Posted Date:November 3, 2010
Author: | William Leith, Service Director, Program Management, Federal Student Aid |
Subject: FISAP Edit Corrections and Perkins Cash on Hand Update Due December 15, 2010
As announced in the "Notice of the 2010-2011 Award Year Deadline Dates for the Campus-Based Programs," published in the Federal Register on March 15, 2010 (75 FR 12218), all corrections to the Fiscal Operations Report for 2009-2010 and the Application to Participate for 2011-2012 (FISAP) data and correction of edit errors must be submitted to the Department of Education (the Department) by Wednesday, December 15, 2010. Also by this deadline, a school that participates in the Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins Loan) Program must update its Perkins cash on hand as of October 31, 2010.
This announcement provides a reminder of the deadline for these actions as well as information to help schools accomplish the tasks.
Changes to FISAP Data
If a school needs to make changes to data that were included in the school’s originally filed FISAP, log in to the eCampus-Based (eCB) Web site and change the data in the applicable section of the FISAP.
- The 2009-2010 awards closeout for the Campus-Based programs will involve reconciling a school's authorized award for each program with the amount reported as expended for that program on the school's 2009-2010 Fiscal Operations Report. A school should ensure that the amounts reported in Parts IV and V – 2009-2010 expenditures of Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) and 2009-2010 expenditures of Federal Work-Study (FWS) – are supported by the drawdown information in G5.
Note: If a school has drawn down more than the expended amounts reported in the FISAP, a negative balance will be created in G5. We will reduce the school’s authorization in G5 to the expended amounts in the FISAP (as reported and certified by the Chief Executive Officer), and the school will be required to repay the negative balance. For example, if a school drew down its entire authorized FWS amount of $50,000 and reported an expended amount of $40,000, the school's award will be closed out at the expended amount of $40,000. This will result in a negative balance of $10,000 that the school will be required to return to G5. - A school should review its FISAP for possible changes to Part VI, Section B – Calculating Administrative Cost Allowance (ACA). Changes to the ACA calculation will not be accepted after December 15, 2010.
Corrections to FISAP Data and Edit Errors
Real-time validation edit errors are captured when a school completes and submits the FISAP online via the eCB Web site. Edit corrections must be submitted by the December 15, 2010 deadline.
- After submitting a FISAP, a school can view a listing of its FISAP edit errors by logging in to the eCB Web site and clicking on “Validation” and then “Validate All” on the left navigation bar. Validation error numbers and the corresponding error messages will display on the screen.
- A “Fix Error” button is located to the right of each validation error message. Clicking on this button will display the FISAP page on which the error last occurred. Additionally, all other pages on which that error occurred will be identified for correction. Click on the “Validate All” button to determine if the validation edit has cleared or if further corrections are needed. Finally, after all corrections have been made and validated, click the “Submit” button.
- In some cases, a school may provide information relevant to an error message. A “Log” check box is located next to these validation error messages. To log relevant information, check the “Log” check box, then scroll to the bottom of the page and click the “Log” button. The “Additional Information” page on which the school can enter the relevant information will display.
- If a school entered inaccurate data at the time the FISAP was submitted, it can be corrected by logging in to the eCB Web site and changing the inaccurate data in the applicable section of the FISAP. Validating the data to ensure no edit errors have been encountered and then submitting the data are also required in this circumstance.
Reporting Perkins Cash on Hand
Schools holding Perkins Loan funds must update the item in Part III, Section A, Line 1.2 –
Cash on hand and in depository – to the amount that was on hand as of October 31, 2010. Instructions for completing this item are on page III-3 of the FISAP Instructions.
Other Important Notes
Remember to submit all corrections – Simply validating and/or saving corrections does not result in their submission to the Department. After completing these actions, it is imperative that the “Submit” function be completed.
Verify that changes/corrections have been received by the Department – To verify that the Department has received a school’s edit corrections, explanations, and/or data changes, a school can log in to the eCB Web site, select the “Self-Service” link in the top navigation bar and scroll to the “Acknowledgements” section. Then, select “Submission Log” to view the log and verify submission of the update.
Corrections after December 15, 2010 – If, due to circumstances beyond its control, a school discovers the need to make a correction after the December 15, 2010 deadline, the school should access the eCB Web site and make the necessary correction. This data will be saved in a Working Copy of the FISAP and then submitted to the Department as a “Change Request” (see below).
How to Submit a Change Request after December 15 – After December 15th, when a school clicks the “Submit” button, the only sub-menu option is to submit a “Change Request.” Upon clicking “Change Request” the school must provide a description of the change and justify the need to make the correction. Then submit the Change Request by clicking the submit button located under the Description input box.
The school’s request will be reviewed by the FISAP Change Request Monitoring Team in the Grants and Campus-Based Division. The school will be notified of the decision to allow or deny the correction. If the correction is allowed, the school will be granted access to “Submit” the correction by going back into the eCB Web site and submitting the FISAP as it normally would prior to December 15.
Requests for Funds 2011-2012 Changes – Any correction to Part II, Section A – Request for Funds 2011- 2012 – will not be considered after Final awards are calculated. In addition, changes made to other parts of the FISAP will not result in additional funding.
Contact Information
For additional information about FISAP corrections, edit processing, or Perkins Loan Cash on Hand updates, contact the Campus-Based Call Center at 877/801-7168. Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 A.M. until 8:00 P.M. (ET). You may also e-mail CBFOB@ed.gov.