Publication Date: August 17, 2001
Author: General Manager: SFA Student Channel
Summary: Availability of the Need Analysis Servicer (NAS) 2002-2003
Posted on August 17, 2001
TO: Need Analysis Servicers
FROM: U.S. Department of Education
RE: Availability of the Need Analysis Servicer (NAS) agreement for 2002-2003 and subsequent years
The US Department of Education is pleased to announce that the Need Analysis Servicer (NAS) agreement for 2002-2003 and subsequent years is available for download on IFAP.
In order to receive the 2002-2003 (and subsequent years) system specifications, all interested Need Analysis Servicers, who have not already signed an agreement, must enter into an agreement with ED and must comply with the procedures set forth therein. In the agreement, the servicer must specify its name and its NAS software system name. Following the submission of the signed agreement to ED, each award year specifications will be sent via E-mail to the Need Analysis Servicer. Servicers should note that the Department will not have completed the testing of these specifications until system start-up for each processing cycle. Servicers should be prepared to receive updates as needed.
All Need Analysis Servicers must abide by all provisions mentioned in the NAS Agreement, including the following paragraph, as stated in the HEA, section 483 (a) (2):
"The common financial reporting form prescribed by the Secretary under paragraph (1) shall be produced, distributed, and processed by the Secretary and no parent or student shall be charged a fee for the collection, processing, or delivery of financial aid through the use of such form."
Once a servicer has signed the enclosed agreement with ED, this agreement will be valid for all subsequent processing years until the Department issues a new agreement or either party cancels the agreement according to its terms. This is a one-time process, whereby the servicer will not have to fill out/sign a new agreement every year thereafter.
Test case files will be available to servicers after the Department has completed its first phase of testing the Central Processing System. The Department will have a testing site available in November 2001. For more information, you can go to SFA's Legacy Channel Test System web site, located under the CIO at:
The Department will continue to distribute the EDExpress Software. Schools and services may rely on EDExpress as an accurate EFC recalculation tool. A school that chooses to rely on the recalculations performed by private need analysis systems will be responsible for the accuracy of results produced by that system.
The completed, signed agreement should be mailed or hand-delivered to the following address:
Kevin Black
US Department of Education
Student Financial Assistance Application Processing
830 First Street, N.E., Room #31D2
Washington, D.C. 20202
If you need information regarding the agreement, you may contact Kevin Black on (202) 377-3232
Thank you very much for your cooperation, and we wish you a successful 2002-2003 need analysis processing year.
Sincerely,
Jeanne B. Saunders, Director
Application Processing
NEED ANALYSIS SERVICER AGREEMENT 2002-2003 and subsequent years
Name of System: _____________________________________________________
Need Analysis Servicer: _______________________________________________
(name of individual/agency/corporation/institution)
Representative & Title: ________________________________________________
Address: | _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ |
Telephone: _________________________ Fax: __________________________
Contact Person (if different from above): ___________________________________
Address: | _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ |
Telephone: _________________________ Fax: _________________________
E-mail Address: ___________________________________________________
ARTICLE I - SERVICER AGREEMENT The United States Secretary of Education (hereafter called "the Secretary") agrees to provide the need analysis servicer, listed above, (hereafter called "servicer") with a copy of the specifications package to be used by the system listed above to accurately calculate a student's expected family contribution in accordance with Title IV-F of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA).
ARTICLE II - SERVICER REQUIREMENT Each servicer agrees to use a computer or preprogrammed calculator that has sufficient capacity to calculate expected family contributions in accordance with Title IV of the HEA.
ARTICLE III - SERVICER REQUIREMENT
Each servicer receiving information edits, provided by the Secretary, agrees to the following:
1. Not to disclose information edits to any individual or organization outside of its personnel assigned to the system covered by this agreement unless it is specifically authorized to do so by the Secretary.
2. That the wording of any authorized disclosure will be approved by the Secretary prior to the disclosure.
3. To destroy or return, to ED, all ED information edits upon the request of the Secretary.
Each Servicer agrees to abide by the following:
1. The servicer agrees not to charge the applicant or parent a fee for the collection, processing and delivery of Federal Title IV student aid.
2. The servicer agrees not to charge states or schools for the receipt of Federal data.
3. If the servicer collects supplemental data, it must ensure that its clients complete a written agreement, stating that it will use supplemental data for the award of non-Federal Title IV aid, and that the client agrees not to charge students and/or parents a fee for the collection, processing, or delivery of Federal data, and that the supplemental data are not duplicate of data collected on the Federal form (except for student identifiers).
4. The servicer agrees to comply with all other provisions, not specifically referenced in this agreement as set forth in Section 483 of the Higher Education Act, as amended.
ARTICLE IV - DURATION OF AGREEMENT
1. This agreement is effective on the dated executed by the Secretary.
2. The Secretary terminates this agreement upon thirty days notice to the servicer if the Secretary finds that the servicer has violated or failed to properly carry out the provisions of Article II or III of this agreement and establishes the termination date.
For the Servicer: ___________________________________________________ | |
_________________________________________ | Date: _______________ |
For the Secretary: _________________________ | Date: ______________ |