<p>As asked (and answered) on a previous question my daughter receives social security payments which we have to include on the FAFSA as income to us but the payments will be going away next year. We plan to ask the school for a professional judgement. It says on one site I read that if the Financial Aid administrator from the school approves an adjustment he/she can actually go in and change your EFC on the FAFSA which can make make you eligible for Federal grants (Pell etc). Is this correct? has anyone else been through this? And do we need to ask Financial Aid officers at each school for Professional Judgement? (she is pretty sure she knows which one school she wants but you never know). Also should we wait until the FAFSA is processed to talk to Financial Aid or can we ask them about this now. I hate uncertainty - much prefer knowing the exact facts so I can plan accordingly.</p>
<p>I am not sure if you can ask before the FAFSA is processed -- but it is worth a phone call to ask (and, of course, file the FAFSA as soon as you can -- usually mid to late January).</p>
<p>I did take advantage of the professional judgement declaration last year. My husband's income showed as much higher than it was because of a job loss. The higher income was relected on the tax form, thus it was reflected on the FAFSA. With the original EFC, I was not eligible for Pell grants or much aid -- after the professional judgement, my EFC was 0. The FA officer is able to change the EFC. You have to fill out a statement with lots of info, provide verification of the change and I had to meet with them in person.</p>
<p>I would be prepared with proof -- a letter from the Social Security Administration verifying the last date that your D will receive a payment and the amounts of all SS payments for 2007 (they will want verification that she did not get a lump sum). I realize that they should be able to look that info up -- but a letter will make it go much smoother!</p>
<p>good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you hsmomstef. I thought I was reading it correctly but it is nice to have confirmation from someone who has been through it. If i change the figures on the finaid FAFSA to reflect the fact that she stops getting the Social Security after May it makes her eligible for some Pell grant money which will be very welcome. I may go ahead and have an appointment with the financial aid offficer to make sure I have all my ducks in a row.</p>
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[quote]
It says on one site I read that if the Financial Aid administrator from the school approves an adjustment he/she can actually go in and change your EFC on the FAFSA which can make make you eligible for Federal grants (Pell etc). Is this correct?
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Yes, this is exactly what was done this year for my daughter. </p>
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And do we need to ask Financial Aid officers at each school for Professional Judgement?
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I didn't ask -- but I wasn't aware of the reasons for the PJ changes until the college told me. However, I wouldn't count on this. The best thing to do is to send a brief "special circumstances" letter to the financial aid departments briefly outlining the issue and citing the reasons why you thing you should get an adjustment.</p>
<p>Thank you calmom. Did you meet with the financial aid dept or just send the information? Or are you saying your change happened without you asking? When I originally started running numbers on the finaid calculator I did not realise we had to list the SS payments so thought we were in a better situation than we are. I am really hoping this works. She has some scholarship money coming and we have some college money saved (just rather underestimated the costs - there seem to be a lot of extras that I was not aware of) so if she can get even a little grant money and some work study we should be able to manage the rest.</p>