Posted Date:April 15, 2014
| Author: | Pamela Eliadis, Service Director, System Operations & Aid Delivery Management, Federal Student Aid |
Subject: Availability of EDExpress for Windows 2014-2015, Release 2.0
We are pleased to announce the posting of EDExpress for Windows 2014-2015, Release 2.0, on the Department's Federal Student Aid Download (FSAdownload) Web site, located at https://www.fsadownload.ed.gov.
Release 2.0 adds full Federal Pell Grant (Pell Grant) functionality and limited William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) and Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant functionality for the 2014-2015 award cycle.
Important Note: EDExpress 2014-2015, Release 3.0, scheduled for posting in June 2014, will add critical updates to the Direct Loan and TEACH Grant modules. You should avoid originating or exporting Direct Loan or TEACH Grant data to the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System using Release 2.0. See the “Use of Direct Loan and TEACH Grant Functionality in EDExpress 2014-2015, Release 2.0” section below for more information.
In addition to the Release 2.0 software, the following EDExpress 2014-2015 documents are now available on the FSAdownload Web site:
- The EDExpress for Windows 2014-2015, Release 2.0 Cover Letter (provides critical information regarding enhancements and other updates in Release 2.0)
- The EDExpress for Windows 2014-2015, Release 2.0 Desk Reference (includes step-by-step guidance regarding EDExpress Pell Grant and Direct Loan functionality in Release 2.0)
The EDExpress for Windows 2014-2015 Installation Guide, available on the FSAdownload Web site, also contains important technical information and guidance regarding EDExpress 2014-2015 that you should review.
Use of Direct Loan and TEACH Grant Functionality in EDExpress 2014-2015, Release 2.0
You can use the full Pell Grant module installed with EDExpress 2014-2015, Release 2.0 to begin exchanging 2014-2015 Pell Grant data with the COD System. However, the Direct Loan and TEACH Grant modules installed with Release 2.0 are only partially complete for 2014-2015. We are currently developing EDExpress 2014-2015, Release 3.0 to add the final components to the Direct Loan and TEACH Grant modules that will enable you to begin exchanging data from these modules with the COD System. These final components will include enhancements specific to the 150% Direct Subsidized Loan Limit.
We understand that some EDExpress users need to begin preparing Direct Loan and TEACH Grant records for processing as early as possible in the year, and that delaying fully capable versions of the corresponding EDExpress modules may create inconvenient lags in annual office routines. We regret any difficulties this delay may cause your office, and appreciate your patience with an expanded release schedule that is necessary to provide our users with a fully tested, fully functional software product that includes enhancements needed to report Direct Loan and TEACH Grant data accurately to the COD System for the 2014-2015 award year.
If you choose to begin using the Direct Loan or TEACH Grant modules in Release 2.0, you will need to limit your software use to specific features and functions, such as setup, creating records, and printing reports. Most importantly, you should avoid originating or exporting Direct Loan or TEACH Grant data to the COD System until after you have installed Release 3.0. You can prepare Direct Loan and TEACH Grant data for processing using Release 2.0, but any data exported from either module and transmitted to the COD System will be rejected due to the absence of the new required data elements we are adding in Release 3.0.
We are adding multiple new origination and disbursement data elements to setup, entry, import, export, and other functions in the Direct Loan module in Release 3.0. Some of these new data elements must be provided on all loan types as part of the 2014-2015 Common Record you submit to the COD System for processing; other data elements are calculated values that the COD System will return to you in response files.
The COD System will require new data elements for TEACH Grant disbursement records in 2014-2015 as well, including Enrollment Status and a Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) Code. These additional data elements will also be implemented in the TEACH Grant module in Release 3.0.
After you upgrade to EDExpress 2014-2015, Release 3.0, you must update Direct Loan and TEACH Grant records you created in Release 2.0 with additional data elements before they will be ready for origination or processing by the COD System. We will provide additional guidance on this process in the EDExpress for Windows 2014-2015, Release 3.0 Cover Letter and the updated version of the EDExpress for Windows 2014-2015 Release 2.0 Desk Reference that we post with the Release 3.0 software in June 2014.
For more detailed guidance regarding the Direct Loan and TEACH Grant features you can safely use in Release 2.0 and the features you should defer using until Release 3.0, review the March 27, 2014 electronic announcement posted to Federal Student Aid’s Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP) Web site located at ifap.ed.gov.
Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding downloading, installing, or using EDExpress 2014-2015, Release 2.0, contact CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 800/330-5947 (TDD/TTY 800/511-5806) or by e-mail at CPSSAIG@ed.gov.
You can also post questions regarding EDExpress on FSATECH. FSATECH is an electronic mailing list for technical questions about Federal Student Aid systems, software, and mainframe products. For more information on subscribing to FSATECH, go to http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/services/fsatechsubscribe.html.
If you have any questions about the COD System, contact the COD School Relations Center at 800/474-7268 for Grants or 800/848-0978 for Direct Loans. You may also e-mail CODSupport@ed.gov.