Posted Date:June 20, 2014
| Author: | Pamela Eliadis, Service Director, System Operations & Aid Delivery Management, Federal Student Aid |
Subject: Guidance for EDExpress 2014-2015 Direct Loan and TEACH Grant Users on Updating Software Setup and Existing Records after Release 3.0 Upgrade
In conjunction with the upcoming June 23, 2014 posting of EDExpress 2014-2015, Release 3.0, we would like to provide guidance and recommendations for users of the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) and Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant software modules. Specifically, this announcement provides guidance for users who created Direct Loan and TEACH Grant records in EDExpress 2014-2015, Release 2.0, which was posted in April 2014.
Direct Loan and TEACH Grant records created in Release 2.0 must be updated with new required data elements after you upgrade to Release 3.0. We are also adding new required and optional setup options in Release 3.0 that can help you update your 2014-2015 Direct Loan records more quickly and efficiently for processing by the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System.
Background
In the March 27, 2014 electronic announcement posted to the Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP) Web site and other user documentation associated with EDExpress 2014-2015, Release 2.0, we advised users of the Direct Loan and TEACH Grant modules to avoid originating records or exporting data from either module for processing by the COD System until after installing the upcoming Release 3.0 upgrade. The Direct Loan and TEACH Grant modules in Release 2.0 excluded new origination and disbursement fields required by the COD System for the 2014-2015 Award Year due to the 150% Direct Subsidized Loan Limit and other new data reporting requirements. We warned that the absence of these new data elements would cause any Direct Loan or TEACH Grant records you exported from Release 2.0 and transmitted to the COD System to be rejected.
In these communications, we also emphasized that Direct Loan and TEACH Grant users could safely use Release 2.0 functionality to begin preparing records for COD System processing, including establishing COD Setup parameters and creating origination records. We noted Direct Loan and TEACH Grant records created in Release 2.0 would require additional updates after you upgraded to Release 3.0 to provide values for new required fields.
Updating EDExpress Setup and Direct Loan/TEACH Grant Records in Release 3.0
The new functionality implemented in EDExpress 2014-2015, Release 3.0 enables you to finalize your 2014-2015 Direct Loan and TEACH Grant records for processing by the COD System in a few easy steps. In the attachment to this announcement, we describe the tasks you must complete in the software after you upgrade to Release 3.0, including:
Updating disbursement profiles
Completing Program Profile setup
Completing CIP Codes setup
Updating the CIP Code and Enrollment Status fields on the Origination tab
Reviewing and updating the new and required Direct Loan origination fields
Reviewing external import record layout changes
Refer to the attachment for complete descriptions of each task. Additionally, we will provide guidance regarding Release 3.0 enhancements and the steps you will need to take to prepare Direct Loan and TEACH Grant records for processing 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, both of which will be posted to the FSAdownload Web site along with the Release 3.0 software.
For more detailed information on the 150% Direct Subsidized Loan Limit, including policy guidance and frequently asked questions, visit the 150 Percent Direct Subsidized Loan Limit Information page (http://ifap.ed.gov/150PercentDirectSubsidizedLoanLimitInfo/index.html) on the IFAP Web site.
Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding this message or the upcoming release of EDExpress 2014-2015, Release 3.0, 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.