My niece came to live with me and we’re now trying to fill out FAFSA. Dad on Social Security Disability for 20 years, mom on welfare over 20 years, neither worked at all in that time, nor file tax returns. How do we complete FAFSA application with nonexistent parents and nonexistent taxes or able to get mentally ill mother to fill out anything?
Are you a legally court appointed guardian?
Yes, it might be easier to become court appointed than to try and get one of the parents to complete the FAFSA. The parent to complete the FAFSA would be the one who she lived with the most in the last 12 months (neither?), then the one who provided the most support (neither?) then the one with the higher income (tied at $0?), so I think either could fill it out.
If she does become a court appointed ward (and she’s under 18), she’d file as an independent, using just her income and assets. It would also make it easier for all the years she’s in college.
Have a look at Dependency Override:
http://cca-ct.org/financial%20aid%202008.pdf
http://www.finaid.org/educators/pj/dependencyoverrides.phtml
Possible qualifications:
- abandonment by parents
- parents lacking the physical or mental capacity to raise the child
- an unsuitable household (e.g., child removed from the household and placed in foster care)
- failure to properly clothe or feed the family.
A long shot but it might help.
I’m not. I’m just the aunt who took her in. And she’ll be 18 in January.
Really, it would be great if you could become her legal guardian before she turns 18. If so, she’ll be able to file as an independent for all her time in college. If you can get some help in filing the forms, you might make the deadline.
How does she have insurance? If it is medicaid, that could help you speed things along.
Yes, but to become her legal guardian, her parent(s) need to be part of this, I believe.
If that doesn’t happen, she needs to do one of two things.
- Use the Parent with whom she last resided on her FAFSA form. And get the info needed.
OR
- Contact the colleges and request a dependency override. She will have to show documentation to support her situation, but this probably is her best bet if she can’t get any info from either parent.
How long has she been living with you?
ETA…it sounds like she knows where her parents are…it doesn’t matter if they work…or not as long as one of them can provide the necessary info to complete the FAFSA form.
One issue is…if they have not filed a tax return, they will need to complete a non-filers statement.
What state allows folks to be on welfare for 20 years? @BelknapPoint do welfare payments get listed on the FAFSA?
I suspect all do, if only due to federal law. Section 8 housing and food stamps can be permanent. Mental illness can trigger disability welfare payments.
Welfare benefits are not included on FAFSA.
Not necessarily. If the court is not terminating parental rights (which at 17.5 they probably won’t even try) but just appointing a guardian, that can be done a lot faster.
Many people on permanent disability collect different types of aid for 20, 30, 40 years. Welfare is a general team with can include TNAF, SNAP, SSI, Medicaid