PJ Authority and Individuals Who May Exercise It
Professional Judgement (PJ) Policy
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 orself-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: Special Circumstance Request. 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.