<p>I wrote a while back about the issues with my school and Financial Aid. Here's the quick background:</p>
<p>-My parents separated early this year and I changed my FAFSA to reflect this. Out of confusion, I first put my father as the custodial parent (thought it was whoever made the most) and then changed it to my mom whom I live with (along with my 2 siblings; she is the actual custodial parent). </p>
<p>-Because of the change, my school flagged my FAFSA. After establishing what they needed (they kept changing what was required) I supplied them with everything (W2s, tax forms, proof of address...). My parents' W2 from last year was "married, filing jointly" but my mom doesn't have a job and sent them a letter stating such (she hasn't been employed in about 15 years). She's classified as a "displaced homemaker".</p>
<p>FAFSA lists my EFC of zero and I should be eligible for a Pell Grant. However, my school is basically refusing to consider my parents separated, even though I supplied them with everything they need to show my father and mom (with me and my siblings) live at separate residences. Why? Because my father's money pays for our groceries and utility bills. So I get no Pell Grant because they won't acknowledge my mom has no job and personal income.</p>
<p>Is this right? I have read up on it and the FAFSA site says that, when all the documents have been provided for separated/divorced parents, FA advisers should do their best to attribute the correct amount of income to each parent.</p>
<p>[EXTRA NOTES: My confidence in my school's FA office is not high; over the course of this process they kept changing the list of forms/docs needed, lost some of my documents - with my parents' SSNs on them!! - and claimed that driver's licenses are not valid proof of address even though the FAFSA site says they are. Additionally ... I would not be fighting so hard if I did not really need this aid. We're not the most financially stable right now ...]</p>
<p>Because my father’s money pays for our groceries and utility bills. So I get no Pell Grant because they won’t acknowledge my mom has no job and personal income.</p>
<p>Sounds like they’re counting what your dad gives your mom as income, which I think they are supposed to do. Is your dad paying for the mortgage and everything? If so, that’s a big chunk. Does your mom still qualify for “displaced homemaker” if the husband is providing adequate support? I’m not sure but I thought that was for when the husband was no longer providing support…but I’m not sure. </p>
<p>Are you sure that they’re saying that they’re not separated? Or are they saying that they’re not going to believe that your mom has no income, since your dad is providing??? </p>
<p>It’s not necessary, but have your parents filed for divorce? Does your dad have a separate apt or is he living with friends/relatives? If your dad doesn’t have a “home of his very own,” perhaps the school suspects that this is a scam???</p>
<p>They’re counting everything as a joint income.</p>
<p>My parents have not yet filed for divorce because Texas tends to split things evenly and that would not treat my mom fairly for everything she’s been through (we’re moving in the next few months because of this). My father DOES live in a separate residence. I provided them the actual lease for his apartment. My mother also sent a detailed letter about everything that caused the separation and they’ve talked to her on the phone.</p>
<p>They didn’t ask for how much is being covered by his income. I mean, honestly it isn’t much because most of the money goes to paying off massive debts each month.</p>
<p>All they said is, “We see there are separate residences but we cannot divide the income.”</p>
<p>I’m frustrated because we CANNOT be the only family where one spouse still provides some financial support during separation. There isn’t anything I’ve found online that says things should be different because of this so I’m confused.</p>
<p>Are you at a Texas school? If so, I’ve heard that Texas will consider both parents’ incomes when only separated. I don’t know how that works since Pell is federal, but I have heard that. </p>
<p>Maybe with their Professional Judgment, they’re adjusting your EFC using Texas standards.</p>
<p>My parents separated early this year and I changed my FAFSA to reflect this. </p>
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<p>It is this that is the issue. The FAFSA is a snapshot in time, and the parents were married at the time the FAFSA was filed. If the student changes the marital status on the FAFSA after initial filing, the school does not have to allow it … if they choose to do so using Professional Judgment, they can … but they do not have to.</p>
<p>"Are you at a Texas school? If so, I’ve heard that Texas will consider both parents’ incomes when only separated. I don’t know how that works since Pell is federal, but I have heard that. </p>
<p>Maybe with their Professional Judgment, they’re adjusting your EFC using Texas standards."</p>
<p>That certainly wouldn’t surprise me!
I’ll have to look into that but that might explain why the FAFSA adviser I got when I called seemed so perplexed by everything.</p>
<p>“It is this that is the issue. The FAFSA is a snapshot in time, and the parents were married at the time the FAFSA was filed. If the student changes the marital status on the FAFSA after initial filing, the school does not have to allow it … if they choose to do so using Professional Judgment, they can … but they do not have to.”</p>
<p>Even if it’s before the semester began?</p>
<p>If that’s the issue, I really wish they would have told me that upfront. The answer I got over and over again was that it was because of my father’s financial assistance to my mom.</p>
<p>You did say that they are refusing to consider them separated - and they figure that since your dad is still contributing to the household in a major way financially, they don’t see the need to make an adjustment in marital status. The decision to make a change in marital status after you file a FAFSA is at the discretion of the aid officer. The other possibility is that they are allowing the change in marital status but adding in all of the support as untaxed income. They have their own internal policies, so I can’t speak to them … but it is absolutely okay for you to go in to find out exactly what is going on & see if anyone can help you out. It’s worth a try.</p>
<p>was because of my father’s financial assistance to my mom.</p>
<p>If your mom still has complete access to your dad’s paycheck because the money is going into a joint acct, then maybe that’s contributing to the issue??? </p>
<p>Or if your dad is paying all the household bills…mortgage, utilities, food, etc, then as Kelsmom states, they’re counting all that money.</p>
<p>Don’t know how your parents are doing this…if dad is giving mom a lump sum each month and then she pays the bills, if money is going into a joint acct and bills are being paid from that, if dad is paying bills and giving mom “day to day money”…any of these ways may be the issue.</p>