Independent Status Petition SOP

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. One example of an unusual circumstance is determining if a student may apply for Independent Status. This document will cover in detail the procedure to change a student's dependency status.

 

Background

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. Unusual circumstances do include but are not limited to:

 

  • Human trafficking, as described in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000
  • Legally granted refugee or asylum status
  • Parental abuse, abandonment or estrangement
  • Student parental incarceration

 

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

 

Additionally, schools and financial aid administrators must:

 

  • Notify students of the school’s process, requirements, and reasonable timeline to review adjustment requests after their FAFSA form is submitted;
  • Provide students with a final determination of their dependency status and financial aid offer as soon as practicable after reviewing all requested documentation;
  • Retain all documentation, including all documented interviews, related to the adjustment for at least three years after the student’s last term of enrollment; and
  • 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.

 

Homeless youth determination is covered in detail in the BYU-Idaho Homeless Petition SOP

 

 

Resources

 

FSA Handbook Chapter 5 Special Cases:

https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2024-2025/application-and-verification-guide/ch5-special-cases

 

Procedure

 

If it is determined that an override is appropriate, an ISPJ is offered to the student, and supporting documentation must be gathered and maintained. Documentation is critical to the petition process. Documentation must support and include the reason for the decision.

Once documentation is received, the FAA will review the student’s situation and determine if he or she (1) merits a dependency override, (2) must instead provide parental data, or (3) should be permitted to borrow only unsubsidized loans because he or she can document that his or her parents have refused to support him or her and to provide their information on his or her FAFSA.

 

 

To determine whether and override is appropriate, the Financial Aid Administrator (FAA) will:

  1. Add the following documents on the Regent “Documents” tab
    1. “2324 Independent Status Petition”
    2. “Student Letter for Independent Status Petition”
    3. “Third Party Statement for Independent Status Petition” 

 

  1. Select “Add Document” button

 

 

 

 

  1. “Select Document Requirement”

 

  1. Select “Facilitate PJ Review”
    1. Select “2324 Independent Status Petition”
    2. For Federal Award Year select 2024-2025
    3. Leave in “Needed” status
    4. Update document Notes:
    5. “2425 ISPJ offered to student as they have indicated that they are independent from parents (or other student-specific information).”
    6. Select “Save”
  2. Repeat above, adding the following additional documents:  
    1. “Student Letter for Independent Status Petition”
    2. “Third Party Statement for Independent Status Petition” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Email the student explaining the ISPJ process. (Each email should be tailored to the student’s specific circumstances):

 

Dear

 

Per our discussion (or email, use student specific info), Independent Status Petition documents have been added to your student portal. The petition committee will review your petition and determine whether to approve or deny your request. If the petition is approved, you will be considered independent on your FAFSA, and parent information will no longer be needed.

 

  1. 2024-2025 Independent Status Petition: Please complete, sign, and then upload the petition document to your student portal. 

 

  1. Student Letter for Independent Status Petition: Please submit a signed letter explaining your (adoptive or birth) parent’s current location and your current relationship with them. It is good to explain what has happened in the past that has led to your current situation. The petition document has further guidance on what to include in your letter. 

 

  1. Third Party Statements for Independent Status Petition: Upload signed letters from two adults who are aware of your circumstances. Students often upload a letter from a school counselor, grandparent, aunt or uncle, and/or a church leader. This letter must have specific information about your situation and relationship with your parents and it must have a signature.

 

Once you submit all the required documents, the committee is usually able to review your petition within 5-7 business days.  If we have any questions, we will contact you via email.  

 

Rest assured that everything you write in your letter will be kept confidential. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 

 

Best Wishes, 

“Counselor Name”
BYU-I Financial Aid
196 Kimball Building
Rexburg, ID 83460-1610

 

  1. Documentation is critical to the petition process and must adequately confirm the student’s circumstances and must be kept confidential.
    1. Once each of the Independent Status Petition documents are received
      1. Review each document for signatures, completeness, and if the letters confirm unusual circumstances
      2. Remember that unusual circumstances include (and may cause) abandonment by parents, an abusive family environment that threatens the student’s health or safety, or the student being unable to locate his parents.
      3. On the “Documents” tab, select each document  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Select “Edit”
  2. Click on the attached document

 

 

  1. The document will appear at the bottom of the page. Select the document and review for completeness.

 

 

 

  1. If the documents are not signed or do not provide sufficient documentation for the petition to be approved,
    1. Change the document to “Incomplete,”
    2. Make a note of why it is being changed to incomplete such as “2425 ISPJ changed to incomplete as student needs to sign their letter.”
    3. Select “Save.”

                             

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Email the student and let them know the additional information they need to provide.
  2. Close the task associated with that document.
    1. Select the task (make sure you only select your task)
    2. Select Status under “Select”
    3. Change task to “Closed”  

 

 

 

 

  1. Review Documents: If the documents provide sufficient documentation for the petition to be approved, change the document from “Received” to “Satisfied” then select “Save.”

 

  1. On the Task tab, change the document task to “In Process” in preparation for committee review.
    1. Select the task (make sure you only select your task)
    2. Select Status under “Select”
    3. Change task to “In Process”

 

 

 

  1. Committee Review: Once the ISPJ petition and documentation letters have been received the committee meets to discuss the student’s specific circumstances. The committee may ask for additional documentation if clarification is needed. The committee will either approve or deny the appeal.

 

  1. Approved ISPJ  
    1. Verification Coordinator or Manager updates the ISIR to indicate an override and removes the requirement for parent’s information on the FAFSA.  (Verification’s Part)

 

  1. Financial Aid Student Relations Manager
    1. In the Documents tab, select the Independent Status Petition
    2. Select “Edit”

 

 

 

 

  1. Update document w/ Regent “Note”

“2425 ISPJ Approved: Independent Status PJ approved (explain briefly student-specific reason). Committee: (Enter names) TD#  

  1. Select “Save”
  2. Close Independent Status Petition task
    1. Select the task
    2. In the Change option, select “Status”
    3. In the “of selected Tasks to” option, change task to “Closed”
    4. Click “Submit”

 

 

 

  1. Send the following student approval email through Team Dynamix

 

 

Dear

 

This email is to let you know that your petition to be considered independent from your parents, has been approved. This means that your 2024-2025 FAFSA will be updated so parent information will not be requested on your FAFSA.  Do NOT make any changes to your 2024-2025 FAFSA.

 

Please watch your student portal. Your 2024-2025 financial aid should show up on your student portal as "offered" within about 7-10 business days.

 

Sincerely,

 

“Counselor Name”
BYU-I Financial Aid
196 Kimball Building
Rexburg, ID 83460-1610

 

 

  1. 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 to Sharepoint list which will be used in future years to change status to independent. The list will include with following information:

 

  1. Approved/Denied
  2. Homeless/Independent Status
  3. Whether they were self-identified or came from Comment Code
  4. 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.”

Denied Independent Status Petition: If the documents are not complete or do not provide sufficient documentation for the petition to be approved:

 

  1. Select the Independent Status Petition document on the “Documents” tab

 

 

 

 

  1. Select “Edit”
  2. Update document with a student-specific note:

“2425 ISPJ denied as the student has contact with parents (including student-specific information) and does not meet the requirements for a dependency override on the FAFSA. Committee: (Names of committee) Denial email TD# 123456”

 

 

  1. Select “Save”

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Close ISPJ task
    1. Select the task
    2. Select Status under “Select”
    3. Change task to “Closed”
    4. Select “Submit”

 

 

  1. Send denial email

 

Dear

 

This email is to let you know that your Independent Status Petition has been reviewed by the committee and has been denied. Although your circumstances are unfortunate, based on regulations from the Department of Education, they are not sufficient to allow you to be considered independent from your parents on your FAFSA.  

 

FYI, even if your parents do not claim you on their taxes, the government regulations indicate that you are considered a dependent student on your current FAFSA unless you meet one of the criteria listed on the following website: 

https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/dependency

If you have additional questions, the following website may be helpful:

https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/parent-info

 

Additionally, the unwillingness of a parent to provide support, or the fact that you were previously independent and are currently financially independent from your parents, doesn’t make you independent on the FAFSA. 

 

You have the following options:

  1. To qualify for federal financial aid, you must provide your parents’ information on the FAFSA. Please log onto your FAFSA online, add your parents’ information, and then re-submit it.
  2. You can petition to receive federal Unsubsidized loans (you won’t be considered for the Pell Grant or Subsidized loans) as your parents are no longer supporting you and they won’t allow you to provide their information on your FAFSA. If you wish to petition to receive Unsubsidized loans, please let us know. 

 

We wish you the best during all your current and future endeavors.

 

Sincerely,

 

BYU-I Financial Aid
196 Kimball Building
Rexburg, ID 83460-1610

_______________________________________________________________________________

 

Verification Procedure for Petition for Independent Status

 

A verification Team member acts as a member of the committee to review and subsequently approve or deny a student’s petition to be considered Independent by using Independent Status Professional Judgement.

 

  1. Review Documentation
    1. Check the documents tab to ensure all applicable documents are present and compliant.
      1. The “202X-202X Independent Status Petition” Document for the applicable FAY should be in satisfied status.
      2. Check the “202X-202X Independent Status Petition” document to ensure the correct document for the FAY was used, is filled out properly and includes a hand-signature.
      3. The supplemental Independent Status Petition documents, including the “Third Pary Letters for Independent Status Petition” and the “Student Letter for Independent Status Petition” should be in satisfied status.

  1. Check for any other verification documents
    1. If no other documents are present for the applicable FAY, nothing further is needed on the document tab and processing should proceed with the student’s petition for independent status.
    2. If additional verification documents are present, they must be reviewed before the student will receive disbursement of aid.
    3. If the documents are in received status, review the documents, and set them to satisfied status if they meet the requirements, or set them to “incomplete” status if they do not meet the requirements.
    4. If the student has documents other than the independent status petition documents in “needed” or “incomplete” status the Independent Status Petition can still be processed, and the verification process will be completed when the documents are received and/or ready to review.
    5. Waive any documents that pertain to parent information such as a Verification Worksheet or parent tax or income information.
  1.  Committee Discussion
    1. Meet virtually or in person with at least one Counseling Manager or Coordinator
      1. As a committee to discuss the documentation and justification provided by the student and ensure that they show the student has clearly demonstrated a case of abuse or abandonment by their birth or adoptive parents.
  2. Once a decision is made by the committee of whether to approve or deny the Independent Status Petition, the student must be manually made Independent by using the Dependency Override tab in the verification Wizard in Regent.
    1. Dependency Override Procedure (Independent Status)
      1. ISIR Tab
      2. Start the Verification Wizard
      3. Signature Tab
      4. Dependency Override Indicator
        1. Select Dependency Override indicator to Select “FAA Override from Dependent to Independent”.

  1. Adjust student household information
    1. Student Household information tab
      1. Student’s number of family members must be set to “01”.
      2. Student’s number in college must be set to “1”.
      3. Student/Spouse Dislocated Worker must be set to “no”.

  1. Complete and process the dependency override.
    1. Click Continue in the top right corner of the verification wizard screen.
    2. Leave the verification status as “not verified” and mark the “Mark Corrections for Submission To CPS?” to “Yes”.
    3. In the ISIR Verification/Correction Wizard Step 2 screen add the following comment: “The student's petition for Independent Status has been approved by the committee.  I have changed the student from Dependent to Independent using dependency override.  I have not Verified the account.”
    4. Click “finish”.
    5. Make sure all tasks are closed.

  1. New ISIR Review

a. After the above corrections have been transmitted, within two or three business days, a new ISIR will be received.

  1. When the ISIR task is received, the new ISIR data (on the new ISIR from CPS) must be reviewed to ensure the correct dependency status is now displayed.
  2. The student may have been selected for verification (V1, V4, or V5) on the new ISIR.
    1. Check the documents tab and handle the remaining documents according to normal verification procedure.
    2. If no other documents are present for the applicable FAY, nothing further is needed on the document tab.
    3. If additional verification documents are present, they must be reviewed before the student will receive disbursement of aid.
      1. If the documents are in received status, review the documents, and set them to “satisfied” status if they meet the requirements, or set them to “incomplete” status if they do not meet the requirements.
    4. If the student has documents other than the Independent Status Petition documents are “needed” or “incomplete” status the petition for Independent Status can still be processed and the verification process will be completed when the documents are received and/or ready to review.

 

 

Details

Article ID: 14550
Created
Tue 2/20/24 3:10 PM