Purpose
A Financial Aid Administrator (FAA) may use professional judgement on a case-by-case basis to perform a dependency override for dependent students with unusual circumstances. Unusual Circumstances, more commonly referred to as a dependency overrides, refer to the conditions that justify an aid administrator making an adjustment to a student’s dependency status based on a unique situation. One example of an unusual circumstance is determining if a student may apply for Homelessness Status. If a student indicates they lack fixed, regular, or adequate options for housing, Financial Aid Administrators (FAAs) may use professional judgment on a case-by-case basis to determine if the student qualifies.
To be considered an unaccompanied homeless youth on the FAFSA form, an individual must be a youth who is
(1) unaccompanied and homeless or
(2) unaccompanied, self-supporting and at risk of being homeless.
None of the conditions listed below, singly or in combination, qualify as unusual circumstances meriting a dependency override:
- Parents refuse to contribute to the student’s education
- Parents will not provide information for the FAFSA or verification
- Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes
- Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency
Regardless of their age, applicants who are unaccompanied and homeless, or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless, qualify for homeless youth determination and will be considered independent students on the FAFSA form.
Definitions:
- Unaccompanied – when a student is not living in the physical custody of a parent or guardian
- Homeless – lacking fixed, regular, and adequate housing
- At risk of being homeless – when a student’s housing may cease to be fixed, regular, and adequate, for example, a student who is being evicted and has been unable to find fixed, regular, and adequate housing
- Self-supporting – when a student pays for his or her own living expenses, including fixed, regular, and adequate housing
DETERMINATIONS BY AUTHORIZED ENTITIES
Does the student have documentation from any of the authorized entities that attest that they have experienced homelessness as an unaccompanied youth, or was unaccompanied, self-supporting, and at risk of homelessness, at any time since July 1, of the FAFSA base year?
Financial aid administrators must accept documentation from any of the authorized entities unless there is “documented conflicting information.”
- McKinney Vento liaison
- School district homeless liaisons or their designee.
- The director (or designee) of an emergency or transitional shelter, street outreach program, homeless youth drop-in center, or other program serving individuals experiencing homelessness.
- The director (or designee) of a project supported by a Federal TRIO or GEAR-UP grant.
- A financial aid administrator at another institution, who documented the student's circumstance in a prior award year.
DETERMINATIONS BASED ON DOCUMENTED INTERVIEWS OR WRITTEN STATEMENTS
If documentation from one of the parties listed above is not available, the FAAs are required to make a professional judgment based on a case-by-case documented interview or a written statement from the student.
Keep discussions with the student positive and supportive! Use the Homeless & Unaccompanied Determination Worksheet to document a verbal interview or assess a written statement:
Procedure:
- Petition: 2324 Petition for Homelessness Petition
- The System adds the 2324 Petition for Homelessness Petition form upon receipt of the FAFSA based on student’s response to the homeless questions
- FAA sends a TD email to student regarding process, timeline and decisions or
- FAA adds at the request of the student
- Worksheet: Homeless & Unaccompanied Youth Determination Worksheet
- FAA adds it enters information on it while completing the interview with the student. It will also be used when the committee meets on this petition.
- Make Notes in Regent.
- If Petition form is added by the system, the following email may be sent to the student:
Homeless PJ Form added by system email:
(Student Name):
Based on the information you provided, the Homelessness Petition Form has been added to your BYU-I Student Portal. Please review the information on the document then complete and upload the form. This will confirm that you wish to continue with the petition process.
Once the document has been uploaded to your student portal, you will need to set up an appointment to meet with a full-time financial aid counselor. Appointments are available most weekdays from 8:15am – 11:15am and 2:00pm – 4:15pm.
You may request an appointment to meet in-person or by Zoom appointment in one of the following ways:
- Email: Financialaid@byui.edu with a date and approximate time
- Livechat: http://www.byui.edu/financial-aid Ask for a human, then ask to make an appointment for a petition
- Walk-In: Kimball 196 Mon-Fri from 8am – 4pm
- For online students: Zoom appointments can be made by calling 208-496-1411. State that you would like to make a Zoom appointment for a Financial Aid Petition.
You are welcome to contact us anytime with any questions.
Sincerely,
BYU-I Financial Aid
196 Kimball Building
Rexburg, ID 83460-1610
- Student completes and uploads the Homeless Petition form to their portal indicating whether they have third party documentation or if they would like to have an interview with the FAA
- When PJ form is received
- If they marked Step 3 #2, that a liaison (third party authorized entities) can verify their situation, add the Homeless – Third party Verification form to their account
- Close the Task
- If they marked Step 3 #1, then contact student and set up a time to interview the student
- Use the Homeless & Unaccompanied Youth Determination Worksheet as the guide to complete the interview. This document will also be used by the committee.
- Make notes in Regent.
- Once you are convinced that you have all the information you need:
- Change Worksheet and Third party documents to “Satisfied”
- Close tasks related to this petition
- Change the Petition form to “Received”
- Refresh Tasks and assign that task to Barbara.
- She will review and set up committee meeting
- Meet with the committee to determine whether to approve or deny the petition
- If approved
- Verification committee member will make corrections to the FAFSA.
- Counseling committee member will inform the student.
- If denied
- Counseling committee member will inform the student.
- Automatic Renewal: Students with approved petitions will automatically be considered homeless and independent in future years and will not need to provide documentation unless conflicting information is found, or the student informs the school there is a change in situation.
Counseling committee member will add student’s information will be added to Sharepoint list which will be used in future years to change status to independent. The list will include with following information:
- Approved/Denied
- Homeless/Independent Status
- Whether they were self-identified or came from Comment Code
- School year determination was made
From Gen 22-15: “Presume that any student who has obtained an adjustment for unusual circumstances and a final determination of independence to be independent for each subsequent award year at the same institution unless the student informs the institution that their circumstances have changed or the institution has conflicting information about the student’s independence.”
- Counseling
PJ APPROVED EMAIL:
(Student Name):
Your petition for homelessness has been approved. A correction has been sent to FAFSA and you will see a change to your financial aid award in about one week.
Since your petition has been approved, you will automatically be considered to be homeless in future years unless conflicting information is found. We ask that you contact our office if there is a change regarding your homelessness status.
Please contact us if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
BYU-I Financial Aid
196 Kimball Building
Rexburg, ID 83460-1610
PJ DENIED EMAIL:
(Student Name):
Your petition for homelessness has been denied. (Explain briefly).
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our office. You can reply to this email or stop by our office in Kimball 196.
Sincerely,
BYU-I Financial Aid
196 Kimball Building
Rexburg, ID 83460-1610
Subsequent Years (If we decide to do this)
(Student’s Name)
Since your petition for homelessness was approved previously, you will automatically be considered homeless this year unless conflicting information is found. We ask that you contact our office if there has been a change regarding your homelessness status.
Please contact us if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
BYU-I Financial Aid
196 Kimball Building
Rexburg, ID 83460-1610
COMMITTEE MEETINGS:
Committee meetings will consist of at least 4 members of the office with an odd number of voting members. The delegate from FAM over pj’s will lead the meeting but will not have a vote. The counselor that worked with the student will always be on the committee along with the Counseling manager and at least one delegate from verification. Counselor who met with the student will give a brief overview of the situation.
- All committee members will be able to read the documentation.
- Discussion if needed.
- Vote.
- FAM delegate will update the worksheet and upload to student’s Regent file.
- If the student has documentation from a liaison, the worksheet will not be needed.
- If more documentation is needed the counselor will contact the student and explain what is needed.
- FAM delegate will close the task
- The counselor will put a note in Regent
- When new information comes from the student a new task will be set and the committee can meet again.