 |
VOL. 27, NO. 6IGSL, 6B
December 2009
Welcome to the December 2009 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 December. 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.
MULTIPLE SUBSCRIPTION GROUPS
Clarification Regarding Status of Funding for 2009-10 Second and Third Term MAP Payments
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, MAPnet Users and Business Officers on December 22, 2009 As a follow-up to the December 18th e-Message announcing that 2009-10 Monetary Award Program (MAP) payment requests are being accepted for all terms, we would like to take this opportunity to provide some clarification regarding the status of funding for second and third terms.
In order for vouchers to be created, the State Comptroller's Office must authorize ISAC to submit invoices for second and third terms, and that authority has been granted. ISAC is accepting and processing MAP payment requests for all terms following standard procedures and administrative rules. MAP payment vouchers are being produced and mailed to colleges, as appropriate.
But, as you know, the timing of when payment is received at institutions for any ISAC-generated vouchers is determined by the cash flow of the state and is managed by the State Comptroller's Office. Currently, we anticipate funding for MAP claims for the second half of the 2009-10 academic year to be available around March 2010.
Details regarding how to use the Illinois State Comptroller's Web site to track the processing of payments are available at the State Comptroller's Web Site page at collegezone.com.
2009-10 MAP Payment Requests Being Accepted for All Terms - Funding Now Available, Release of "Limited Shutdown" Records
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, MAPnet Users and Business Officers on December 18, 2009 Funding Now Available - Updated Information Since Executive Briefing
Shortly after Wednesday's Executive Briefing Conference Call, during which it was announced that the $205 million appropriated to pay Monetary Award Program (MAP) claims for the second half of 2009-10 was expected to be available in March, ISAC learned that the funding is now in place and available for vouchering. As a result:
- Payment requests for all terms (including second and third terms) may be submitted at the appropriate time (up to ten days before the beginning of the applicable term).
- Full payment processing will take place, with payment results appearing on MAPnet screens and in the Payment Results Extract file.
- Payment results will be available on MAPnet Payment reports and on the MAP Payment Results Summary/Invoice report.
- Funds will be vouchered and those vouchers forwarded to schools in a timely manner.
- The 2009-10 allocation for the Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program remains unchanged from what was announced in July (i.e., recipients will receive $250 awards for the fall term only).
MAPnet System Available
Effective today (December 18, 2009), the MAPnet system is again available, and 2009-10 payment requests are being accepted via both MAPnet and the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) process. As was indicated in a December 9th e-Message, the system was temporarily unavailable to implement the following:
- 2009-10 Monetary Award Program (MAP) full award amounts (including second and third terms) have been restored in MAPnet, and are reflected on all applicable MAPnet screens and on the Eligibility Status File (ESF).
- 2009-10 MAP payment requests may be submitted (via MAPnet and the FTP process) for all terms (ISAC had temporarily stopped accepting second and third term MAP payment requests, as was explained in a November 4th e-Message).
- 2009-10 MAP records that were impacted by the previously-announced limited shutdown have been released.
- Released records display a new "R" code in the Shutdown field. To identify these records in MAPnet, create a report from the Student List: Eligibility screen (instructions below*) and sort based on a value of "R" in the Shutdown field.
- Award amount fields now include increased amounts that are the result of Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) transactions with a Central Processing System (CPS) process date on or after September 1, 2009.
- For student records that have been released from limited shutdown and for which first term payment requests have already been processed, the MAPnet "override" option will need to be used in order to request the increased award amount.
- The 2009-10 priority claim deadline dates that have been approved by the Commission remain in effect for all terms.
Further details regarding 2009-10 MAP payment processing are provided via the 2009-10 MAP Payment and 2009-10 Processing and User Guide areas at collegezone.com. In addition, regularly visit the MAP and IIA "Program News" pages for the latest updates regarding these programs.
*Instructions for creating a report for the release of shutdown records
- Access the Student List: Eligibility screen in MAPnet.
- Click on the "Sort" tab.
- Highlight "Shut down" from the "Unselected" column and double-click on it to move it to the "Selected" column.
- Move "Shut down" to the top of the "Selected" column by clicking on the up arrow until it is at the top of the list.
- Click the "Descending" button.
- Click the "View" tab to bring up the listing of student with records in Shutdown at the top of the list. (Student records without an "R" in the Shutdown field will appear on the list but only after all the records with an "R")
- At the bottom of the list, click the "View Report" button. The listing will appear in report format.
- The report may be printed or saved.
Happy Holidays from ISAC
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, Public Schools - Participating in the ING Grant and IVG Programs, MAPnet Users, Business Officers and FFELP Participants on December 15, 2009
Our entire organization would like to wish all of our college partners a safe and very happy holiday season.
We appreciate having the opportunity to serve you, and look forward to working with you throughout the next year. Regardless of the challenges and changes that may come our way, we remain confident that by working together with you, we will be successful in our goal of making college accessible and affordable for all Illinois students.
Best wishes for a healthy and peaceful 2010.
Upcoming Schedules
The following are upcoming dates on which the National Disbursement Network (NDN) and/or ISAC offices will be closed:
- Thursday, December 24, 2009 (Furlough Day Closure) - ISAC offices closed
- Friday, December 25, 2009 (Christmas Day) -
ISAC and NDN offices closed
- After 2 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, December 31, 2009 (New Year's Eve) - ISAC staff unavailable
- Friday, January 1, 2010 (New Year's Day) - ISAC and NDN offices closed
Note that ELM Resources will continue to process and transmit files on all of the dates listed above.
Remember that you can access collegezone.com anytime, or send an e-mail message to ISAC's School Services Department. With the exception of days when the ISAC offices are closed, ISAC staff will review and respond to messages during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. CT).
Processing Schedules
Click on the appropriate link(s) to access holiday processing schedules for loan records [CommonLine and Common Account Maintenance (CAM) files] and/or Monetary Award Program (MAP) and Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program records.
2010-11 Applications for Teacher Education Programs Available - Due on or before March 1, 2010
Sent to Financial Aid Directors and Financial Aid Administrators on December 14, 2009 2010-11 TESP Interactive Application Launched
The interactive application for 2010-11 Teacher Education Scholarship Programs (TESP), used to apply for the Illinois Future Teacher Corps (IFTC) Program and the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program, is available at collegezone.com. This online application offers such benefits as providing program information at the applicant's fingertips, performing online edits to prevent errors, allowing faster delivery time, and generating immediate confirmation that the application has been received.
As a reminder, only applicants with a valid digital ID from the State of Illinois will be able to access the online application. Applicants who obtained a digital ID for a previous year's TESP application process will use that same digital ID this year. Detailed information regarding the IFTC Program and the MTI Scholarship Program and the application process, including 2010-11 teacher shortage disciplines for the IFTC Program, is available within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area. These resources will assist you with questions you receive from students regarding the TESP application process.
The Student Zone provides applicants with direct access to details about the IFTC Program and MTI Scholarship Program. Applicants have access to information regarding the application process, including instructions for specific application fields, once they access the Teacher Education Scholarship Programs area and launch the application.
2010-11 Illinois SETTW Program Application Available
The 2010-11 Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW) Application is now available to print, complete and submit. Students pursuing a degree in special education who are willing to commit to teaching in Illinois after completing their degrees may be eligible to apply. Details about this program, including eligibility requirements, are provided in the Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW) Program section of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area.
Reminder: 2009-10 Is Last Year for NESP Funding
Per current state legislation, 2009-10 is the last academic year in which funding is to be appropriated for the Nurse Educator Scholarship Program (NESP) for graduate-level students. Absent new legislation, ISAC will not provide a 2010-11 NESP application. Details about this program are provided in the Nurse Educator Scholarship Program (NESP) section of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area.
MAPnet Unavailable Beginning December 12th
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, MAPnet Users and Business Officers on December 9, 2009
In preparation for the release of MAPnet with full funding of 2nd and 3rd term awards, the system will be unavailable beginning Saturday, December 12, 2009. We anticipate having the system available again on Friday, December 18, 2009 at noon. Once access to MAPnet has been restored, schools will see the following changes:
- award amounts for all terms;
- restored ability to request payment for 2nd and 3rd terms; and
- removal of the Shutdown Flag ("Z") as well as increased award amounts for those students.
We will notify you via our usual communication methods (e.g., the College Zone e-Messaging service, MAP Program News, and the FAA Message Board) when MAPnet is again available.
ISAC Conference Calls to Provide 2010-11 FAFSA Processing Updates
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, Public Schools - Participating in the ING Grant and IVG Programs, Business Offices and FFELP Participants on December 9, 2009
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) will offer two conference calls to provide an overview of 2010-11 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) processing information, as well as other important topics discussed at the recent Federal Student Aid Conference. Please join us at one of the following times:
- Thursday, December 17 at 10 a.m.
- Thursday, December 17 at 2 p.m.
Topics to be covered during each call will include:
- 2010-11 FAFSA Processing
- IRS/FAFSA Data Share
- Two Scheduled Pells in an Award Year
- General Provisions and Non-Loan Program Issues
- NSLDS Updates
- Experimental Sites
Registration for the conference calls is not required.
To participate in the call, the dial-in number is: 877.873.8017 and the access code is: 8324962#. For your reference, a PowerPoint presentation for the call will be posted to the Partner Training page at collegezone.com on the morning of December 17.
Return to Top
FINANCIAL AID DIRECTORS
Executive Briefing Conference Call - Spring Term MAP Funding - December 16, 2009
Sent on December 8, 2009
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) will conduct an Executive Briefing conference call for financial aid staff at the director and upper management levels on Wednesday, December 16th from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Executive Director Andy Davis will provide information and respond to questions regarding the availability of spring term 2009-10 Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant funding, and then staff will follow with a MAP operational update.
To participate in the call, dial in to 877.873.8017 (toll free) and enter the access code 8324962#. There is no need to make reservations to join the call.
Return to Top
FFELP PARTICIPANTS
Latest School DAAR Report Available
Sent on December 3, 2009 and December 18, 2009
The Notification of Student Loan Borrower DAAR Status report (School DAAR Report) for your school is now available on College Zone's My Zone.
The School DAAR Report is non-cumulative and is available twice a month to those institutions with students for whom ISAC, as the guarantor, has received a Default Aversion Assistance Request (DAAR) during the reporting time period. Each time a new School DAAR Report is made available online, an e-Message will be sent to the "FFELP Participants" e-Messaging subscription group.
Accessing School DAAR Reports at My Zone
My Zone is a portal available in the FAA Zone at collegezone.com that allows postsecondary schools online access to student-specific data in a secure environment. If you have not yet signed up to participate in My Zone, proceed to the FAA Zone front page and select the My Zone Quick Link.
For complete information and instructions to access your school's DAAR Report, proceed to the FAA Zone front page and select the My Zone Quick Link in the right margin of the page.
Return to Top
ISAC UPDATE GROUP
Electronic ISAC Update for November 2009 Available at College Zone
Sent on December 1, 2009 The November 2009 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 November via College Zone's e-Messaging service.
Topics covered in the November 2009 ISAC Update include:
- ISAC Offices Closed November 25th - 27th
(sent November 24, 2009)
- ING Grant Payment Request Rosters Now Available at My Zone for 2009-10 Payment Processing
(sent November 19, 2009)
- Summary of November 13th Commission Meeting - Second/Third Term MAP & IIA Priority Claim Deadlines Approved
(sent November 17, 2009)
- ISAC's Commitment Remains Strong
(sent November 10, 2009)
- Commission Meeting to be Held Friday, November 13, 2009
(sent November 5, 2009)
- Important 2009-10 MAP and IIA Payment Processing Updates
(sent November 4, 2009)
- ISAC Launches Byrd Payment Online at My Zone - 2009-10 Eligibility Certification/Payment Request Rosters Now Available
(sent November 3, 2009)
- My Zone Portal Available
(sent November 2, 2009)
- My Zone Portal Currently Unavailable
(sent November 2, 2009)
- Latest School DAAR Report Available
(sent November 3, 2009 and November 18, 2009)
- Electronic ISAC Update for October 2009 Available at College Zone
(sent November 2, 2009)
Return to top
|
|
|
|
