Federal Updates

U.S. Department of Education

Distance Education – Further the Department’s July 29, 2019 Federal Register notice regarding the legal effectiveness of the 2016 state authorization rule for distance education, there have been a number of developments and additional guidance from the Department applicable to schools providing online programs. For the latest client alert issued by Duane Morris on the topic, see Duane Morris Alert –Distance Education – State Authorization

August 7, 2019 – Federal Student Aid released a series of updates to the quarterly application, disbursement, and portfolio reports on its FSA Data Center to include data through March 31, 2019.

August 8, 2019 – Announcement explaining how the 2019-20 supplemental award funds for each of the Campus-Based programs will be distributed and how schools will be notified of supplemental awards.

The Department has officially released the 2020-2021 ISIR Guide.

The Department has published a notice in the Federal Register proposing to extend the currently approved reporting and record-keeping requirements contained in the regulations related to the administrative requirements of the Perkins Loan Program.

August 9, 2019 – On August 18, 2019, IFAP will retire the FSAdownload website. Software and user documentation will be posted on the IFAP website instead. The Financial Partners Portal will be incorporated into the IFAP website as well – see https://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/080919FSAdownloadandFPPTranstoIFAP.html

October 1, 2019 – Deadline for schools to submit 2020–21 FISAP electronically and mail in the required signature page - see https://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/072619FinalFISAPFormInstruDeskRefTechnicalRefDue100119.html

Looking Ahead – 2019 FSA Training Conference. The Federal Student Aid Office has opened registration for the 2019 FSA Training Conference scheduled for December 3 to 6 in Reno, Nevada. The FSA Training Conference is training provided for financial aid professionals by the government for those institutions receiving Title IV funds and is the largest training program in the United States serving the financial aid community. In 2018 more than 2,000 unique schools registered for the conference. Registration is free. 

U.S. Congress – Newly Introduced Legislation of Note 

H.R. 4162- To amend title 38, United States Code, to extend the period under which an election must be made for entitlement to educational assistance under the All-Volunteer Educational Assistance Program of Department of Veterans Affairs, to phase out the use of such program, and for other purposes.

a.       Status: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, 8/6/19

b.      Sponsor: Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) 1 Cosponsor