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Summary: HERA Operational Implementation Guidance (CPS, COD System, EDExpress Suite) -- Issue Alert: R2T4 on the Web Data Edits Functioning Incorrectly for Unsubsidized FFEL/Direct Stafford Loan Field on Post-Withdrawal Tab

Publication Date: October 11, 2006

Author: G. Kay Jacks, General Manager, Application, Operations and Delivery Services, Federal Student Aid

Summary: HERA Operational Implementation Guidance (CPS, COD System, EDExpress Suite) -- Issue Alert: R2T4 on the Web Data Edits Functioning Incorrectly for Unsubsidized FFEL/Direct Stafford Loan Field on Post-Withdrawal Tab

Posted on 10-11-2006

Federal Student Aid wishes to alert schools and other institutions to a data entry issue we have discovered on the Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) on the Web site. This issue, which will be fixed in late October 2006, only impacts users submitting Unsubsidized FFEL/Direct Stafford Loan data on the Post-Withdrawal tab for students with a withdrawal date on or after July 1, 2006.

Issue

R2T4 on the Web was updated in August 2006 to implement changes resulting from provisions of the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 (the HERA), Pub. L. 109-171. Among other changes, the HERA provides that schools must now contact borrowers and receive an affirmative response prior to making a post-withdrawal disbursement of loan funds. This change was effective July 1, 2006.

New data edits covering this HERA provision were added to the Post-Withdrawal tab for students with a withdrawal date on or after July 1, 2006. These data edits include the following two conditions:

1) If the Response Status is "Response Received" and the "Amount of post-withdrawal disbursement accepted" field value is blank or zero, the edit will prevent amounts greater than zero from being submitted on the Post-Withdrawal tab loan fields for Unsubsidized FFEL/Direct Stafford, Subsidized FFEL/Direct Stafford, FFEL/Direct PLUS (Parent), FFEL/Direct PLUS (Graduate Student), or Perkins loans.

2) If the Response Status is "Response Received" and the "Amount of post-withdrawal disbursement accepted" field value is greater than zero, at least one of the loan amounts entered on the tab must also be greater than zero for Unsubsidized FFEL/Direct Stafford, Subsidized FFEL/Direct Stafford, FFEL/Direct PLUS (Parent), FFEL/Direct PLUS (Graduate Student), or Perkins loans.

We have discovered these new data edits are not working correctly for the Unsubsidized FFEL/Direct Stafford field if you are entering ONLY Unsubsidized FFEL/Direct Stafford Loan award data (and not other loan types as well). In this case the loan amount entered in this field is not being taken into consideration by the Web site when you submit data entered on the Post-Withdrawal tab.

This issue will prevent you from submitting accurate data entered on the Post-Withdrawal tab if the student record you are entering ONLY has Unsubsidized FFEL/Direct Stafford Loan award data (and not other loan types as well).

Workaround

Federal Student Aid will fix this issue on the R2T4 on the Web site in late October 2006. Until the updated Web site is available, there are two workarounds to this issue:

1) Postpone entering Post-Withdrawal tab data for the student(s) in question until the updated R2T4 on the Web site is available in late October.

2) Enter all of the data on the Post-Withdrawal tab EXCEPT the "Amount of post-withdrawal disbursement accepted" and the "Unsubsidized FFEL/Direct Stafford Loan" amounts and submit the record. Once the data is submitted, click "View Printable Page?", print the Post-Withdrawal Disbursement Worksheet for the student, and complete the remaining fields in the calculation manually on the hardcopy report. You may want to track your use of this temporary workaround by adding an entry to the Notes tab for the student record in R2T4 on the Web.

Note: You should update the student's Post-Withdrawal tab with the correct information after the R2T4 on the Web site is updated in late October.

An additional announcement will be posted when the Web site has been updated.

If You Have Questions

We regret any inconvenience this issue may have caused you.

If you have any questions regarding R2T4 on the Web, contact CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 800/330-5947 (TDD/TTY 800/511-5806) or by e-mail at CPSSAIG@ed.gov.

For other questions about the HERA, contact Federal Student Aid's Research and Customer Care Center (RCCC) at 800/433-7327, 202/275-5532 (fax), or by e-mail at fsa.customer.support@ed.gov.