<p>
[quote]
For the first time since the creation of the federal student-aid system, the income and assets of all of a would-be borrower's legal parents will be counted in the government's calculation of the student's need.
<p>While unmarried and gay parents may be glad that this change shows that the U.S. Education Department is recognizing and validating their relationship, they may not be so glad that now TWO parents' income and assets will be considered by the EFC formula instead of just one!</p>
<p>So, contrary to the implication in the Chronicle report (“the income and assets of all of a would-be borrower’s legal parents will be counted”), there is no change for students whose parents are divorced or separated.</p>
<p>If I were the Secretary of Education (God forbid!), I’d move forward. The whole country more or less expects DOMA to be overturned, and the Department of Education may as well start rolling out new policies. It’s easier to halt implementation of pending new procedures than it is to catch up to the law if the law gets ahead of them.</p>
<p>The change has nothing to do with DOMA and gay marriage – they have merely added one new option for answering the FAFSA question about marital status:
"“unmarried and both parents living together.”</p>
<p>They have also replace terms like “father” and “mother” with the gender-neutral “parent”.</p>
<p>So while this potentially reaches a single-sex, 2-parent household (where both partners are the legal parents of a college age child) – the language isn’t specifically geared to that. </p>
<p>The intent clearly is to reach the situation where both parents live together but are not legally married. (If there are two gay parents who are legally married, then the student would NOT check that new “unmarried” option in any case.)</p>
<p>Well it seems if everyone wants equality for benefits then certainly equality in the tax penalties involved with the marriage tax, as well as any aid with the gov should certainly be applied equally.
I guess a school can technically do whatever it wants for aid grants/need/scholarships as well.</p>
<p>calmom- I was just being snarky. I mean I knew there was an uproar coming to stop gay couples from claiming to be parents so that they would lose financial aid.</p>
<p>It actually makes great sense to me. The FAFSA has always been focused on the household and if the household includes additional people bio or otherwise that contribute to the well-being of the future college student then it makes sense that the income be counted. A household could really be any combination of people and any combination of gender. If the federal income taxes don’t line up it will make validation more complex, but the premise "feels’ sound to me.</p>
<p>I don’t understand how this would differ from how it is handled now. I also don’t know how it is handled now. If a child is currently living with his same-sex parents, are they not now both counted for FAFSA?</p>
<p>We’ve been dealing with this for years. My partner is not a legal parent because when we tried to have her adopt them as infants, the state would have required that I give up my parental rights - in Indiana at that time, (and technically today, though some judges have allowed adoptions in spite of how the law is written), a child could only have one mom, legally. So we just wrote wills and set up trusts and bought extra life insurance, etc.
We will voluntarily include my partner’s income on the FAFSA when the kids and I are eligible to get survivor benefits on her Social Security.
That being said, we have always explained everything to the schools, and given them whatever data they want. They have treated us like a family in return.
Reality, though? It doesn’t make a whole lot of difference – we are both librarians, so the incomes aren’t so big to start with.</p>
<p>Bay - some explanation on how it works now. One of the first questions the FAFSA asks is, “are your parents married?”. Well, my state allows my children only one legal parent. One mom, and there is no legal father. When we asked if my partner could adopt, as a stepparent can, we were told state law did not permit a child to have two moms. So, no, my children’s parents aren’t married. Then FAFSA asks which parent you live with. Mom. And from there on out, there is no place to put information about my partner. She is not my dependent. She is not a non-custodial parent. So everything in FAFSA is determined on my numbers alone (including half the value of our jointly owned home, as well as half the mortgage debt, etc.).</p>
<p>Thanks, MZBkiya. Under the new change, how would the accounting differ for your children? If your partner is not the “legal” parent of your children, then the change would have no impact on your children, correct?</p>
<p>Bay - from a quick read of the press release, I think that is true. It still feels like a betrayal each year to not recognize her as a parent, since we have been together since well before the children were born, and she has been their mom in every way but biologically and legally.</p>
<p>Just a quick note for clarification – MZBkyla wrote: " (including half the value of our jointly owned home, as well as half the mortgage debt, etc.)."</p>
<p>The FAFSA does not ask for the value of the the primary home nor consider mortgage debt (or any other debt for that matter).</p>
<p>This may sound naiive…
I had expected that 2 guardians in a home–whether married or not-- and regardless of gender-- were still 2 guardians. Like Divorced parents can share guardianship.</p>