Maintained for Historical Purposes

This resource is being maintained for historical purposes only and is not currently applicable.

(General) Subject: Emergency Preparation

Posted Date:August 25, 2011

Author: James Runcie, Acting Chief Operating Officer

Subject: Emergency Preparation

The recent earthquake in Virginia and storms in the Atlantic remind us that natural disasters can and will occur at any time and in any part of the country. A disaster may impact the ability of your institution or your students to fulfill obligations related to the Federal student assistance programs.

We are encouraging all institutions that have not done so already to provide us with alternate contact information for critical personnel. This information can be easily submitted to us using Box 69 of the “Application for Approval to Participate in Federal Student Financial Aid Programs” (E-application) available at http://www.eligcert.ed.gov/. This way we can be sure that contact information for your institution is accurate and current. Please see the attached step-by-step instructions for detailed information on this process.

For institutions impacted by natural disasters, policy guidance and Department points of contact are provided on the web at http://www.ifap.ed.gov/ifap/disaster.jsp. This information, especially the link to Dear Colleague Letter GEN-10-16, provides important information that can minimize disruptions to your institutional financial aid process.

In the event of an emergency that impacts your institution’s ability to routinely administer its financial aid programs; please contact Federal Student Aid’s Research and Customer Care Center at 1-800-433-7327 (toll free). When you call, please have ready:

  • Your contact information and the contact information for another official of the institution, e.g. President, CEO, Chancellor or the Chief Fiscal Officer;
  • Your OPEID number;

  • The school location impacted by the disaster;
  • The operating status of your school and the financial aid office;
  • Alternate location being used as a result of the disaster; and

  • Questions you may have regarding operating procedures.

Or you can submit the requested information at http://ifap.ed.gov/ifap/disasterForm.jsp.

While we certainly hope that the information in this message will be unnecessary, we want to be prepared to help those that may need assistance as quickly as possible.