolutely, do so. My advice is to get those numbers together and write it all down so anyone can see this new situation that has arisen. Find out who your student’s admissions officer is and have your student call the person, thank the person for admitting her, tell the person this is the school she wants, but the finances are an issue and have become even more pressing, and ask how to best approach the situation with FInancial Aid. Outright ask for any assistance the Admissions officer can offer in this regard, a name at Fin aid, anything. Then the next call should be to fin aid to discuss the matter. If a lot of financial info is in the picture, perhaps you should make that call prefacing it with the fact that the student called the admissions director (give name) and this is what s/he suggested doing and that there might be something this person could do to help out here. Also say that you are calling because you have the actual numbers financially and you want to make this appeal as efficient as possible. </p>

3

<p>@cptofthehouse, thank you for the good advice! I was going to call this morning (because I was worried that lots of other people might also call today -first business day after decisions released- and that there might be a limited amount of “extra” available…) but it sounds like I should wait until D is home from school and can call her admissions rep, huh?</p>

<p>She actually wrote a note to the rep, telling her how excited she was and thanking her for believing in her, but she has not mailed it yet. She has met the rep a few times and has a good relationship with her. I’ll ask her to call this afternoon.</p>

4

<p>At most colleges, and I don’t know if this specific school is in this category, Admissions and FIn Aid are two separate offices. Sometimes they are not in synch, sometimes they are. But it is likely that Admissions will know the personalities at Fin Aid and have some idea of the workings, and may be able to give some advice. Best possible case, can even drop a line there. </p>

5

<p>Wising you a full and speedy recovery</p>

<p>Unless there is merit $$ involved, contacting admissions is not going to help your cause, you will need to deal directly with financial aid.</p>

<p>You are still eligible for 2000 as an unsubsidized stafford loan</p>

<p>Break out your financial aid package first looking at the direct cost (tuition, room board, mandatory fees). Then look at your financial aid package to see what your financial aid package is covering. Then you will have a better idea as to how much you need (you can always get better pricing on books, supplies and transportation). Check to see if your current health insurance is sufficient so that you will not have to purchase health insurance through the school.</p>

<p>Then go to the school’s financial aid website to find out what the appeals process is. they may have their own form that you may need to fill out and either fax or scan over to them. Find out how the financial aid department is structured; if students are assigned alphabetically or by class so you can have an idea as to who to contact. If you have a better financial aid package from a peer school, do not be afraid to let the school know while this school is your D’s first choice the other school is a more financially feasible option for your family</p>

<p>Gather all of your documentations, your COBs from the insurance company that shows your unreimbursed medical expenses,. If your doctor had to submit pre-approval forms to your insurance company for your surgery, contact your carrier or your doctor to see if they have in writing what the insurance carrier will cover.</p>

<p>While many times we like the student to be proactive and handle things on their own, this is one of the times, where you as the parent will need to assist your child with this process.</p>

<p>all the best</p>

6

<p>I am sorry to hear about your impending surgery and the financial repercussions. </p>

<p>Definately appeal your case, what do you have to lose?</p>

<p>I think it is a good idea to start with admissions to see if they can offer any additional merit, then move to the need based aid. I know there are additional scholarships that the students can apply to once they have been accepted. Check on those too.</p>

<p>I am sure there are other tools for comparing financial aid packages, but I find this one pretty good. </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.consumerfinance.gov/paying-for-college/compare-financial-aid-and-college-cost/”>http://www.consumerfinance.gov/paying-for-college/compare-financial-aid-and-college-cost/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>You can save it, add more schools, tweak it and share the URL with the other parent and/or the student to compare financial aid packages and see the proposed, accruing future debt. </p>

7

<p>I agree. Gather up your information. But be alerted. The school will unlikely make an adjustment based on your future medical costs. Once you have the surgery, and have insurance explanations of benefits that SHOW what you must pay out of pocket, the school might deal with this issue. But until then, I believe they will just tell you to gather your information. </p>

<p>You should find out this college’s procedure for filing a special circumstances consideration. That is what you are asking them to do. Once you actually have unreimbursed medical expenses, you will file this. Schools consider these on a case by case basis. There is no guarantee that such a review will bet you more need based aid.BUT it is worth asking.</p>

<p>Hoping your health issues improve!</p>

8

<p>Thanks all for your advice and kind words. </p>

<p>My D just spoke with her admissions rep on the phone (and had a lovely conversation. The rep had some wonderful compliments for her) and she directed me to call the Financial Aid office as soon as possible. So I have a call in to them. </p>

9

<p>Look for the reconsideration request located in forms under the financial aid section
click apply for aid
look on the left had side for forms & deadlines
click reconsideration request (they will tell you the process</p>

<p>Good luck</p>

10

<p>@sybbie719
Thank you!</p>

11

<p>We sent nice note to admissions stating that the school was D’s first choice and asked if they could do anything additional. We noted we did not qualify for any aid but did have medical expenses that were not captured in FAFSA. The school came back with additional merit. Not much but anything helps. </p>

12

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<p>Is that gross price to you, or net after insurance reimbursements? </p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Check the college’s website to see what constitutes meeting full need. Pretty much every college has a minimum student earnings contribution (summer work, babysitting), in addition to any work-study and perhaps contribution towards “Misc expenses”. Add those together, and that will be the bare minimum that you will have to pay, regardless of how large your medical expenses are. </p>

13

<p>@bluebayou
Thanks- the $6,500 is the minimum of what WE would be paying after insurance (co-pays, deductible, and I’m switching to a high-premium, lower max-O-O-P insurance plan for the year, so that includes the difference in premiums, too. Essentially, everything we’d be itemizing on the tax return for medical expenses, above what we normally have.)</p>

<p>She does already have work-study as a line item in her aid award. The student contribution ($2,500) and parent contribution ($4,700) make up what I’m referring to here as EFC, plus the $1700 for student health insurance. My hope is that the new medical expenses would cause that EFC to be at least somewhat lower, since we’ll be borrowing the $1700 (ins) plus $4700 (parent contribution), plus what we already borrow each year to to make ends meet due to previous medical expenses, PLUS the $6500 in new medical expenses. That’s a ton of debt :(</p>

14

<p>Update: I spoke with the FA office. Although these expenses may indeed be grounds for an adjustment that would lower our family contribution, they cannot be considered until the end of the calendar year. So in December we can apply for the adjustment to affect her spring semester’s tuition. But for fall, it stays the same :(</p>

15

<p>My wife retired from her job at the end of January 2014 partly because of health issues as well as stress. I had already completed the FAFSA for my D. I called the FA office explaining the situation. They asked me to send additional information relating to her retirement annuity. My D was awarded another $3K in institutional grant money. </p>

16

<p>That’s terrific your D’s school considered that. Yeah, I was surprised that the FA officer would not consider this new information for the upcoming semester. It’s going to mean we have to severely into debt now. it’s a really bad scene. I’m really disappointed. I had assumed they would do SOMETHING for her. This was her top choice school… it’s going to mean we have to look more carefully at her other offers now. Even a couple of thousand one way or the other matters right now.</p>

17

<p>Actually – I’m not surprised by that outcome. Financial aid tends to be built around past expenses, not anticipated future expenses. In other words, they will consider the extra expenses you have already incurred, but not the ones that you anticipate incurring for the future. They need documentation, and it’s hard to document bills that you have not yet received or paid. </p>

<p>It’s a good idea to keep track of the name of the person you spoke to in financial aid - and confirm the conversation in writing. (email is fine). A simple “thank you” email that summarizes what you were told is fine. That will be a good reminder for you to refer back to when you contact them again in the fall, after your surgery – and it is also something that can help jog the memory of the financial aid person down the line. </p>

18

<p>Usually, an event that is expected to happen but has not yet occurred is not taken into account. The school could adjust and then you don’t get the surgery for any number of reasons. Keep careful records of all expenses incurred due to the surgery and submit them. Some adjustment might be made for the next semester due to that necessary expense.</p>

19

<p>God I wish there were POST. NUMBERS! </p>

<p>I mentioned upstream that your upcoming medical expenses will likely NOT be considered. They have NOT yet happened. For consideration, you will need to provide the bills, and the explanation of benefits from your insurance to document what is NOT covered. In addition, you will have to show evidence that you actually PAID out of pocket for these unreimbursed medical expenses. There is NO WAY to do this prior to the actual procedures being done, and the billing submitted, and you paying your position.</p>