| Publication Date: May 1, 2008 Author: William Leith, Acting General Manager, Application, Operations and Delivery Services, Federal Student Aid Summary: CCRAA Operational Implementation Guidance (CPS, COD System, and EDESuite) – Implementation of TEACH Grant Comment Code 282 and the TEACH Grant Fact Sheet With Paper SARs and SAR Acknowledgements on May 5, 2008 Posted on 05-01-2008 As explained in Dear Colleague Letter GEN-08-01 posted on the Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP) Web site, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (the CCRAA), Pub. L. 110-84, authorized the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program for implementation beginning with the 2008-2009 Award Year. For a high-level overview of our operational implementation of Teach Grant processing, refer to the April 9, 2008 Electronic Announcement posted on the IFAP Web site. This communication provides information about enhancements to the Central Processing System (CPS) that will be implemented on May 5, 2008 to more effectively inform students about the availability of the TEACH Grant and how to apply for it. We cover the following areas in this message:
Implementation of SAR Comment Code 282 On May 5, 2008, we will implement new SAR comment code 282, indicating that the applicant has not been given the opportunity to answer the TEACH Grant question that we added for 2008-2009 to FAFSA on the Web. This includes applicants who file a paper FAFSA, as well as those students for whom the application is generated by a school in FAA Access to CPS Online or through the Electronic Data Exchange (EDE) process. In these cases going forward, the resulting SAR and Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) will include comment code 282. The text for SAR comment code 282 reads as follows: “There is a new federal student aid program for students who plan on becoming teachers. If you are interested, you should go to www.teachgrant.ed.gov to learn more and find out what steps you must take to be considered for the program. If you cannot access the website, you should call 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).” An update to the 2008-2009 SAR Comment Codes and Text guide, which includes the updated text for comment code 282, is now available on both the IFAP and FSAdownload Web sites. TEACH Grant Fact Sheet Inserted With Paper SARs and SAR Acknowledgements On May 5, 2008 we will begin inserting a TEACH Grant Fact Sheet with paper SARs generated as a result of applications or corrections filed using a paper FAFSA, the FAA Access to CPS Online Web site, or through the EDE process. We will also insert the TEACH Grant Fact Sheet with paper SAR Acknowledgements generated as a result of submitting applications or corrections through the FAA Access to CPS Online Web site or the EDE process. The TEACH Grant Fact Sheet provides a general overview of the TEACH Grant program for applicants who did not apply for federal student aid using the Web. It includes information on the conditions and eligibility requirements for receiving a TEACH Grant and advises students to contact their financial aid administrator for further guidance. If You Have Questions If you have any questions about comment code 282 or the paper SAR and SAR Acknowledgement changes described in this message, contact CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 800/330-5947 (TDD/TTY 800/511-5806) or by e-mail at CPSSAIG@ed.gov. |