(General) Subject: R2T4 Transition #2 – R2T4 User Access and User Roles in the COD System

Posted Date:February 28, 2019

Author: Federal Student Aid

Subject: R2T4 Transition #2 – R2T4 User Access and User Roles in the COD System

As explained in a December 20, 2018 Electronic Announcement, Federal Student Aid plans to move the Return of Title IV (R2T4) on the Web application to the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System. The planned implementation is April 5-7, 2019.

In this announcement, we provide information about R2T4 user access to the COD System and the R2T4 user roles that will be used in the COD System. A user role is different than user access. User access determines if a user is authorized to log in to the COD System; the user role defines the types of processes a user can complete once he or she logs in to the COD System.

COD-R2T4 User Access Information

Schools may begin using the COD System for R2T4 processing after April 7, 2019.

Users must meet three requirements to be able to log in and use the R2T4 application in the COD System. Users must—

  1. be enrolled for the COD Online Service by a school’s (or Third Party Servicer’s) Primary Destination Point Administrator (PDPA) via the Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG) Enrollment website

  2. have an FSA User ID and password

  3. have a valid/registered Two-Factor Authentication (TFA) token

If an R2T4 user is already an authorized COD System user, he or she will likely meet all three requirements and will automatically be granted access to use the R2T4 application in the COD System. These users will log in to the COD System as they currently do; no additional action is needed.

If an R2T4 user is not an authorized COD System user, he or she will need to obtain access to the COD System. This is accomplished by ensuring all three requirements listed above are met; this may vary by user. In the attachment titled “Actions for COD System User Access for R2T4,” we provide a table with the actions that may need to be taken based on different user characteristics.

Note: R2T4 information will not be available in the COD System until April 7, 2019, but schools should begin the process to obtain COD System access prior to that date.

COD-R2T4 User Role Information

There are no unique R2T4 user roles in the COD System; all COD System user roles will have one of two levels of R2T4 access. In the attachment titled “COD System User Roles for R2T4,” we show the COD user roles and the level of access to R2T4 available to that COD user role.

  • If an R2T4 user is already an authorized COD System user, he or she will automatically be granted R2T4 access based on his or her existing COD user role.

  • If an R2T4 user is not an authorized COD System user, his or her PDPA will assign the appropriate COD user role during the COD Online Service enrollment process.

  • If a user needs to have his or her user role changed or deleted, he or she will need to work with the PDPA to update or delete the COD user role via the SAIG Enrollment website.

Note: Because there are no unique R2T4 user roles, current COD System users who may not have R2T4 responsibilities will be able to see R2T4 information. Conversely, R2T4 users who may not have responsibilities for other Title IV programs, such as Direct Loans or Pell Grants, may be able to view other program level information depending on the COD user role assigned to them. We recognize that some schools may need to adjust staff user roles or make some procedural changes on campus to account for the expanded access. The R2T4 process will be self-contained in a specific section of the COD Web Site. This should assist schools that have users who specialize in either R2T4 or program-specific activities and prevent confusion between the different program functions.

Additional Information

As we move through the transition project, we will provide operational guidance and updates through Electronic Announcements posted to the Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP) website. Schools should continue to monitor the IFAP website for this additional R2T4 transition information.

Contact Information

If you have questions about COD System user roles, contact the COD School Relations Center at 1-800-848-0978. You may also email CODSupport@ed.gov.

If you need assistance with making enrollment changes via the SAIG Enrollment website, contact CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 1-800-330-5947. You may also email CPSSAIG@ed.gov. For questions about TFA tokens, email TFASupport@ed.gov.