(GRANTS-22-06) Operational Implementation Guidance #2 – COD System Implementation of the Revised 2022–23 Federal Pell Grant Payment and Disbursement Schedules

Posted Date
April 28, 2022
Author
Federal Student Aid
Electronic Announcement ID
GRANTS-22-06
Subject
Operational Implementation Guidance #2 – COD System Implementation of the Revised 2022–23 Federal Pell Grant Payment and Disbursement Schedules

In Dear Colleague Letter GEN-22-04, we provided schools with revised 2022­–23 Federal Pell Grant (Pell Grant) payment and disbursement schedules for determining Pell Grant awards for the 2022–23 award year. The revised schedules must be used for all 2022–23 Pell Grant award calculations, including those for students who may have already been awarded and or disbursed based on the original Jan. 31, 2022, schedules.

In addition, we provided preliminary operational guidance for the revised payment and disbursement schedules in an April 11, 2022 Electronic Announcement. We have now finalized our implementation plans and are providing schools with specific operational guidance for the changes we will implement in the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System.

We will implement the revised 2022–23 Pell Grant payment and disbursement schedules in the COD System on May 1, 2022. Schools that have already awarded students based on the Jan. 31, 2022, Pell Grant schedules must re-evaluate how the latest revised Pell Grant schedule may impact those awards. This is particularly important for students who have a Pell Grant Cost of Attendance (COA) less than $6,895 or attend school less than full-time.

Important: If a school sent Pell Grant records to the COD System before May 1, 2022, those records were evaluated by the COD System using the Jan. 31, 2022, Pell Grant schedules. Schools will need to resubmit those records to be corrected after May 1, 2022, using the guidance provided below.

Also, in determining 150% of a student’s Federal Pell Grant Scheduled Award for an award year for Year-Round Pell, if a school does not package or disburse using cents, 150% of the revised 2022–23 maximum award is $10,342.00.

Reminder for EDExpress Schools: As described in the April 11, 2022, Electronic Announcement, EDExpress 2022–23, Release 1.0 and Release 2.0 do not include the revised 2022–23 Pell Grant payment and disbursement schedules. Release 3.0, planned for June 2022, will include the revised 2022–23 schedules. Monitor the Knowledge Center for an announcement of the software’s availability.

Correction of 2022-23 Pell Grant Records Submitted to the COD System Between March 27, 2022, and May 1, 2022

For Pell-eligible students who already have a 2022–23 Pell Grant award in the COD System and whose Pell Grant award amount increased due to the revised 2022–23 Pell Grant schedules, schools must take the following actions:

  1. Submit the increased Pell Grant award amount correction based on the new schedules. Because the May 24, 2022, CPS reprocessing will not include students who were already Pell-eligible, the CPS transaction number corresponding to the award will not change.

  2. If there are processed disbursements associated with the incorrect award amount, these disbursements will also need to be corrected, or disbursements may need to be added to reflect the increased eligibility.

Note: The COD System will not systematically correct any increased Pell Grant award or disbursement amounts. All increased amounts must be corrected by the school.

Records Submitted to the COD System On or After May 1, 2022, for Newly Pell-Eligible Students

For students who are newly Pell-eligible for a 2022–23 Pell Grant award based on the revised Pell Grant schedules, schools must send a Pell Grant origination record to the COD System referencing the new, Pell-eligible, CPS transaction number that results from the May 24, 2022, CPS reprocessing. This is true even if the student's EFC on the reprocessed transaction is the same as on the previous transaction. Otherwise, the COD System will reject the Pell Grant origination record.

Records Submitted to the COD System On or After May 1, 2022, for Students With Decreased Awards

For Pell-eligible students who already have a 2022–23 Pell Grant award in the COD System but whose Pell Grant award amount decreased due to the revised 2022–23 Pell Grant schedules, schools must take one of the following actions:

  1. Submit the decreased Pell Grant award amount based on the new schedules. Because the May 24, 2022, CPS reprocessing will not include students who were already Pell-eligible, the CPS transaction number corresponding to the award will not change.

    OR

  1. Let the current award stand without changes; the COD System will correct the disbursement amount to match the revised 2022–23 Full-Time Pell Grant scheduled award amount when a school submits a disbursement record. Note: This option only applies to “correcting” schools.

Contact Information

If you have questions about this announcement, contact the COD School Relations Center at 1-800-848-0978. You may also email CODSupport@ed.gov.