<p>My father was recently put on short term disability, possibly long term disability. His doctor put him on a 20 hr work week, but he has disability insurance. He is afraid that his employer will release him after the FMLA is exhausted which will terminate his group disability insurance. Should I appeal my FA pak? The COA is $43,979, gift aid total $27,010, std loans $5,500, leaving a gap of $11,469. EFC is aprox $12,000.</p>
<p>hmmm…</p>
<p>You can inform them of the situation but…</p>
<p>Schools usually won’t act until AFTER the fact…after there’s been a long period of reduced income. Right now, your dad’s situation is just beginning, it may be temporary, and he’ll be getting half salary and disability - which may not mean much in reduced income.</p>
<p>Tell them, but expect that nothing will be done at this point.</p>
<p>Appeal it. As a school counselor I have helped students appeal for less. The FASFA forms ask
“In 2010 or 2011, did you, your parents or anyone in your parents’ household (from question 72) receive benefits from any of the federal programs listed?
Mark all that apply. Answering these questions will not reduce eligibility for student aid or these programs. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the new
name for Food Stamps. SNAP, Food Stamps and/or TANF may have a different name in your parents’ state. Call 1-800-4-FED-AID to find out the name of the state’s program. SSI, Food stamps, etc.”</p>
<p>They also talk about dislocated workers and provide this definition:
In general, a person may be considered a dislocated worker if he or she:
• is receiving unemployment benefits due to being laid off or losing a
job and is unlikely to return to a previous occupation;
• has been laid off or received a lay-off notice from a job;
• was self-employed but is now unemployed due to economic
conditions or natural disaster; or
• is a displaced homemaker. A displaced homemaker is generally a
person who previously provided unpaid services to the family (e.g., a
stay-at-home mom or dad), is no longer supported by the husband or
wife, is unemployed or underemployed, and is having trouble finding
or upgrading employment.</p>
<p>If you anticipated your father will be #1 on disabilty or #2 a dislocated worker before you start school next fall appeal it go through the process. The worst that happens in the school says no the only thing you wasted was time.</p>
<p>^ Okay. But none of those apply…</p>
<p>“He is afraid that his employer will release him after the FMLA is exhausted which will terminate his group disability insurance”</p>
<p><a href=“https://fafsa.ed.gov/fotw1112/help/fahelp29a.htm[/url]”>https://fafsa.ed.gov/fotw1112/help/fahelp29a.htm</a></p>
<p>“The Higher Education Act allows an FAA to make dependency overrides on a case-by-case basis for students with special circumstances. Effective with the 2010-2011 award year, a student may indicate on FAFSA on the Web that he or she believes that he or she has a special circumstance.”</p>
<p>
Which has NOT happened yet. Mom2CK was right - colleges don’t adjust for “might happens”.</p>
<p>I guess I am more focusing on what has already happened. Dad has been cut 20 hours of work and is in turn losing 50% of his income. I am assuming that his disability payments are not very high and the family is currently struggling to make ends to meet. I am not sure this person would be asking such a detailed question if they didn’t see the writing on the wall. A loss of income, in my opinion, is a special circumstance. The appeal process starts with contact. Make contact and start the process. Call the office and explain your current circumstance with the impending layoff.</p>
<p>The financial aid process is not clear nor do the administrators at the schools follow clear guidelines. Unless either of us can provide data that shows the number of students who applied for appeals and the number that were rejected based on reason both of us only have opinions based on our own experiences. What am I saying is something “did happen” and there is a “might happen” on the way. This process is very subjective and each college will handle it differently. So I respectfully disagree and believe the writer should start the process with contact. Good Luck!</p>
<p>One final link:
[FinAid</a> | Professional Judgment | Special Circumstances](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid)</p>
<p>The specific examples listed in the Higher Education Act include:
tuition expenses at an elementary or secondary school
medical or dental expenses not covered by insurance
unusually high child care costs
recent unemployment of a family member
the number of parents enrolled at least half-time in a degree, certificate, or other program leading to a recognized educational credential at a Title IV institution of higher education
proceeds of a sale of farm or business assets if the sale resulted from a voluntary or involuntary foreclosure, forfeiture, or bankruptcy or an involuntary liquidation
additional costs incurred as a result of a student�s disability.
or other changes in a family�s income, a family�s assets, or a student�s status</p>
<p>Other common special circumstances include:
Death, disability or serious illness of a wage-earner, or the wage-earner becomes mentally or physically incapacitated.
Unusual capital gains.
Roth IRA rollovers.
Custodial parent remarries after application date.
Death of custodial parent and student has not had any contact with non-custodial parent for many years.
The whereabouts of the parent are unknown.
Recent divorce of the student’s parents (i.e., to separate the income of the custodial parent from the non-custodial parent).
Termination of a child support agreement (i.e., the custodial parent will no longer receive child support payments during the award year).
Casualty losses due to weather (hurricane, tornado, mud slides, ground subsidence and other natural disasters), fire, theft, acts of God, or terrorism.
A parent being called to active duty in the armed forces.
Special needs children.
Alimony payments that are not deductible on the family’s income tax return.
Temporary layoff or furlough of a wage-earner.
Drop in income due to fewer hours (i.e., no overtime) or reduced salary or elimination of bonuses.
Wages included moving expenses.
Bankruptcy or foreclosure.
Elder care expenses (e.g., nursing home fees).
Change in income due to recent retirement.</p>
<p>Thanks SchoolCounselor! The link was very helpful. My mother will be losing her income at the end of this year - the school she teaches in will close, and teaching jobs are scarce here. I was so worried that we might not have enough to cover the cost of my college, but if they make exceptions based on special circumstances, maybe we can get more FA than we would based on our 2012 taxes!</p>
<p>You can try. Put your is.case together. But as others have said, until something has actually happened, it is generally not taken into consideration. Your father IS deemed disabled and his hours ARE cut so that would be a consideration. </p>
<p>Schools can do what they want with their own money, so it will truly be up to the counselor looking at your case. For federal money, they are more constrained as to whether you actually fall in a category, but because it is not school money, the counselors will try to make a fit. But for their own funds, it is truly a judgment issue and what monies they have left could weigh heavily in the decision. But even if you do not get a favorable decision, the case with all the info will be right there for another appeal when circumstances do change to worse and actually happens. That can expedite the approvals then.</p>