<p>Last year my mother died of breast cancer and before then, for 8 years, my father has been in a deep depression. My mom was left to keep up as a single parent while my dad never left the living room couch even though we all lived in the same house. I have not spoken to my father for 8 years and he has not spoken to me. I am also moving to PA in 3 weeks to get our of this house before it's taken away. Now that my mom has passed away things are beginning to fall apart financially for the house. If my brother was not here to use my dad's pension to pay the essential bills I would be on the street. Now, I think that my situation should override my dependency status on my FAFSA but I do not know who to ask to write the letter that proves the condition my dad is in.</p>
<p>Since I am moving to PA next year to live with my uncle I will also have to wait a year to become a resident. Should I just try to override my dependency once I am there since I will definitely have no contact with my father?</p>
<p>I will have earned my AA degree soon so I would really hate to wait 5 years to finish my education.</p>
<p>Note: This is a very condensed version of the state of my family.</p>
<p>Also, I apologize if I should have posted this in another thread. I am scrambling around trying to get all of this done.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what your basis for a dependency override would be. You are choosing to move to a different state. You are currently living in the home with your dad (yes I realize your situation is not pleasant from what you posted). I hope you can make this work, but I’m not sure you will get that dependency override.</p>
<p>My basis is that my father is mentally unable to provide for me let alone himself. He’s been bakeracted before and has refused treatment ever since. I will try to talk to a school couselor but I think that it might be hopeless since I am moving so soon.</p>
<p>I believe the issue here is not the OP’s “choice” to move out of the family home, but rather her father’s long term clinical depression, which has rendered him incompetent. Now that her mother has died, the OP’s situation is analogous to having been orphaned, even though that’s not technically the case.</p>
<p>I would guess that the first thing the OP should do is get written third party corroboration of her dad’s situation - from a social worker, medical practitioner, or chaplain. I would think that such independent corroboration would be essential if the OP is going to apply to her school for a dependency override. (Whether it would be sufficient is another question altogether . . .)</p>
<p>This raises an interesting question that I don’t know the answer to: if mom is deceased and dad is unable to work, and the only family assets are dad’s pension and a house that’s about to be foreclosed on, then it would seem that the OP’s EFC would be zero, even as a dependent . . . but if dad is mentally ill and unable to file (or even sign) the FAFSA, how would the OP be able to file it? If the only surviving parent is legally incompetent, who could legally execute the FAFSA?</p>
<p>A related question is what’s going to happen to dad after the OP (and her older brother) move out? It seems that perhaps a public guardianship should be set up for dad, if he’s in fact legally incompetent. I don’t know where the OP’s father lives or what the procedures are in the state for establishing a guardianship, but unless there’s another plan in place for dad, I’d suggest that it’s something the OP (and her brother) should look into. If nothing else, the declaration of incompetency would probably facilitate the OP’s application for a dependency override.</p>
<p>The OP is over 18. Many students over 18 move out of their parents’ homes for a variety of reasons. I hope Kelsmom weighs in…this is a sad situation for sure, but I’m not sure a dependency override had any basis.</p>
<p>The dad has not yet been declared incompetent.</p>
<p>I believe it’s the college that grants the dependency override. You would need to know where you are applying to college. Also, you need to check to see if you absolutely will qualify for instate residency status. This policy also varies by school. Simply residing with your uncle will likely not give you this status.</p>
<p>OP … so sorry you are in this situation. Besides checking into the relationship with your father (or lack there of) chools will also be interested to know if your father is providing some financial support. If his pension or disability payments have been or will be used to help pay for you care (rent, food, etc) this will have to be divulged. Your situation does not fit the classic parameters for a waiver (no contact and no financial support) however it is unique … I’d suggest talking directly to the schools in which you are interested and they will let you know if you have a shot. Good luck!</p>
<p>This would likely fall under the professional judgement area for financial aid officers and would depend on the school and officer. I don’t see how any of us could do more than guess. Do document the situation at hand as well as possible.</p>
<p>What kind of pension is your father getting? Were you getting financial aid in earlier years while your mother was alive? Was there any insurance or other forms of payment last year that would jack up any income/asset statement for 2011?</p>
<p>Where are you planning to go to college anyways? You are moving to PA, what schools do you have in mind. It might well be a wise thing to take off the year and get things under your belt and look around, appraise your new surroundings, find out what your options are, earn a little money and save a bit too before plunging into a new school when so much is up in the air. </p>
<p>Also , how old are you? How much college have you already had, and what kind of financial aid have you had. </p>
<p>If the father is truly deemed incompetent, there may be some venues for the OP to use in terms of residency in PA to get state tuition rates. It depends on the individual school. Sometimes for local/community colleges, no more than verification of living in the state is needed to get state rates. For the more major colleges and universities, they may dig deeper and require more.</p>
<p>Why would there be a need for dependency over-write? Father is receiving pension. How high could that pension be given that father was not working for at least 8 years?</p>
<p>The situation is unusual enough that the OP is going to have to present it to the school financial aid offices and see what they say. But with moving to a new home, finding a job/school, something, and with the fate of Dad up in the air, it might be wise to sit out the year rather than losing a year of financial aid with all of this upheaval. The undergrad fin aid is limited in the number of years used, so students should be careful not to just blindly jump into a school so to use it then be up against the wall when it’s run out.</p>
<p>My dad was a police officer so he’s getting the pension from that. He’s been getting the pension for at least 10 to 11 years now.</p>
<p>Yes, I was getting financial aid when my mom was alive because SHE filed both her taxes and my father’s taxes so I was able to submit them to the fafsa. I got enough aid to pay for the community college that I recently graudated from. I got the Pell, a Florida residency grant, a merit based scholarship, and work study. I now have an AA degree. My father throws bills, important mail, and documents of any kind in the trash if he gets a hold of them first. So It’s extremely frustrating to find anything, heh.</p>
<p>A school I have in mind for PA is East Strousburg University. I won’t have transportation once I am there. My mother’s car, which she left to me, is in my dad’s name so since the tag expired. The car is now rotting in our driveway. Anyway, East Strousburg is the closest to my uncle’s house. I definitely plan on looking around more, finding a job, and saving up money before I go back to school. I’ve never lived anywhere else so the move itself will take lots of adjusting.</p>
<p>I’m turning 20 in 16 days, yay. So I’ve got time I suppose. This is the most help I have recieved, I am very very thankful!</p>