PJ Authority and Individuals Who
May Exercise It
Policies
The Higher Education Act of 1992 allows financial aid
administrators to make professional judgment (PJ) decisions for special or
unusual family or student circumstances. These circumstances must be
documented. Circumstances requiring PJ decisions are analyzed on a case-by-case
basis and the reason for the adjustment must relate to that student's special
circumstances and must be documented in the student's file. PJ decisions may be
made to adjust eligibility for all institutional, Title IV, and campus-based
aid. Documentation supporting special circumstances must be maintained in
student’s record.
When the financial aid staff is made aware of unusual
circumstances, they may offer the Special Circumstance form or Dependency
Override Petition form for the student to complete and return with all
documentation. Once all documentation is received, the financial aid file will
be reviewed by the Financial Aid Coordinator.
The Financial Aid Coordinator handles PJ requests for both
Dependency Overrides and EFC adjustments. PJs for adjustments to student
budgets (Cost of Attendance) are handled by the Financial Aid Coordinator
and/or the Financial Aid Computer Analyst.
Professional Judgment decisions are final, and that decision will
remain for the award year.
When PJ will be exercised:
Dependency
Override- the PJ requests will be reviewed prior to packaging awards but
only once a rejected ISIR has been received. The student must submit a
completed Dependency Override Petition form with all supporting documentation
(if applicable) or Homeless Youth documentation (provided by the Homeless Youth
Liaison) to be considered for an Override. (See below for procedures)
EFC
Adjustments - Student must complete and submit the Special Circumstance form
with all supporting documentation to be considered for an EFC adjustment.
Verification must be completed (if selected by CPS) prior to
requesting/reviewing/approving a Special Circumstance. Additionally, all
conflicting information must be resolved prior to completing and packaging
students financial aid file.
Starting the 2020/2021 year, verification and PJ can be completed
on the same ISIR correction depending on student circumstances.
Procedures
Professional Judgment (PJ)
procedures for Review:
Dependency Overrides:
Student must submit the FAFSA omitting parent information. The ISIR the school
receives will be rejected and not have a valid EFC. Once financial aid staff
becomes aware of the student’s situation, they will provide the student with
the Dependency Override Petition form and explain the process. While completing
the form, the student will explain the following:
- Present living situation/conditions and support
- Last time they lived with their parent(s)
- Last time they had contact with their parent(s)
- Last time parent(s) provided support
- A written explanation describing the unusual circumstances or
events that took place and the overall family situation which led to the
student's separation and estrangement from their parent(s).
- Supporting documentation and/or written statement from a
third-party Professional or supporting documentation. Third-party professions
may include social worker, therapist, psychologist, school counselor, or any
third-party professional relevant to the student's circumstance. Supporting documentation
may include court or law enforcement documents, letters from a clergy member,
documents from social services, etc. (relevant data/proof that explains the
student's special circumstance).
- Students who are unaccompanied and are either homeless or
self-supporting and at risk of being homeless will only need to provide
documentation from a school Homeless Youth Liaison or shelter (Dependency
Override Petition form will not be needed).
Student's completing the Dependency Override Petition must have an
extenuated circumstance for not providing parent information. Examples of
extenuated circumstances include: student parent(s) are incarcerated, parents
whereabouts are unknown to student and the student is unable to contact them
(and is verifiable), student has have been abandoned and neglected, student has
left home due to an abusive family environment (and is verifiable), student is
older than 21 but not yet 24 and is unaccompanied, and are either homeless or
self-supporting and at risk of being homeless (verified by the
Homeless Youth Liaison or shelter). On a case-by-case basis, the FA Coordinator
may have a documented interview with a student who may be considered homeless
for a dependency override. Documentation is stored in student's file.
A student is considered homeless if he lacks fixed, regular, and
adequate housing. This is broader than just living “on the street.” It
includes: living with other people temporarily because he had nowhere else to
go; in substandard housing (if it doesn’t meet local building codes or the
utilities are turned off, it is generally not adequate); in emergency or
transitional shelters, in motels, campgrounds, cars, parks, abandoned
buildings, bus or train stations, or any public or private place not designed for
humans to live in; in the school dormitory if the student would otherwise be
homeless.
Once all documentation has been received, the Financial Aid
Coordinator will make decisions on a case-by-case basis based on the
information/documentation provided by the student. On a case-by-case basis, the Financial Aid
Coordinator may interview student regarding the information that was submitted
for further documentation or ask for additional information. Once a decision is
made, students are notified of the decision by email. (See below for steps for
approvals)
Special
Circumstances (for EFC Adjustment): Students must complete a FAFSA and
have a valid EFC. Student must complete verification prior to having their
Special Circumstance reviewed if they are selected for verification.
Additionally, all conflicting information must be cleared prior to packaging
student's awards. Student can request a special circumstance if their income
and/or their spouses or parent(s)’s income (dependent student’s) was
significantly less for the current year than it was the previous year or if
there were some other dramatic financial changes due to circumstances beyond
the student's or parent’s control.
Reasons for Special Circumstance Request: Student would be
required to submit the Special Circumstance form with supporting documentation.
Student may submit a special circumstance request if they have had a change in
employment or became unemployed, have unusual medical or dental expense, have
tuition expenses (private elementary/secondary), have one-time, lump-sum, pay-out,
or income (bonus pay), or any other relevant special circumstance.
To complete the Special Circumstance request, the student must
complete and submit the following to the SCC Financial Aid Office:
- Special Circumstance form
- Estimate Income and expenses for the current year
- Project any income for the rest current calendar year
- Submit all supporting documentation. Supporting documents may
include, but not limited to; recent/last pay stubs, relevant W2/wage
statements, relevant tax returns, EDD statements, medical/dental bills, receipt
of tuition paid/registration statements.
- Detailed written statement explaining the student and/or parent(s)
situation
Once all documentation has been received, the Financial Aid
Coordinator will make decisions on a case-by-case basis based on the
information and supporting documentation provided by the student. On a case-by-case basis, the Financial Aid
Coordinator may ask for additional information to support the special circumstance. Because PJ situations are unique, specific
required documentation may not be listed for each case. It is left to the
discretion of the Financial Aid Coordinator to select what is appropriate
documentation. When reviewing the
special circumstance request, the Financial Aid Coordinator will consider the
income protection allowance (IPA) is included in the EFC calculation to account
for modest living expenses. Per the
Application and Verification Guide, it is reasonable to assume that approximately
30% of the IPA is for food, 22% for housing, 9% for transportation expenses,
16% for clothing and personal care, 11% for medical care, and 12% for other
family consumption.
Once a decision is made, students are notified of the decision by
email. PJ decisions are final. PJ requests cannot be used to circumvent the law
and regulations, or to waive general student federal aid eligibility
requirements (https://studentaid.gov/resources/eligibility-text).
PJ Request Forms:
Dependency Override Petition and Special Circumstance forms can be
found online on the SCC Financial Aid Office's website.
The forms may also be given to the student at the Financial Aid Office, posted
to their Self-Service account, or have it emailed to them.
Circumstances for Which PJ
Adjustments are Allowed and Resulting Actions Taken
Policies
Dependency Override:
Student's completing the Dependency Override Petition must have an
extenuated circumstance due to not being able to provide parent information.
Examples of special circumstances include: student parent(s) are incarcerated,
parents whereabouts are unknown to student and the student is unable to contact
them (and it can be verified), student has have been abandoned and neglected,
student has left home due to an abusive family environment (and is verifiable),
student is older than 21 but not yet 24 and is unaccompanied, and are
either homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless.
Not all situations are considered a special circumstance. The
following are situations would not be considered: Parent(s) do not want to
provide their information on your FAFSA, parent(s) refuse to contribute to your
college expenses, parent(s) do not claim you as a dependent on their income
taxes
Special Circumstance (EFC
Adjustment):
Student may request a Special Circumstance if their income and/or
their spouses or parent(s)’s income (dependent student’s) was significantly
less for the current year than it was the previous year or if there was some
other dramatic financial changes due to circumstances beyond the student's or
parent’s control. Student would be required to submit the Special Circumstance
form with supporting documentation. Student can submit a special circumstance
if they have had a change in employment or became unemployed, have unusual
medical or dental expense, have tuition expenses (private
elementary/secondary), have one-time, lump-sum, pay-out, or income (bonus pay),
or any other relevant special circumstance.
Computer Purchase (budget
increase):
A student may request and increase to their budget (Cost of
Attendance) if the student has no more room (Need) remaining in their budget
for additional aid and has purchased a computer for their Education. In this
case a student can submit a Computer Purchase form for up to $1,500 to increase
their budget for up to $1,500. The budget increase is a one-time only budget
increase to include up to an additional $1,500 added to their budget.
Procedures
Procedures
for Approval of PJ Requests: The Financial Aid Coordinator is
responsible for reviewing all Dependency Overrides Petitions and Special
Circumstance (EFC adjustment) requests. Once the financial aid file has been
reviewed the FA Coordinator will document the student's file and proceed to
make all the relevant adjustments to the student's FAFSA via FAA Access to CPS.
For
Dependency Overrides: FA Coordinator will update the
Dependency Overrides directly in FAA Access to CPS. The correction will reflect
in the Dependency Override field or the Homeless Youth Determination field (if
determined to be homeless). Once the correct ISIR has been process with the
correct dependency status, the FA Coordinator will check if the ISIR is
selected for verification and/or any conflicting information.
For
Special Circumstances (EFC) Adjustments: FA Coordinator will update all
relevant data associated with the students request (e.g. student had a change
in income from one year to the next, the FA Coordinator will adjust the AGI,
income earned from work, etc.). The adjustments will be corrected on the
students FAFSA via FAA Access to CPS to all relevant fields that require
adjustments as well as the "EFC adjustment requested field". The
processed ISIR will need to reflect “Professional judgment processed" comment
in order to package the student's financial aid with the new EFC. Student can
view the updated award status on the Self-Service portal and will be sent a
revised Financial Aid Offer notification by email reflecting the adjusted EFC.
For
Adjustments to Cost of Attendance: PJs for adjustments to student
budgets (Cost of Attendance) are handled by the Financial Aid Coordinator
and/or the Financial Aid Computer Analyst. A student may request and increase
to their budget (Cost of Attendance) if the student has no more room (Need)
remaining in their budget for additional aid and has purchased a computer for
their Education. In this case a student can submit a Computer Purchase form for
up to $1,500 to have their budget increased up to $1,500. The budget increase
is a one-time only request.
Requests for PJ Consideration
Policies
Professional Judgement requests may be submitted in person at the
SCC Financial Aid Office or electronically on the student's Self-Service
portal.
The student must have filed a FAFSA and designated Santiago Canyon
College on the FAFSA before the last day of enrollment of the academic year.
The PJ requests must also be submitted before the last day of enrollment or
prior to the last day of the academic year (must have valid EFC while enrolled
at SCC) and must include all supporting documentation prior to the last day of
the academic year. Student's submitting PJ requests must also follow all other
annual published processing deadlines by the SCC Financial Aid Office.
PJ requests for Dependency Overrides will require a student
signature and will also require the signature of the third-party professional
attesting to the student situation (if applicable). The Special Circumstance (EFC adjustment)
form must be signed by the student and one parent (for dependent student). The
Computer Purchase form for a budget increase request must be signed by the
student.
Students may submit PJ requests for Special Circumstances and
Dependency Overrides for multiple years as long as their situation merits the
need for a Special Circumstance. However, requests for the Computer Purchase
(budget increase) is a one-time, one-year approval only.
Professional Judgement decisions
are final. PJ requests cannot be used to circumvent the law and regulations, or
to waive general student federal aid eligibility requirements (https://studentaid.gov/resources/eligibility-text).
Procedures
Students are made aware of the prospect of PJ requests through a
multiple of ways. Students with high EFCs and do not have any Need for need
based awards are sent Financial Aid Offer notices that include information
regarding Special Circumstances. Students are also made aware when speaking
with the Financial Aid Staff and if staff are made aware of a situation that a
student will need to submit a Special Circumstance or Dependency Override, they
will provide the student with documentation. The SCC Homeless Youth Liaison
will also notify both the Financial Aid Office and the student if the student
is homeless or at risk of being homeless.
Once PJ requests are submitted to the Financial Aid Office, the FA
Technician will prep the students file by scanning all student documentation
and most recent ISIR into Perceptive Content. Once the file is prepped, the
student's financial aid file is routed to the Financial Aid Coordinator for
review. The FA Coordinator will work directly with the student if any
additional information, documentation, or action is required. The FA
Coordinator may contact the student by email, phone, or in-person appointment.
The student's file will remain in an "inquiry pending" status if not
all documentation has been submitted or the file is incomplete.
Once the student's file has been reviewed the FA Coordinator will
notify the student by email of their approval or denial of their requests.
Upon approval, a correction will be submitted to FAA Access to CPS
to reflect the Dependency Override/Homeless Youth, or EFC Adjustment Requested
and all corrected data elements. If no other documents/items are needed, the FA
Coordinator will package the awards in Colleague. The student will then be sent
a revised Financial Aid Offer notification by email.
