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Federal Verification


What is Verification?

Each year the U.S. Department of Education selects financial aid applicants for federal verification review. This process requires Lock Haven University (LHU) to verify that the information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is accurate. For purposes of this review, students are asked to submit supporting documentation to the LHU Financial Aid Office. Verification is required for selected students receiving the following federal financial aid: Pell Grant; Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG); Federal Work Study (FWS), Perkins Loan; and Direct Subsidized Stafford Loans.

What happens if my FAFSA is selected for verification review?

If your application is selected for verification review, the Student Aid Report (SAR) you receive from the Federal FAFSA Processor will say so. The LHU Financial Aid Office will also notify you that your FAFSA has been selected to be verified and will ask you to submit supporting documentation of the information you used to complete your FAFSA.

What documents do I have to submit and to whom?

A. Provide income tax information for the student and, if the student is dependent, the student’s parent(s) in one of two ways:

1. Provide the LHU Financial Aid Office with a paper copy of the 2012 IRS Income Tax Transcript.  To learn how to request a tax transcript from the IRS, click here.

OR

2. Submit (or correct) the 2013-2014 FAFSA and select the IRS data retrieval option. This option is available 2 weeks after filing taxes online or 6 weeks after filing by mail. This process will be used to document the Adjusted Gross Income, taxes paid, and other tax data. To watch a brief tutorial containing step-by-step instructions on how to submit corrections on your FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W47_YTRVYD4.


AND


B. Attach all 2012 IRS W2 forms issued to the student and parent(s) if the student is dependent.


AND

C. A Verification Form, which we will send to you. This form is also available online .

Please submit all documents to: Lock Haven University , Financial Aid Office, 118 Russell Hall, Lock Haven, PA 17745. Please note that follow-up requests for additional information may be necessary based on our initial review of the documentation you submit.

Are any deadlines associated with Verification?

Students should submit all required verification documents to the Financial Aid Office within 30 days of the initial request and no later than 30 days prior to their last day of enrollment for the award year. A Pell Grant applicant must complete the entire process before the Pell Grant published deadline of September (the actual day varies from year to year) or 120 days after the last day of the student’s enrollment, whichever is earlier. If the process is not complete by the published deadline, the student is not eligible for a Pell Grant for that award year.

If you do not submit your verification documents in a timely manner, the processing and disbursement of your federal financial aid will be delayed. A delay may result in your having to pay all of or part of your student bill until processing is complete.

What does the Financial Aid Office do with my documents?

The documents you submit become part of your LHU financial aid file. The information on those documents is compared to the FAFSA information provided to us by the Federal FAFSA Processor.

I thought I already turned in the documents required for verification. Why do you need more information?

For many students, the process consists simply of a review of the federal tax information, W-2 forms, and the Verification Form they submit. But sometimes we discover inconsistencies which must be resolved. When this happens, we typically send requests for additional information by mail.

If my FAFSA is selected for verification, what can I do to speed up the review process?

  • Submit all requested documents to the Financial Aid Office as soon as possible.
  • Submit all requested documents at the same time.
  • Make sure the documents you submit are legible and signed where applicable.
  • Make sure all documents submitted are clearly labeled with the student's name and LHU ID number.
  • Please be patient. A large number of student applications are verified, and it takes time for our staff to process the large volume of paper work. Periodically checking on the status of your file is a good idea. You may give us a call at 570-484-2344, or stop by the office in Russell Hall during office hours.

What happens if something was filled out incorrectly on my FAFSA?

If any errors are found, we will correct your FAFSA. If the error(s) changes the amount of financial aid for which you are eligible, we will send you, by either mail or a message to your LHUP email account, a revised financial aid award notification. In addition, the Federal FAFSA Processor will send you a revised Student Aid Report (SAR), which will reflect the corrections we make to your FAFSA. Finally, in the case of an overpayment (i.e. you receive funds in excess of the amount for which you ultimately qualify), we will return the funds for which you do not qualify to the appropriate source (e.g. federal government), and you will be billed for any amount owed to Lock Haven University.

Please Note: Should we suspect that information was intentionally misre­ported or that documentation was altered to fraudulently obtain federal funds, we must report the suspicions and evidence to the Of­fice of Inspector General.