ISAC Update

Welcome to the January 2010 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 January. 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. 

Student Veteran Issues Webinar Offered on January 28th
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, Public Schools - Participating in the ING Grant and IVG Programs, and Business Officers on January 26, 2010

2010-11 MAP Start-up Formula Approved - Summary of January 22nd Commission Meeting
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, MAPnet Users and Business Officers on January 25, 2010

Limited Release of Suspended Awards for 2009-10 MAP
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, MAPnet Users and Business Officers on January 22, 2010

Due to a combination of factors affecting payment claim rates for first term, ISAC is releasing Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants from suspended status for students whose Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) receipt dates were May 15, 2009 through (and including) June 4, 2009. These records will be released from suspension after 7 p.m. on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 and will be available for payment and may be viewed in MAPnet the next morning. All MAP grants for eligible students with initial FAFSA receipt dates on or after June 5, 2009, remain in a suspended status.

2009-10 MAP Applicant Award Status Chart

The 2009-10 MAP Applicant Award Status Chart provides an overview of categories for students based on the initial application (FAFSA) receipt date.

Identifying Student Records - MAPnet Filter/Report

Schools will want to identify student records released from suspension for a variety of reasons (i.e., file review and repackaging, claiming MAP payment, etc.). MAPnet contains filters that will allow you to identify student records and create a report of suspended student records.

There is a MAPnet filter that allows the user to create a listing of student records using a date range. For example, by using the 2009-10 release from suspension dates
(May 15, 2009 – June 4, 2009), a report can be created that will identify students by "Application Receipt Date" (initial FAFSA receipt date). If a report was not created prior to the release of suspended records, this option could be used. This filter is also available on the Student List Payment screen.

Further details regarding identifying student records are provided via the Suspension of MAP Award Announcements page, which is located within the MAP area of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs section at collegezone.com.

2009-10 First Term Late Claims - Processing to Begin Wednesday January 27, 2010

The day after records are released from suspension, ISAC will allow MAP payment processing for all first term claims (including initial claims) through April 1, 2010. Student records released from suspension (full year awards) are now eligible for first term payment (please refer to the 2009-10 MAP Applicant Award Status Chart), even though the January 10, 2010 first term priority payment claim deadline has passed (i.e., they are late claims). Schools may use their standard procedure to request payment for those students.

Also, ISAC will release payment processing for held first term claims for MAP grants [Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program grants are not being released for late payment processing]. MAP records held as late claims are identified on the Payment Results Report with a Result Code of "Y." All late payment requests that were submitted after January 10, 2010 will automatically be reprocessed. Processed records will appear on the Payment Results Report. First term payment claims will continue to be paid until the second term payment claim deadline date.

Second Term Payment Claim Deadline Date –
April 1, 2010

The second semester/second quarter payment claims for MAP are due to ISAC by 5 p.m. on April 1, 2010 (for those institutions where the second semester begins after February 15th, the claim deadline date is June 1, 2010). After April 1, ISAC will re-evaluate remaining funding to determine if late claims will continue to be paid. It is possible that any payment claims submitted after the second term deadline date will be held until after the processing of timely claims for the final term, and then will be paid on a first-come, first-served basis as funds permit.

Important Information Regarding Log-in Process for Mapping Your Future's OSLC FAO Access Area
Sent to Financial Aid Administrators and FFELP Participants on January 20, 2010

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is sharing the following information as a service to our college partners who utilize Mapping Your Future's Online Student Loan Counseling (OSLC) Financial Aid Office (FAO) Access Area.

Troubleshooting for OSLC FAO Access Area Log-in

Financial aid professionals may receive one of two error messages when attempting to log in to Mapping Your Future's OSLC FAO Access Area with either an expired password, incorrect user name, or incorrect password. When applicable, these messages appear directly above the log-in box:

• "Expired credentials" (indicates an expired password); or,
• "Invalid credentials" (indicates an incorrect user name or password).

OSLC FAO Access Area passwords expire every 90 days, and users are inactivated once their password is 180 days old. If a user is notified that his or her access is inactivated, he or she must reapply for access to the account by completing either the "super user" or "additional user" request form.

If a user knows the password is expired, he or she should follow the "Forgot Your Password" link in the middle of the login box to reset the password - without attempting to log in to the account. The user will be prompted to enter the user name, provide a security answer, and then reset the password.

Security answers and passwords are case sensitive. Passwords must be seven to ten characters, and must include at least one number.

If a user is having problems staying logged in to an account, check the following:

• The URL for the Financial Aid Professionals page is mappingyourfuture.org/FAP/. The user should not include "www" in the Web address.
• Delete cookies on the computer, close the browser, and open a new browser to attempt to log in again.

Questions?

For more information about OSLC and the FAO Access Area, review the OSLC User's Guide at mappingyourfuture.org/oslc/usersguide.htm. Contact the Mapping Your Future staff at feedback@mappingyourfuture.org if you have any questions.

Commission Meeting to be Held Friday, January 22nd
Sent to Financial Aid Directors and Financial Aid Administrators on January 15, 2010

• FY2011 Monetary Award Program (MAP) Start-up Formula
• Proposed Rules and Amendments
• FY2010 Bonus Incentive Grant (BIG) Program Allocation
• College Illinois!® Investment Policy, Fund Management and Sales Agent

FAA Training Opportunities for Spring 2010
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, Public Schools - Participatign in the ING Grant and IVG Programs, MAPnet Users, Business Officers and FFELP Participants on January 12, 2010 

• January - Student Veteran Issues
• February - MAP & IIA and MAPnet
• March - Teacher Programs and My Zone
• April - Military Programs and My Zone
• May - Nursing Programs

• Tuesday, February 23 at ISAC's Deerfield Office
• Tuesday, March 2 at ISAC's Springfield Office

• Wednesday, February 24 at ISAC's Deerfield Office
• Thursday, March 4 at ISAC's Springfield Office

Mark Your Calendar for Upcoming Important Dates
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 January 4, 2010 

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) would like to make you aware of the following information, which may be of interest to you and/or your students.

You may either scroll through the entire message, or click on the appropriate link(s) to go directly to details about a specific topic:

UPDATES
Operational dates, and information regarding the next regularly scheduled Commission meeting

RESOURCES & TRAINING EVENTS
Upcoming CAP events

HOLIDAY SCHEDULES
Processing schedules for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Lincoln's Birthday and Presidents' Day holidays


UPDATES

January 10th: 2009-10 MAP and IIA Program First Term Payment Claims Due

2009-10 first term payment claims for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) and Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program are due on or before January 10, 2010. Details regarding MAP payment processing and IIA payment processing, along with the 2009-10 MAPnet User Guide, are available within the FAA Zone.

January 15th: 2009-10 IVG Program First Term Payment Claims Due

2009-10 first term payment claims for the Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG) Program are due on or before January 15, 2010. As was previously announced, no IVG Program funds have been allocated for the 2009-10 fall or spring terms. However, please be aware that although ISAC will not be able to reimburse institutions for fall term awards, payment requests must be submitted to ISAC so eligibility units can be assessed to students' accounts. For more information regarding the payment process, refer to the IVG Payment page.

January 22nd: Commission Meeting

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission will take place on Friday, January 22, 2010, at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. A listing of tentative agenda items will be available prior to the meeting via the ISAC's Governing Board: The Commission section of the e-Library. Information can also be accessed by selecting the link that appears beneath the "Resource Center" heading at the College Zone home page.

After January 29th: State Scholar Mailing Labels Available to Order

After the student appeal period expires in January, ISAC provides Illinois colleges and universities the opportunity to order a set of mailing labels of State Scholar Finalists for recruitment purposes. Watch for more information about the availability of order forms in the State Scholar Program News area. Remember that a listing of all 2010-11 State Scholars - displayed alphabetically by high school, within each school's county - is available within the 8th-12th Grades area of the Student Zone at collegezone.com. This online listing replaces the printed listings that were available for order in previous years.

February 15th: STS First Term Payment Claims Due

2009-10 first term (first semester/first quarter) payment claims for the Student to Student Program of Matching Grants (STS) are due on or before February 15, 2010. For more information regarding the payment process, refer to the STS Payment Procedures page.


RESOURCES & TRAINING EVENTS

College Awareness & Preparation (CAP) Resources Available for 2010-11 FAFSA Cycle

The 2010-11 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) cycle, including FAFSA on the Web, Corrections on the Web, and FAA Access to CPS Online, opened on January 1, 2010. The Central Processing System (CPS) began processing 2010-11 FAFSA data on Monday, January 4th. Details regarding the 2010-11 application cycle are provided within the Applying for Financial Aid section of the e-Library.

Note that the Web address for FAFSA on the Web has recently been updated to http://www.fafsa.gov/ - however, the previous address (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/) remains active, as well. Either of these URLs will launch the federal site for completing and submitting the FAFSA, free of charge.

Check out the College Awareness & Preparation (CAP) page for information regarding resources that are available to help your students complete the financial aid process. Several events, including FAFSA completion seminars, will take place across the State of Illinois from now through March. Encourage students to attend the event that best fits their schedule.

CAP is a comprehensive effort of the Illinois Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (ILASFAA), Inc., the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC) and ISAC. Formerly known as Financial Aid Admission/Awareness Month (FAAM), CAP strives to fulfill its mission through a series of workshops, seminars and statewide support with partners from all sectors of education in the State of Illinois.


HOLIDAY SCHEDULES

January 18th: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
February 12th: Lincoln's Birthday
February 15th: Presidents' Day

In observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Lincoln's Birthday and Presidents' Day holidays, ISAC offices will be closed on Monday, January 18th, on Friday, February 12th, and on Monday, February 15th, respectively. Our offices will reopen on the Tuesday following each holiday.

Loan records received at ISAC on the holidays, as well as disbursement records received at the National Disbursement Network (NDN), will be processed the following business day. This means that, for each holiday listed above, CommonLine or Common Account Maintenance (CAM) files will be processed on the following Tuesday, with results available on Wednesday (or the next available day for any schools opting to receive NDN files on specific days of the week). Note that ELM Resources will continue to process and transmit files on the holidays.

Although ISAC's offices will be closed on those days, MAPnet will be available during regularly scheduled hours and will reflect records processed by the Central Processing System (CPS) through the last business day immediately preceding each respective holiday. MAP payment requests submitted from 5 p.m. (CT) the preceding business day through 5 p.m. (CT) the following Tuesday will be processed Tuesday night, and payment results (which will show late claim indicators for 1st term claims) will be available via MAPnet on Wednesday morning.

For Assistance

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).

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Latest School DAAR Report Available
Sent on January 4, 2010 and January 19, 2010

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.

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Electronic ISAC Update for December 2009 Available at College Zone
Sent on January 4, 2010 

• Clarification Regarding Status of Funding for 2009-10 Second and Third Term MAP Payments
  (sent December 22, 2009)
• 2009-10 MAP Payment Requests Being Accepted for All Terms - Funding Now Available, Release of "Limited Shutdown" Records
  (sent December 18, 2009)
• Happy Holidays from ISAC
  (sent December 15, 2009)
• 2010-11 Applications for Teacher Education Programs Available - Due on or before
  March 1, 2010
  (sent December 14, 2009)
• MAPnet Unavailable Beginning December 12th
  (sent December 9, 2009)
• ISAC Conference Calls to Provide 2010-11 FAFSA Processing Updates
  (sent December 9, 2009)
• Executive Briefing Conference Call - Spring Term MAP Funding - December 16, 2009
  (sent December 8, 2009)
• Latest School DAAR Report Available
  (sent December 3, 2009 and December 18, 2009)
• Electronic ISAC Update for November 2009 Available at College Zone
  (sent December 1, 2009)

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