Posted Date:October 29, 2014
| Author: | Sue O'Flaherty, Service Director, Program Management, Federal Student Aid |
Subject: FISAP Edit Corrections and Perkins Cash on Hand Update Due December 15, 2014
As announced in the "Notice of the 2014-2015 Award Year Deadline Dates for the Campus-Based Programs" published in the Federal Register on January 15, 2014 (79 FR 2646) any changes to the Fiscal Operations Report for 2013-2014 and the Application to Participate for 2015-2016 (FISAP) and correction of any edit errors must be submitted to the Department of Education (the Department) by Monday, December 15, 2014. Also by this deadline, all schools that participate in the Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins Loan) Program must update their Perkins cash on hand as of October 31, 2014.
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 its originally-filed FISAP, it must log in to the eCampus-Based (eCB) Web site and change the data in the applicable section of the FISAP.
The 2013-2014 awards closeout for the Campus-Based programs includes reconciling a school's authorized award for each program with the amount reported as expended for that program on the school's 2013-2014 Fiscal Operations Report. Schools should ensure that the amount reported on the FISAP in Part IV, Section E, line 17-Expended Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) Authorization and Part V, Section E, line 18-Expended Federal Work-Study (FWS) Authorization, reconcile with the drawdown information in G5. During the closeout process, any authorized funds that were not expended will be deobligated from G5.
A school should review its FISAP for possible changes to Part VI, Section B, Calculating the Administrative Cost Allowance (ACA). Changes to the ACA calculation will not be accepted after December 15, 2014.
Note: If a school has drawn down more than the amounts reported on the FISAP, a negative balance will be created in G5. When this happens, we will reduce the school’s authorization in G5 to the expended amounts reported on the FISAP (as certified by the school’s Chief Executive Officer), and the school will be required to return the amount of the negative balance.
For example, if a school drew down its entire authorized FWS amount of $50,000 but reported an expended amount of only $40,000 on its FISAP, the result is a negative balance of $10,000 in G5. The school will be required to return $10,000 to G5.
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, 2014 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,” 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, the data 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 with a Federal Perkins Loan Revolving Fund must update Part III, Section A, Line 1.2 “Cash on hand and in depository” to the amount that was on hand as of October 31, 2014. 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 – Schools should log in to the eCB Web site, select the “Self-Service” link in the top navigation bar and scroll to the “Acknowledgements” section to verify that the Department has received a school’s edit corrections, explanations, and/or data changes. Then, select “Submission Log” to view the log and verify submission of the update.
Signature not required for FISAP changes – Schools are not required to resend signature pages or perform eSignature functions when changes/corrections are made to a previously submitted FISAP.
How to submit a change request after December 15, 2014 – If a school discovers a correction is needed after the December 15th, deadline, it must access the eCB Web site and make the necessary correction. Corrections will be saved in a Working Copy of the FISAP and then submitted to the Department as a “Change Request.” 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. The school must 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. 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 15th.
Changes to Requests for Funds – Changes made to Part II, Section A (Request for Funds for 2015-2016) after December 15th may result in reductions in funding for the application year and/or the reporting year. Changes that increase eligibility for increased funding will be considered to ensure accurate reporting, but the corresponding increases in funding will not be approved.
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.