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Verification relief extended for remainder of 2022-23 verification season
May 18, 2022
In a move sure to gladden the hearts of both students and financial aid professionals alike, the Department of Education announced on Wednesday that it would continue the waiver of certain verification requirements.
In the May 18 Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), the Department of Education said it "recognizes the need to continue to provide relief to millions of students and colleges facing challenges and barriers resulting from the ongoing national emergency." Therefore, the Department will continue the waiver of certain verification requirements into the 2022-2023 award year. While the Department will be waiving some of the verification requirements, the verification requirements that strictly focus on identity and fraud will be maintained for the remainder of the 2022-2023 award year.
According to the DCL, this waiver applies no matter where institutions are in the verification process (e.g., if documents have been collected or requested, but verification has not been completed, or if an institution has not started the verification process or requested verification documentation). The Department said the waiver does not exempt institutions from requirements to resolve conflicting information concerning a student's eligibility.
This waiver is effective with the date of the DCL and applies for the remainder of the 2022-2023 FAFSA processing and verification cycle. In the DCL, the Department said it is confident that institutions will be able to quickly implement these verification changes for students because they are the same changes the Department made for the 2021-2022 award year as outlined in DCL GEN 21-05.