| PublicationDate: 3/12/97 Summary: 1997-98 Processing Issue Author: OPE - Office of the Assistant Secretary for OPE Date: March 12, 1997 TO : Financial Aid Administrators FROM: Jeanne B. Saunders, Director Application & Pell Processing Systems Division SUBJECT: 1997-98 Processing Issue The Department has learned that some students who mailed their 1997-98 Free Applications for Federal Student Aid or Renewal applications to the processor with the St. Louis mailing address have received their postcards back confirming receipt, although their applications have not been processed within the expected timeframe. Most all of these records have been tracked, and the application information had been transmitted in batches to the Central Processing System (CPS) for processing in January. For various reasons, these batches were rejected for processing by the CPS, but were not subsequently resubmitted. ED believes that approximately 3,000 students may be affected. Currently, we are locating and resubmitting these batches of records for processing. After processing, each student's record should contain its original application receipt date, which confirms the day it was received at the St. Louis processor. Upon request, the Department will also provide a letter to each student who may have missed an institutional or state deadline due to this problem in order to appeal any denial of institutional or state aid the student may have experienced. We regret any inconvenience to the affected students, and thank you for your patience. |