<p>Let me start off by saying thank you to the people who took the time out of their day to read this.
I am look for some advice on a few issues because I have no idea what to do.
I started off this school year thinking everything was going to go great. I packed up my things and arrived anxious to school. I didn't know that my school year would take a major turn in the other other direction.
On January 1, 2014 my father had a stroke. Not a little one where he would be fine, but a major stroke. It affected the entire right hemisphere of his brain. This event occurred during break and I was not ready for something like this to happen. He was in the NICU for two and a half weeks and remained at the hospital for an additional week. He got discharged from the hospital and now is in a "skilled" nursing facility. I had to leave him to go back to school (I didn't want to but I needed to finish my school year). We are now in the position where we don't know what to do. My sister is in college as well (sophomore) and had to go back to school too for the remainder of the year. Although she is only 2 hours away from our dad, I am 6 hours. I was thinking of transferring because he had his stroke. My sister was thinking of doing the same. His facility he is currently in apparently does not do the job they claimed they would. He now has a bed wound on his back because he is not turned every few hours or washed every few hours. His left side isn't very strong:he can't move his left arm and he can barely move his left leg. His right is the same as it was before he had his stroke. We don't know what to do as far as putting him in long term care. His nursing facility he is at right now doesn't do their job and our insurance doesn't cover much of anything anymore at the nursing facility. They do in home care but there is no way that that could happen if he can't walk, go to the restroom, bathe himself, or swallow anything. We are possibly looking at turning to Medicare or Medicaid but that would take away his pension right? We are also looking at it effecting my sister and I. We would not have any insurance and my sister has an autoimmune disease that affects her eyes and ears and if she doesn't take her medicine she could go blind or her vision could worsen substantially. I play a sport at my school and I have injuries all the time because I am a goalkeeper. My GPA was pretty okay for the first semester and now I am concentrating on doing even better this semester. However, we don't even know if my sister and I will be in school next year or the next because of everything that has happened. Our primary concern right know is making sure he gets the care he needs but we don't know what to do or how it will affect my sister and I. If I do return to school next year, how would I file the fasfa and anything else that is needed? How would my sister file? What do we do about dad? I honestly have no answers and I need help.</p>
<p>First off I am sorry about your dad. I would assume you are only a couple of weeks into the semester. </p>
<p>A couple of options:</p>
<p>Stay in school and complete the semester. </p>
<p>Withdraw for the semester and attend next semester. You may end up owing tuition, so you would have to check your school’s refund policy. </p>
<p>Withdraw from the school completley and attend a school closer to home. This would be advisable if your dad will need future care. </p>
<p>It is best to speak with your advisor as they will be in the best position to help you. </p>
<p>File the fafsa accordingly, theres a section asking if your dad is a dislocated worker. Check that box if your dad is currently unemployed due to these conditions. There is criteria stated in the fafsa stating if he would be considered a dislocated worker. After you fill out the fafsa you will most likely get the same aid as the previous year. However, make sure you appeal your fafsa. Contact yours and your sisters school asking whether you can appeal your financial aid and support it with documentation of your father’s hospital bills etc. </p>
<p>Hope everything works out :)</p>
<p>You don’t mention your mom or any other relatives who are helping your dad. Is there anyone? Because this is a lot for you and your sister to handle by yourselves. But if there are other adults who can help, you should not feel like you have to drop everything and be home with your dad, especially if it would cause financial or academic issues to withdraw at this point. </p>
<p>My mom is nowhere in the picture. She is in jail right now and will be for another 2-3 years. My uncles are trying to help but they are trying to figure out what to do with my grandmother since my dad was caring for her and she is 88 and an amputee. </p>
<p>I am so sorry that this is happening in your family. My suggestion to you, is to sit down and see what options you will have for the next year. Without the options, you may have little or no choice.</p>
<p>You are currently in college, I assume, and the semester is paid for. In order to even have the option to return there, you need to file FAFSA, talk to your financial aid officer and send a written statement about what is happening in your family. This will allow your current college to come up with a package for you for next year, that may or may not be doable. Your sister should do the same. Clearly, if the aid packages do not make it possible for either or both or you to return to school, if there is not the money, then that is not an option. By getting your paperwork completed, that makes it an option.</p>
<p>You should look at schools near where your father is, and apply to transfer to them. Again, make sure that you include your special circumstances. Is there a home, his home, your grandmother’s home, or whatever so that commuter schools are included in this option? If you can relocate and transfer close to where he is staying, you could visit the nursing home daily and help with some of his care, and also look for other options and be involved on the spot. Both you and your sister can see if this option is viable for either or both of you.You can make it part of your job, and I am sorry you are hit with this as young as you are, to find out what options are available to your father and select what is the most tenable all around. </p>
<p>If none of the colleges are going to be doable for you and/or your sister, it means taking a leave of absence next year, finding a job near home and applying for health insurance . With the ACA, there will be some alternatives out there for you. This is something you need to investigate. You take the year, and see if things are getting better, worse, the same, and see what options are available under your new circumstances. If you are currently going to a college that does not guarantee to meet full need, they well may not give you enough money to go back there as a boarding student. You may have to finish college on a part time basis, commuting from home and working part time which is the way most students go to college. GOing away to college is a luxury, and if the money flow from family ends, that is one luxury that is cut quickly, unless the college will come up with money from their own coffers and pay for you. That rarely happens, just to let you know right now. </p>
<p>So unless your school steps it up, you will need to find another place to live, and other things to do, whether it’s nurse your father, work, go to school, and likely all three. The most important thing for you right now is to determine if you are going to have a place to live when you leave your school at the end of the term. Where are you going to live? How are you going have that paid? Who is taking care of your father’s expense and income, what there are of both? Where do you fit in all of this? As an adult you are not entitled to anything, most likely. IT’s up to you to take care of yourself, and any support you were getting from your father was because he was willing and able. He may no longer be able now, which means you have to care for yourself, before you even can think about what care you are giving him. He’s in a facility right now which is taking care of him, though not as well as you’d like, maybe no one likes it. But you need to be firmly on your own two feet before you can think about moving him, caring for him. This is a major transition, and it 's going to be a tough one. </p>
<p>So, the first thing is to focus on you, what you will need, and what you can do to have as many options meeting your need. From there, you can see what you can do to help your father too. </p>
<p>Do discuss this with your sister, and perhaps the two of you can work it out together, but depending on what options she ends up having, and what she decides to do, it may all be on you. As an adult that’s how it often works. If she’ll pool resources with you, great. But if her college will give the money for her to go back, and yours doesn’t, well, that’s an option she has, that you do not. So you need options too.</p>
<p>Good luck and my thoughts are with you. Do stay strong, and see what options you do have. </p>
<p>Just a few thoughts,</p>
<p>Whatever you do, make sure that you talk to the school and follow whatever the procedures are to properly withdraw or take a leave of absence. Talk to the FA department to understand how this impacts you financially.</p>
<p>If possible, try not to make major decisions now. Chances are you are in the panic mode right now. I would be.</p>
<p>Talk to the nursing facility. They could have a social worker on staff that could help you identify resources to deal with this. </p>
<p>Also, ask your financial aid office about options you might have for withdrawal or drop from this semester with financial consideration because of these extreme circumstances. Stay in touch with your dean of students office, the dorm admins, and your academic adviser. </p>
<p>Definitely find a social worker to assist with your family’s crisis. Ask if there is any pro bono or NFP financial planning service that can help your family figure out the next steps.</p>
<p>This is all so much to deal with, and you will come through it. Hang in there and ask for help. </p>
<p>One thing, regarding finances, if your father has not done so, you or your sister should get power of attorney. This is to have the right to conduct his finances and decisions on his behalf if he is unable. You know pay bills, etc.
without this his accounts could be frozen if he becomes unconscious or unable to give directions.
you may also look for legal aid in your area, also suggested above. They might be able to direct you to helpful sources also. I know this is difficult for you, and my heart goes out to you. You need good legal, financial and social services guidance. You might even call the hospital where your father was treated. Explain the situation of the nursing facility. Sometimes those who work with the systems know best which part of the system you need to contact. Be polite and explain your situation. If you can’t get answers call your state’s attorney general and ask for assistance. They can not give you specific legal advice but certainly know where to direct you.
You and your sister might consider if one should continue school, or both delay. Or if there are any online classes you might be able to take from home. If either has a scholarship you might want that student to continue so not to lose the scholarship. As suggested before, talk to your schools and get info on medical leaves, loans, scholarships, etc.
I hope he is getting physical therapy at his facility. I’m sure he is frustrated and grateful for you and your sister.
My thoughts are with you. Just ask questions if you need info. Be persistent. It will work out and I so hope your father improves. </p>
<p>Right now my uncle has POA. He has been taking care of the bills. I have spoken with my school and they have stated I must file my taxes as well as my fathers to receive aid for next year. My dad has strongly expressed he would like my sister and I to continue to go to school regardless of the situation. We are trying to see if he can be put on Medicare or Medicaid disability. My sister and I are looking to apply for Obamacare because the insurance provided for students at our schools is essentially nothing in comparison to the insurance we have now (MHBP). My finaid office has told me I can file for reduced income for the upcoming school year and that I will more than likely be given a pell grant because of the lack of money I will be given. We are also trying to see if our phone plans can be added to our older sisters account (half-sister who is not biological child of my father). We were applying to scholarships before but are even more so now. I never had given much thought to being an RA until now and have applied for an RA position at my school to reduce the amount of money to be paid out of pocket for the year. I hope I get it as my interview is next week and I have a lot of campus involvement. We are trying to get my father moved to a different facility as of right now but he needs to be more functional and independent. However, I think this will take a lot of time. My sister and I are desperately trying to take summer classes to speed up graduation time. We are also going to be getting summer jobs to push ourselves through summer school and save for the upcoming school year for books, toiletries, and food. We are also going to try to get the meal plan where you do a lot more cooking than eating in the dining halls. So essentially we would have to be more organized monetarily. </p>
<p>I am so sorry for your situation. I know how scary it is when a loved one is not properly cared for - I went through it with my mother. Hopefully, he will be ready to move soon. It sounds like you have someone in financial aid who is being helpful - that is good to hear. You are doing everything you can to help out … if possible, honor your father’s wishes and complete this semester. </p>
<p>Okay so my family and I have come up with a better solution. I will be transferring back to a college in Virginia. They don’t want me to diminish my dreams of going to small college especially considering that I have anxiety problems. So they would like me to apply to private colleges in Virginia. My school I am going to isn’t very equipped or well staffed in my major anyways and there is a high possibility they may cut the program in about a year due to lack of interest. So I have decided to apply to Sweet Briar College, Hampton University, Christopher Newport University, Hollins University, and possibly Randolph Macon college. These are well within about 2 hours driving distance of my home and I could frequent home on weekends as much as I like to visit my dad as well as in emergencies since the 6 hour commute home isn’t working. I may also be able to get my aid since the VTAG is only for Virginia residents at private institutions. Hopefully this will be a good move as Sweet Briar is my top choice and has a very good foreign language program and pre med program as well. </p>
<p>Paint girl I’m glad you found an option that excites you ! This sounds like a good alternative. Keep your head up, and I hope your father is making improvements soon. I am glad you seem to have a strong family unit! Best of luck to you and your sister, father and family!</p>
<p>Paintgirl, that is great news!</p>
<p>I am now having problems filing my FASFA. I am at risk of not being in any housing for the summer and the next few years. I barely have money to buy groceries. When I file the FASFA do I file as an independent. I just received news I was accepted to Sweet Briar College and I am looking forward to attending this summer, but how will I file the FASFA with this problem? Once my dad is on Medicare my sister and I will no longer have him helping us with school, car payments, insurance, and more. Am I now labeled as an independent because of this?</p>
<p>No, you still are dependent unless a court declares you independent. Just fill out your portion and do the best you can to get info from your dad to fill in his portion. Is someone taking care of his medical and financial matters?</p>
<p>You are not considered independent if you can answer yes to any of the questions that are asked the make that determination. Basically, you have to be age 24, married, have a dependent, be a veteran, have been a ward of the court or have been in homeless shelter or run the risk thereof. The last category is something that may have to be addressed directly with a the college and may require professional judgement, but if that is indeed the case, do give it a go. </p>
<p>Part of the problem you might have is that most schools, for the summer term, consider that part of the school year before that summer. In other words, the 2014 summer may be considered an extension of the Fall 2013-14 school year, with the new school year starting in Fall of 2014. If that is the case, you may have already used up all of the funds you are entitled to get from the Federal government for this summer, and you have already filed the FAFSA covering that period of time. DO call the financial aid office at Sweet Briar whether this summer is indeed part of the school year beginning in 2013 and also ask how you can get the funding to start this summer. Also explain your situation. If you are indeed in the predicament where you are in danger of becoming homeless, as the fin aid director how to address this and if you can be declared independent for the following school year. Also ask about status changes for the current school year, if indeed the summer is considered an extension of that year, rather than the start of the next year. Do also be aware that you do not get more federal money for the summer. If you use up the maximums amounts during the fall and spring semester, you don’t get more for the summer, unless the school is on some trimester basis. So if you use money towards this summer, it comes out of your entitlements for the fall and winter. You don’t get additional.</p>
<p>It asks a question on the FASFA if I am homeless or at risk of being homeless. The answer to that question is yes. </p>
<p>Also, I am not going to summer school. </p>
<p>My father is in a nursing home and will be on medicare or Medicaid soon. Once this happens, I am no longer being supported by him and he has no means of income except for to give it to the federal government.</p>