Maintained for Historical Purposes

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

Required Documentation

AwardYear: 1995-1996
ChapterNumber: 2
ChapterTitle: Required Verification Items And Acceptable Documentation
Section: Required Documentation
PageNumber:


For each of the required verification items, specific documentation
is acceptable, and you have the authority to require students to
provide such documentation. As an aid in completing the
verification process, ED has developed Verification Worksheets
which are specifically designed to obtain most of the documentation
needed for verification. (See pp. 14 through 17 for copies of the
federal worksheets.) The FAFSA processors may also have their
own verification worksheets, similar to the federal worksheet,
specifically designed to provide most of the required documentation.

You may use a federal worksheet, a processor's worksheet, your own
worksheet, or no worksheet at all. When a student completes a
verification worksheet and attaches the appropriate tax forms, you
will usually have sufficient documentation to complete the
verification process. Therefore, using a verification worksheet is
beneficial and greatly simplifies the task of collecting and
examining a student's documentation.

A Tip for Collecting Documentation

A completed Verification Worksheet, with the relevant tax forms
attached, usually provides all the required documentation for
verifying a student’s application. In unusual situations, you may
need additional documents, but for most students the process can
be very simple.

However, use of the worksheets is not mandatory; you may choose to
require other documentation in addition to or instead of a completed
verification worksheet. The chart below shows other forms of
acceptable documentation for each required verification item. Later
in this chapter, these other documents are discussed in more detail.

**[The "Acceptable Documentation" chart on page 13 is currently
unavailable for viewing. Please reference your paper document for
additional information.]**

Using a Verification Worksheet

When an application is selected for verification, the student
generally will receive a copy of the appropriate worksheet with the
output document. However, if you choose to require your students to
fill out a worksheet for verification purposes, you must provide
copies of the worksheets to any students who did not receive them
with their output document.

Upon completing the appropriate worksheet and attaching a copy of
the relevant income tax returns, students should submit the
documents to the school, not to ED or to the FAFSA processor
through which they applied. The school should check to see that all
required sections are completed and appropriately signed, and that
the relevant tax returns are attached. (Facsimile copies of
worksheets, tax returns, or other documentation are acceptable, as
are photocopies. Unless specifically noted in this guide, an original
signature--that is, a pen-and-ink signature that has not been
photocopied or copied by facsimile--is not required.) After checking
the documentation against the student's application data, and
depending on whether there are mistakes or inconsistencies, you can
either disburse the student's award or make the necessary corrections
and updates. (See Chapter Three, "Completing The Verification
Process.")