On December 27, 2020, the FAFSA Simplification Act was enacted into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Among other things, that law eliminated the requirement for male students to register with the Selective Service before the age of 26 to be eligible for Title IV aid. For the 2021-2022 award year, therefore, failing to register with the Selective Service will no longer impact a student’s Title IV aid eligibility. During the 2021-2022 award year, the Selective Service questions will remain on the FAFSA and you will continue to see Comment Codes 30, 33, and 57 for Selective Service issues. These Comment codes will still include messages that indicate a resolution is necessary prior to the student gaining Title IV eligibility. However, you must ignore these Comment Codes and award and disburse aid to these students if they meet all other eligibility criteria. The Department is not requiring schools to go back and reprocess, package, or award aid for ISIRs they received for the 2021-22 award year prior to the implementation date, unless requested by the student. FSA will be sending emails to students who are associated with 2021-22 ISIRs received prior to the implementation date and who were determined to be ineligible based on their answers to Selective Service questions on the FAFSA. These emails will inform those students about the change in the law and their potential eligibility for Title IV aid. For additional details about this change and its implementation, see Dear Colleague Letter GEN-21-04 on the Knowledge Center.
Chapter 5