ISAC Update

Messages sent to:	Multiple Subscription Groups
	Financial Aid Administrator
	ISAC Update Group

Welcome to the February 2005 ISAC Update for Financial Aid Administrators and Business Officers. This version of the electronic ISAC Update is a compilation of e-Messages sent through College Zone’s e-Messaging service throughout February. This e-Messaging service has replaced ISAC’s use of printed newsletters, the ILASFAA ListServ, and special e-mail lists as our primary means of communicating information to you.

The articles in this Update have been organized according to the FAA Zone subscription groups to which the messages were distributed via College Zone’s e-Messaging service.

Questions?

Questions regarding information in this ISAC Update can be directed to School Services at 866.247.2172 or at schoolservices@isac.org. On occasion, you may be directed to a specific contact person or area; when this occurs, we will provide the appropriate information in the individual article or message. 

2004-05 IIA Program Overcommitted
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, MAPnet Users and Business Officers on February 28, 2005

As stated in the 2004-05 IIA Payment Alert e-Message sent on February 18, 2005, funding for the 2004-05 Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program is overcommitted and payment processing is temporarily on hold. In order to verify the accuracy of payment data for fall term, several institutions have been contacted concerning the significant increases in their first term claims. These contacts have been very helpful in ISAC's assessment process, unfortunately the situation remains that funding will be insufficient to pay second and/or third term awards for some students who previously had been announced as eligible.

The impact of this situation is as follows:

• Cancellations and Refunds - Any institution for which a full reconciliation of IIA Program disbursements for first term has not been completed should do so immediately and cancel any fall term disbursements as appropriate. As a reminder, only send a refund check (accompanied by the Check Return Form) if you have completed the payment request process for all terms. Also, do not send a refund check to ISAC without providing the cancellation through MAPnet.
• Impact on Students –
  • In order to not disrupt awards already paid for fall term, eligible recipients who have already received an IIA Program disbursement for the fall term are not impacted. Those students will maintain their $250 award for that term.
  • Eligible recipients who filed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on or before July 9, 2004 (initial FAFSA receipt date) remain eligible for a full-year IIA Program award. Institutions will be paid for a second and/or third term award for this group of students.
  • Eligible recipients who have a FAFSA receipt date on or after July 10, 2004 will not receive a second and/or third term award. This group of students will only receive their first term award. This action is being taken to follow the IIA Program administrative rules stating that if funds are insufficient to pay all claims, grants will be awarded according to the date the completed applications were received. Their eligibility remains intact for next year if they remain zero EFC freshmen.
  • Individuals with a FAFSA receipt date on or after July 10, 2004 who did not attend first term and, therefore, did not receive a fall term disbursement will not be allowed a second and/or third term award. They will not receive an IIA grant for 2004-05, but their eligibility remains intact for next year if they remain zero EFC freshmen.
• Payment Processing Status - The processing of second and/or third term claims is currently on hold (records are in an "Exported" status in MAPnet if claim has already been submitted) until system changes (including MAPnet) can be made to accommodate payment processing based on the new FAFSA receipt date requirements. Cancellations, however, are now being processed for all terms in order for the fund balance to be updated and as accurate as possible.

Second and/or Third Term Claims Processing

Once the IIA payment processing system can incorporate the new parameters, second and/or third term claims being held (since February 18th) by ISAC will be processed and any claims yet to be submitted will be treated in the manner described below.

• If a student's FAFSA receipt date is on or before July 9, 2004, the IIA payment claim request will be processed (as long as the student is otherwise eligible) following standard procedures.
• If a student's FAFSA receipt date is on or after July 10, 2004, a payment request will not be approved for payment and student records will be updated accordingly in MAPnet*. If a student in this category has already been awarded a second and/or third term IIA Program award, institutions are encouraged to hold these students harmless to the extent possible by redistributing institutional aid.

Identifying Student Records and Creating a Report

There is an existing MAPnet filter that allows the user to create a listing of student records by the application (FAFSA) receipt date using a date range.  Schools should use this filter to identify impacted student records as follows:

• The date range of July 10, 2004 – August 15, 2004* will provide you a list of students eligible for only a first term award.  If a student in this category has already been awarded a second and/or third term IIA Program award, institutions are encouraged to hold these students harmless to the extent possible by redistributing institutional aid.
• The date range of January 1, 2004 – July 9, 2004 will provide a list of students eligible for a full-year IIA Program award.  Institutions may then use their standard procedure to request payment for those students for the second and/or third term (assuming the student meets all eligibility criteria).

* ISAC suspended the announcement of IIA Program awards for students with an initial 2004-05 FAFSA receipt date on or after August 16, 2004.

Some Awards Previously Approved for Payment for Second Term Are Impacted

There are some institutions for which second term IIA Program disbursements have been processed and approved for the group of students whose FAFSA receipt date meets the July 10 – August 15, 2004 date range. Since students in this date range are no longer eligible for the second term award, ISAC will work individually with the impacted institutions to cancel these disbursements and return funds to ISAC for the second term. We also encourage all institutions to hold these students harmless to the extent possible by redistributing institutional aid.

Second and/or Third Term Priority Payment Claim Dates

As a reminder, the priority payment claim date for second semester/quarter is April 8, 2005 and for third quarter/second semester for institutions where the second semester begins after February 15th is June 10, 2005.

2004-05 IIA Program Payment Alert
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, MAPnet Users and Business Officers on February 18, 2005

Payment claim data has been analyzed, resulting in an expected over commitment of funds for the 2004-05 Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program. Unfortunately, an anticipated transfer of funds to cover the shortfall is not forthcoming. Therefore, while the situation is being assessed, all second and/or third term claims submitted on or after February 18, 2005 are being held and not being processed for payment at this time.

What can you do to help? Complete a full reconciliation of IIA Program disbursements for first term and return any amounts due by following the cancellation and return of funds guidance provided in the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs section of the FAA Zone at collegezone.com.

Additional information will be available by the end of February to provide guidance concerning second and/or third term IIA Program awards, and will be communicated following ISAC's established methods of communication (i.e., IIA Program News, FAA Zone Message Board, and e-Messages).

Start-Up for 2005-06 MAP and IIA Programs Successfully Implemented
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, MAPnet Users and Business Officers on February 15, 2005

ISAC is pleased to announce that 2005-06 start-up for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) and the Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program has officially commenced. Here is a brief listing of scheduled start-up activities and highlights of relevant changes and enhancements for the 2005-06 cycle.

2005-06 Processing

Effective today, February 15th, MAP and IIA Program data can be accessed via MAPnet. All 2005-06 Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) having Central Processing System (CPS) receipt dates of January 3rd through (including) February 11th are now available with their accompanying eligibility status information. ISIRs with CPS receipt dates of February 12th through (including) February 15th will be processed and available on February 16th. Daily processing of 2005-06 ISIR and eligibility status information will then begin on February 16th.

Conference Call Training Sessions Scheduled for February 22nd and February 24th

"2005-06 MAP Processing Technical Enhancements" conference call training sessions have been scheduled for February 22nd and February 24th. Details, including the times, are provided at College Zone's Outreach and Training page. To participate, at the time of the conference call dial 888.767.9380 and enter the passcode: 9767339#.

New Tools Available to Help Calculate Awards

The updated MAPnet User Guide is now available, and includes information regarding new tools offered for 2005-06 processing. The 2005-06 MAPnet User Guide is located within the Processes area of the FAA Zone.

Formula and MAP Award Validation Tool: To ensure that awards calculated by institutions outside of MAPnet match ISAC's official calculations, schools with the ability to utilize File Transfer Protocol (FTP) for data exchanges can now use an automated tool to submit test files to ISAC. Complete instructions are available at College Zone, within the Formula and MAP Award Validation Tool chapter of the 2005-06 MAPnet User Guide. Schools that do not use MAPnet to calculate awards are strongly encouraged to use this formula and award validation tool, which will remain available until the 2005-06 payment cycle begins.

Anticipated Enrollment Calculator Screen: Based on feedback from our partners, the ability to calculate awards based on an individual student's anticipated enrolled credit hours is now available via a new MAPnet screen. This will eliminate the need for hand calculations for those schools that estimate actual awards rather than announcing the full annual award amount. Instructions for the use of this new function can be accessed by selecting the Anticipated Enrollment Calculator Screen option from the right-margin menu of College Zone's 2005-06 Calculating Term Awards page. These instructions are also provided in the "Student Eligibility" chapter of the 2005-06 MAPnet User Guide.

As a reminder, when applying the 2005-06 start-up formula, the maximum annual award amount (including reduction factors) for a MAP grant is $4,471.

Other College Zone Updates

Along with updates in the MAPnet User Guide, the MAP and IIA Program areas within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs section of the FAA Zone have also been updated for 2005-06 start-up. An explanation of the 2005-06 start-up formula, information regarding calculating a term award for both semester and quarter schools, guidance regarding rounding, and updated hand calculation forms are just some of the available resources.

The College Aid Calculator provides students with an estimate of state and federal aid, including a MAP grant estimate. We anticipate the College Aid Calculator will be updated to reflect the 2005-06 start-up formula no later than the morning of Wednesday, February 16th. Watch for information on the FAA Message Board for availability of the updated calculator, which can be accessed from the Calculators area of College Zone's e-Library.

Notification to Applicants

Samples of 2005-06 acknowledgement letters that ISAC sends to students are available within College Zone's ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area, along with the MAP Rights & Responsibilities form and the IIA Information Sheet. In order to accommodate the volume of applications submitted since January 1st, ISAC will begin mailing 2005-06 acknowledgement letters to applicants during the week of February 21st. Once all letters for previously submitted applications have been sent, letters will be generated and mailed following the standard schedule.

2005-06 MAP and IIA Program Start-Up Scheduled for February 15th - MAPnet Unavailable this Weekend
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, MAPnet Users and Business Officers on February 10, 2005

We anticipate start-up for the 2005-06 Monetary Award Program (MAP) and the Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program, including the launch of the 2005-06 MAPnet system, to be implemented on Tuesday, February 15, 2005. Once we have confirmed on Tuesday that start-up has been successfully implemented, we will notify you via this College Zone e-Messaging service. As a reminder, within collegezone.com the Program News pages for both MAP and IIA contain up-to-date information for each program.

MAPnet Availability February 11th - February 15th

In preparation for start-up, MAPnet will not be available beginning Friday, February 11, 2005 at 7:00 p.m. (for all academic years) and continuing as indicated below for each academic year:

2003-04 – As a reminder, when start-up is implemented on Tuesday, February 15th, the historical view of 2003-04 will no longer be available.

2004-05 – MAPnet will be available "business as usual" for all 2004-05 functions, including payment requests, on Monday, February 14th at 7:00 a.m.

2005-06 – MAPnet will be available on Tuesday, February 15th once we confirm that start-up has been successfully implemented.

We appreciate your patience as we take the steps needed to ensure that processing via the 2005-06 MAPnet system runs as smoothly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience this temporary unavailability may cause you.

Important Dates:  Claim Deadlines, Processing Schedules, and Application Deadlines
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, MAPnet Users and Business Officers on February 4, 2005

The following are important dates you'll want to remember in the upcoming weeks.

February 11th - 2004-05 MRS Program Payment Request Due

2004-05 Merit Recognition Scholarship (MRS) Payment Announcement Rosters, used by schools to request second disbursements, were mailed on January 18th.  In order for payment on these disbursements to be included in the payment run of February 15th, the payment requests must be submitted on or before Friday, February 11, 2005. The next MRS payment request due date will be in early April. Further details are available at the MRS Program Payment page in the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area of the FAA Zone.

Week of February 14th - Anticipated Implementation of 2005-06 MAP and IIA Program Start-Up

Start-up for the 2005-06 Monetary Award Program (MAP) and Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program is anticipated for the week of February 14th. As more details become available, they will be shared via the usual College Zone communication platforms (e.g., the MAP Program News page, the FAA Message Board, and/or an e-Message to the appropriate subscription groups). The MAP Formula section of College Zone's ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area has been updated with the 2005-06 MAP start-up information that is currently available.

February 15th - 2004-05 STS Payment Request Due

February 15th is the payment claim deadline date for institutions participating in the Student to Student Program of Matching Grants for the first semester/first quarter of the 2004-05 academic year. Payment procedures, including the Payment Claim Form, are available at College Zone. ISAC will reimburse institutions according to available funding.

February 21st - ISAC Offices Closed for Presidents' Day Holiday

In observance of the Presidents' Day holiday, ISAC offices will be closed on Monday, February 21st, and will reopen on Tuesday, February 22nd.

Loan records received at ISAC on Presidents' Day, as well as disbursement records received at the National Disbursement Network (NDN), will be processed the following business day. This means that CommonLine or Common Account Maintenance (CAM) files received on February 21st will be processed on February 22nd, with results available February 23rd (or the next available day for any schools opting to receive NDN files on specific days of the week). Note that ELM Resources will continue to process and transmit files on February 21st.

Although ISAC's offices will be closed on February 21st, MAPnet will be available during regularly scheduled hours and will reflect records processed by the Central Processing System (CPS) through Friday, February 18th. MAP payment requests submitted from 5 p.m. (CT) Friday, February 18th through 5 p.m. (CT) Tuesday, February 22nd will be processed Tuesday night, and payment results will be available on MAPnet the morning of Wednesday, February 23rd.

Even though we're closed, College Zone is available - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also submit a question to us at any time by sending an e-mail message to ISAC's School Services staff. With the exception of holidays, ISAC staff will review and respond to messages during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. CT).

Week of February 21st - IVG Master File via CD-ROM Mailed to Schools

To assist in monitoring whether a veteran has remaining Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG) eligibility units, ISAC provides a Master File listing of veterans. The Master File contains a complete payment history for all veterans on record in both a Social Security Number (SSN) order and in alpha order. The Master File reflects eligibility units used as of the date reflected on the CD-ROM. A User's Guide and information on converting data contained on the CD-ROM are available in the IVG Master File section of College Zone's ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area.

March 1st - 2005-06 SETTW, MTI Scholarship, and IFTC Program Applications Due

Remind your students who plan to teach in Illinois after completing their degree that March 1st is the priority consideration deadline to apply for the 2005-06 Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW), Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship, and Illinois Future Teacher Corps (IFTC) programs. Applications for each of these programs (the downloadable paper application for the SETTW Program, and the online interactive application for the IFTC and MTI Scholarship programs) can be accessed via College Zone. You can request the Financing Teacher Education: Providing for the Future of Education in Illinois brochure, which discusses the teaching programs administered by ISAC, by submitting an order via College Zone.

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FAFSA, Financial Aid, and Careers Chat Event - February 8, 2005
Sent on February 1, 2005 

Financial Aid Administrators: Please share the following information with any students who would benefit from it.

On Tuesday, February 8, 2005, Mapping Your Future will offer a "FAFSA, Financial Aid, and Careers" chat from 2 to 3 p.m. (CT). The chat is designed to help students and their families get answers to financial aid and career questions and receive assistance with completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

During this "FAFSA, Financial Aid, and Careers" Chat Event, participants will learn about:

• completing the FAFSA;
• determining eligibility for federal student aid;
• calculating financial need and the expected family contribution;
• paying for school; and
• choosing a career.

You can access Mapping Your Future by selecting "Mapping Your Future" from the "FAA Quick Links" menu that appears along the right margin of the FAA Zone front page.

Students can use the link on the right side of the Student Zone front page.

Mapping Your Future can also be accessed directly at mapping-your-future.org.

The calendar of upcoming Chat Events is in the Outreach Activities section of College Zone, which can be accessed in the center of the College Zone home page. Remember, also, that a poster (in .pdf format) listing 2004-05 Chat Events is available at the Mapping Your Future Web site. You may wish to consider printing (on 8½" x 11" paper, in color or black & white) and displaying this poster, which can be accessed via Mapping Your Future's "Financial Aid Professionals" and "Live Chat Events" pages, in areas of your campus that can be easily viewed by individuals seeking information about the college process.

Archived Questions and Answers from earlier chats can be accessed by visiting the section entitled "Chat Transcripts" at mapping-your-future.org/services/chatnight.htm.

The above is based on information from a Mapping Your Future E-Update. Mapping Your Future is a national collaborative public service project of the financial aid industry, including ISAC - bringing together the expertise of the industry to provide free college, career, financial aid, and financial literacy services for schools, students, and families.

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Electronic ISAC Update for January 2005 Available at College Zone
Sent on Feburary 1, 2005

The January 2005 edition of the ISAC Update is now available for your review within the ISAC Publications section of College Zone's e-Library. This version of the monthly electronic ISAC Update is a compilation of e-Messages sent to Financial Aid Administrators and Business Officers in January via College Zone's e-Messaging service.

Topics covered in the January 2005 ISAC Update include:

• Announcement of Date for Release of 2004-05 MAP Suspended Awards and Release of Payment for MAP Late Claims
• 2005-06 MAP Start-Up Formula Approved - Summary of January 24th Commission Meeting
• 2005-06 MAP Start-Up - Technical Changes
• Limited Release of Suspended Awards for 2004-05 MAP
• Mark Your Calendars for Upcoming Important Dates
• Executive Briefing Conference Call To Be Held After January 24th Commission Meeting
• FAFSA, Financial Aid, and Careers Chat Event - January 11, 2005
• Electronic ISAC Update For December 2004 Available At College Zone

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