The ISIR - What It Is And How To Use It

1
Session 33

• The ISIR - What It Is And How To Use It
• Devin Croft
• Tom Threlkeld

2
Data Flow
Student
PIN
completes FAFSA
School
CPS
Review ISIR
Corrections
SSA
VA
SSS
Package
NSLDS
DHS
Notification
Disburse
R2T4
COD
Report
3
Eligibility Overview

• Student completes FAFSA
• FAFSA processed by CPS
• Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) is determined
• School determines eligibility of student using
  ISIR/SAR
• School awards student based on
• COA - EFC NEED

4
ISIR

• An electronic output document containing all
  information reported on the FAFSA and the
  resulting EFC
• Sent from CPS to schools SAIG mailbox
• Used by school to determine students Title IV
  aid eligibility
• School must maintain in electronic format
  received for record retention period

5
Output Documents from CPS

• Student receives either
• Paper SAR
• Filed paper FAFSA without email address
• E-mail notification of SAR
• Filed paper FAFSA or FOTW with valid e-mail
  address and successful SSN match
• Paper SAR Acknowledgement
• Filed FOTW without valid e-mail address

6
Student Identifier

• 000-00-0000 RA 01
• Found on each page of ISIR
• Students SSN
• First two letters of last name
• ISIR transaction number
• Changing SSN in question 8 will not change the
  student identifier

7
C

• Will show next to EFC 2750 C
• Comment on ISIR related to
• Database match issue
• School must resolve issue before awarding aid

8
Assumptions

• EFC is calculated
• CPS makes a determination of appropriate answer
• to left of ISIR field
• SAR/ISIR will include comment code 117

9
Rejects

• No EFC calculated
• Rejects Met field in FAA Information section
• Alpha reject reason codes
• Verifiable
• Numeric reject reason codes
• Non-verifiable
• Responsibility of student to resolve
• Comments explain action necessary for resolution

10
Non-verifiable or Verifiable Reject?

1. Students SSN match, but name does not.
2. Student has an SSN match with Date of Death.
3. Taxes paid is gt 0 and /gt than AGI
4. Mothers SSN contains all zeroes and reported as
   a tax filer

11
Assumption or Reject?

1. Student reports that she is married and provides
   spouses income but reports only one person in
   household
2. Student reports not married but provides
   financial information for spouse
3. Independent students household and number in
   college are reported as 3 or more

12
Processed Date

• Found in Office Information Section
• Department considers school to have received ISIR
  on ISIR processed date
• ISIR will be in schools SAIG mailbox within 24
  hours of processing

13
Source of Correction Flag

• Found in Office Information section
• Identifies source of correction transaction
• A applicant
• D CPS
• S school
• Federal school indicator is in field below to
  identify originating school

14
Verification Flags

• Found in FAA Information section
• Verification Flag
• Indicates if student selected on any transaction
• Y, N,
• Verification Tracking Flag
• Identifies priority for selection based upon
  likelihood of error
• Range is 0001 to 9999
• Higher number is higher priority

15
FAA Adjustment Flag

• Found in FAA Information section
• 1 - transaction resulting from a professional
  judgment
• 2 professional judgment adjustment failed
• Resulting transaction will only go to school
  processing PJ adjustment

16
Dependency Override Flag

• Found in FAA Information section
• 1 transaction resulting from a dependency
  override
• 2 dependency override failed
• Not required to use another schools override

17
EFCs

• Primary EFC must be used for Title IV eligibility
• Result of full formula unless student met
  criteria for simplified needs test
• Secondary EFC
• Result of full formula when student met criteria
  for simplified needs test
• May be used for institutional aid

18
EFCs

• Found in FAA Information section
• Provides EFCs for months 1 through 12, both
  primary and secondary
• 9 month EFC always used for Pell Grant
• EFC for number of months in period of enrollment
  used for determination of need

19
EFC Flags

• Found in FAA Information section
• Auto Zero EFC Flag
• Y - criteria met
• EFC Change Flag
• 1 EFC increased
• 2 EFC decreased
• SNT Flag
• Y - criteria met
• N - criteria not met

20
Intermediate Values

• Found in FAA Information section
• Represent the values calculated in the EFC
  calculation
• Helpful in understanding the resulting EFC
• Useful in making professional judgment
  adjustments to data elements

21
Match Flags

• Alpha or numeric values that show results of
  database matches
• Appendix B of ISIR Guide explains required
  action and corresponding comment code.
• Found in FAA Information section

22
SSN Match Flags

• Match flag code is SSN
• Matches SSN with Social Security Administration
  database
• Number
• Name
• Date of birth
• SSA also checks number against date of death file

23
U.S. Citizenship Match Flag

• Match flag code is SSA
• Verifies U.S. citizenship with Social Security
  Administration using place of birth
• Citizenship documentation includes
• Birth certificate
• U.S. passport
• Naturalization certificate

24
DHS Match Flag

• Match flag code is DHS
• Matches immigration status with Department of
  Homeland Security to document eligible
  non-citizen
• Y match conducted and status confirmed
• N match conducted secondary confirmation by
  DHS in progress
• blank match not conducted

25
DHS Secondary Confirmation Flag

• Will indicate if school should submit paper
  G-845S
• Requires DHS Verification found below Match
  Flags
• G845S in FSA Handbook, Volume 1, pages 1-31 1-32

26
Selective Service Match Flag

• Match flag code is SS
• Registration required for males, ages 18-25
• Student not yet 26 may provide proof of
  registration or request CPS process registration
  (FAFSA question 22)
• Student over age 26 must prove failure not
  knowing and willful

27
NSLDS Match Flag

• Match flag code is NSLDS
• Matches student against financial aid history
  data in the National Student Loan Data System
• Looks for defaults, discharged loans, borrowing
  in excess of loan limits, overpayments

28
Veterans Affairs Match Flag

• Match flag code is VA
• Confirms veteran status for independence
• Title IV definition of veteran is at least one
  day of active duty and discharge is other
  dishonorable

29
Parent SSN Match

• Match flag code is Father SSN and Mother SSN
• Matches SSN with Social Security Administration
  database
• Number
• Name
• Date of birth
• At least one parents SSN must match or FAFSA
  will reject

30
Parent SSN

• Parent without SSN must report all zeroes in SSN
  field on FAFSA
• Parent without SSN may file tax return with TIN
  report zeroes for SSN on FAFSA

31
Remember

• You must review all ISIR transactions received
• You must resolve all C codes
• You must resolve all conflicting information
• Separate process from verification
• Involves any information of which the school has
  knowledge

32
Resources

• ISIR Guide
• FSA Handbook
• Application Verification Guide (AVG)
• Volume 1 Student Eligibility
• FSA Coach (CBT)
• FAA Access Demo Site
• fafsademo.test.ed.gov
• User name eddemo
• Password fafsatest

33
Contacts
We appreciate your feedback and comments. We can
be reached at

• Devin Croft
• Phone [phone] ext. 125
• Email devin.croft_at_ed.gov

• Tom Threlkeld
• Phone [phone]
• Email thomas.threlkeld_at_ed.gov

34

• Please provide any comments regarding this
  training or the trainers to
• Jo Ann Borel
• Title IV Training Supervisor
• joann.borel_at_ed.gov
• 202-377-3930