Notice2022-24045
FAFSA Simplification Act Changes for Implementation in the 2023-2024 Award Year
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 4, 2022
Issuing agencies
Education Department
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Education (Department) publishes this notice, as required by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, of the phased implementation of some elements of the FAFSA Simplification Act for the 2023-2024 award year. This notice also addresses other rules that will take effect for the 2023-2024 award year as part of the FAFSA Simplification Act.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 213 (Friday, November 4, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 213 (Friday, November 4, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66683-66684]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24045]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
FAFSA Simplification Act Changes for Implementation in the 2023-
2024 Award Year
AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Education (Department) publishes this
notice, as required by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, of
the phased implementation of some elements of the FAFSA Simplification
Act for the 2023-2024 award year. This notice also addresses other
rules that will take effect for the 2023-2024 award year as part of the
FAFSA Simplification Act.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vanessa Gomez or Brian Schelling, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Room 2C179 or 2C188,
Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 453-6708 or (202) 453-5966.
Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4c1a2d22293f3f2d620b232129360c2928622b233a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="df89beb1baacacbef198b0b2baa59fbabbf1b8b0a9">[email protected]</span></a> or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#95d7e7fcf4fbbbc6f6fdf0f9f9fcfbf2d5f0f1bbf2fae3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7634041f17185825151e131a1a1f181136131258111900">[email protected]</span></a>. If you are deaf,
hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and wish to access
telecommunications relay services, please dial 7-1-1.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Enacted into law as part of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2021, Division FF, Title VII (116 Pub. L. 260), the
FAFSA Simplification Act makes many significant changes to the Higher
Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), regarding the Free Application
for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA[supreg]) form, need analysis, and
related policies and procedures for schools that participate in the
title IV, HEA programs. Due to the magnitude of these changes and to
ensure that both the Department and the higher education community were
prepared to fully implement the FAFSA Simplification Act, in June 2021,
Federal Student Aid (FSA) announced a phased approach to
implementation.\1\ As part of this approach, in the FAFSA
Simplification Act Technical Corrections Act, Division R (117 Pub. L.
103) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (CAA 2022), Congress
extended the full implementation of the FAFSA Simplification Act until
the 2024-2025 award year while also enabling the Department to
implement the following elements in the 2023-2024 award year:
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\1\ <a href="https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/electronic-announcements/2021-06-11/beginning-phased-implementation-fafsa-simplification-act-ea-id-general-21-39">https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/electronic-announcements/2021-06-11/beginning-phased-implementation-fafsa-simplification-act-ea-id-general-21-39</a>.
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1. Section 702(b) of the FAFSA Simplification Act regarding cost of
attendance.
2. Section 702(i) regarding discretion of student financial aid
administrators. However, the system change required by this section's
provisional independent student status will not be implemented until
the FAFSA Simplification Act is fully integrated into our new systems
for the 2024-2025 award year.
3. Section 702(l) regarding special rules for independent students
and definitions for independent students and determinations but
excluding the revised definitions for veteran and marital status, which
will be implemented in the 2024-2025 award year.
4. Section 703 regarding only the period of eligibility for Pell
grants under section 401(d) of the HEA, as amended by the FAFSA
Simplification Act.
Under the CAA 2022, the Department must announce in the Federal
Register implementation of any of the above elements for the 2023-2024
award year. Accordingly, the Department announces that it will
implement all the provisions described above for the 2023-2024 award
year. Certain provisions, including sections 702(b), 702(i), and 702(l)
of the FAFSA Simplification Act, require institutions to develop
policies
[[Page 66684]]
and procedures that address the updated requirements for students who
apply for title IV, HEA student assistance prior to the beginning of
that award year. Institutions must comply with the new statutory
requirements when calculating awards of title IV, HEA programs for the
2023-2024 award year; performing professional judgments under the
discretion of financial aid administrators for awards from that award
year; and establishing a student's dependency status for that award
year, even if such activities occur prior to the beginning of the 2023-
2024 award year on July 1, 2023. We will provide more detailed guidance
on the changes for cost of attendance, professional judgment, and
independent student statuses for the 2023-2024 Award Year in an
upcoming Dear Colleague Letter.
The Department also announces that it will implement new rules
establishing Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students in
Federal and State penal institutions as well as new rules governing the
prison education programs in which these students will be enrolled.
Although these rules are not specifically addressed in the CAA 2022,
they will also be in effect for the 2023-2024 award year, as authorized
in section 702(n) of the FAFSA Simplification Act. Because these are
complex topics, the Department is developing additional guidance on
these rules and policies.
Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities
can obtain this document in an accessible format. The Department will
provide the requestor with an accessible format that may include Rich
Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file,
braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc, or other accessible
format.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of
Federal Regulations at <a href="http://www.govinfo.gov">www.govinfo.gov</a>. At this site you can view this
document, as well as all other documents of this Department published
in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at
the site.
You may also access documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register by using the article search feature at
<a href="http://www.federalregister.gov">www.federalregister.gov</a>. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
Nasser H. Paydar,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2022-24045 Filed 11-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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