ISAC Student PortalISAC Update
| Messages sent to: | Multiple Subscription Groups |
| ISAC Update |
Welcome to the August 2021 ISAC Update for financial aid administrators and business officers. This version of the electronic ISAC Update is a compilation of e-Messages sent through ISAC's e-Messaging service throughout August.
The articles in this Update have been organized according to the FAA subscription groups to which the messages were distributed.
Questions?
Questions regarding information in this ISAC Update can be directed to School Services at 866.247.2172 or at isac.schoolservices@illinois.gov. 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.
2021-22 MAP Suspense Implemented
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, MAP Users, and Business Officers on August 30, 2021.
Unless otherwise noted, links in this message are to corresponding pages at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) website (isac.org).
As originally announced last week, ISAC has suspended the announcement of 2021-22 Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants for applicants whose initial 2021-22 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) is received by the Central Processing System (CPS), or whose initial Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid is received by ISAC, on or after Friday, August 27, 2021.
Starting today (Monday, August 30, 2021), MAP records in suspense status:
- are reflected in the MAP system;
- show on the appropriate screens and reports; and,
- appear in the MAP Eligibility File Extraction.
Identifying Records in Suspense Status
MAP records in suspense status are indicated by a MAP Suspend Code of "S" (S = New application received after the suspense date will not be considered for an award this year) in the MAP system and in the MAP Eligibility File Extraction. The MAP system contains filters that allow you to identify student records and create a report of those records placed in suspense status.
More information about 2021-22 MAP suspense is available in last week's message.
Selective Service Requirement Removed from ISAC's Rules
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, MAP Users, and Business Officers on August 27, 2021.
In connection with the U.S. Department of Education's early implementation of the portion of the FAFSA Simplification Act that removed the Selective Service registration requirement for receipt of federal student aid, ISAC Administrative Rules have been revised to reflect the same change.
Effective August 16, 2021, the requirement that each applicant must comply with Selective Service requirements as stated in federal regulations was deleted from ISAC's rules (General Provisions, Section 2700.40(i), General Applicant Eligibility Requirements). We are in the process of updating resource information, including program pages on the website, and will revise application documents and other operational material as necessary as we move through the processing year.
In light of this change, moving forward, ISAC's programs will no longer include Selective Service registration as an eligibility requirement, and application processing will not include a check for Selective Service status, nor will an applicant be deemed ineligible due to failure to register for Selective Service.
Reminder: ISAC's Monthly Webinar
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, Public Schools – Participating in the ING Grant and IVG Programs, MAP Users, Business Officers, and FFELP Administrators on August 23, 2021.
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) will offer the following webinar this Wednesday (August 25) at 2 p.m. (CT) – ISAC Update and 2021-22 Payment Processing. The webinar will include an operational update and a review of payment processing.
To participate in this webinar, visit the Partner Training page in the e-Library at isac.org to access the webinar link and presentation materials, both of which will be posted on the day of the session. Registration is not required for the webinar.
2021-22 MAP Suspense Date: August 27, 2021
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, MAP Users, and Business Officers on August 23, 2021.
Unless otherwise noted, links in this message are to corresponding pages at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) website (isac.org).
ISAC is suspending the announcement of 2021-22 Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants for applicants whose initial 2021-22 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) is received by the Central Processing System (CPS), or whose initial Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid is received by ISAC, on or after Friday, August 27, 2021.
Beginning as early as Monday, August 30, 2021, MAP records in suspense status will:
- be reflected in the MAP system;
- show on the appropriate screens and reports; and,
- appear in the MAP Eligibility File Extraction.
Application Volume and Projected Claim Rates Being Monitored
When 2021-22 FAFSA filing commenced on October 1, 2020, ISAC staff began to monitor and analyze MAP application volume and projected claim rates. The fiscal year 2022 (FY22) state operating budget MAP appropriation of $479,566,200 – which reflects a more than $28 million increase over the FY21 MAP appropriation – allowed the suspense date for 2021-22 award announcements to be significantly later than last year's initial suspense date of July 1, 2020.
ISAC staff will continue to monitor MAP application volume and claim rates. If future analysis indicates that a partial release of awards from suspense status is viable, we will communicate that information to the financial aid community as it becomes available.
2021-22 MAP Applicant Award Announcement Status Chart
The 2021-22 MAP Applicant Award Announcement Status Chart provides an overview of categories for students based on the initial application receipt date.
Student Award Announcements
Colleges must suspend announcements of MAP awards to applicants whose initial 2021-22 application (FAFSA and Alternative Application) receipt date is on or after Friday, August 27, 2021. Please note that ISAC is not notifying affected applicants that their awards have been placed in suspense status. Colleges are advised to communicate announcement information to students with suspended awards as prescribed in school policy and procedure.
Identifying Records in Suspense Status
MAP records in suspense status will be indicated by a MAP Suspend Code of "S" (S = New application received after the suspense date will not be considered for an award this year) in the MAP system and in the MAP Eligibility File Extraction. The MAP system contains filters that will allow you to identify student records and create a report of those records placed in suspense status.
Check ISAC's Website Periodically for Updates
As new information becomes available throughout the year, ISAC will continue to update the MAP Program News page within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs section, which may be accessed via the Financial Aid Administrators area. Be sure to check back periodically for the current processing status of the program.
MAP Payment and IVG & ING Grant Benefit Usage Functionality Now Available for 2021-22 Processing
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, Public Schools - Participating in the ING Grant and IVG Programs, MAP Users, and Business Officers on August 18, 2021.
Unless otherwise noted, links in this message are to corresponding pages at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) website (isac.org).
This message provides information regarding the payment cycle for the 2021-22 Monetary Award Program (MAP), as well as the benefit usage reporting cycle for the 2021-22 Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG) and Illinois National Guard (ING) Grant programs.
2021-22 MAP First-Term Payment Requests Being Accepted
Effective today (Wednesday, August 18, 2021), ISAC has initiated the 2021-22 MAP payment cycle by allowing first-term payment requests (i.e., claims) to be submitted.
- Colleges may now submit first-term claims by accessing the MAP system, as well as by File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
- From this point forward, first-term payment requests will be processed on a nightly basis as they are received from colleges, and then submitted to the State Comptroller for payment per standard operating procedures.
Reminders
- Submitting payment requests is a two-step process, which involves generating the request (either individually or in a batch) and then submitting the request.
- Payment requests submitted by 7 p.m. (CT) will be included in that night's processing, with payment results available the next business day.
- Results for payment requests submitted after 7 p.m. (CT) will be included in the following night's processing.
- Be sure to review the Payment Results/Exceptions report in the Reports section of the MAP system the day after submitting payment requests to see which requests, if any, did not process as expected.
- The disbursement of funds will be processed by the State of Illinois Comptroller's Office.
- Refer to the State Comptroller's Website page, located within the Processes section of the Financial Aid Administrators area, for information on how to track payment.
- Because Payment Offset and Reconciliation procedures apply to MAP, refund checks should not be sent for cancellations/adjustments made throughout the award year.
- Funds should only be returned to ISAC after a final reconciliation has been completed at the end of the regular school year.
- 2021-22 MAP 160-byte specifications, describing the file layout to be used to send data to ISAC via FTP, are available within the Electronic Tools section of the e-Library for Partners.
- Any 2021-22 payment requests that were submitted via FTP prior to August 18, 2021 will not be processed, and must be resubmitted by the college.
- In order to prevent having to resubmit data in the future, never submit payment requests via FTP until after ISAC announces it is accepting the data for that academic year.
Resources Available Online
Details regarding the MAP payment processing cycle are available in:
- the "Payment" chapter of the MAP User Guide, which is located in the MAP Electronic Processing section of the Financial Aid Administrators Processes area; and,
- the MAP Payment section of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area.
IVG and ING Grant Benefit Usage Data Being Accepted
Also effective today, ISAC is accepting benefit usage data for the 2021-22 IVG summer and fall terms, and for the 2021-22 ING Grant fall term.
In order to be considered timely:
- IVG benefit usage data for the summer term must be submitted on or before Thursday, September 30, 2021;
- IVG benefit usage data for the fall term must be submitted on or before Friday, December 31, 2021; and,
- ING Grant benefit usage data for the fall term must be submitted on or before Friday, December 31, 2021.
Reminders
- Benefit usage data for the IVG and ING Grant programs is submitted to ISAC by colleges via the benefit usage functionality within each program's system.
- Colleges report enrollment hours and dollar amounts for initial, in-district and out-of-district benefit usage by students, as well as adjustments to previously-submitted data.
- Although ISAC is not able to reimburse institutions for 2021-22 IVG or ING Grant awards, reporting of benefits used must still take place so that usage can be accurately reflected on students' accounts.
- Colleges are encouraged to regularly check their Benefits Results report for each program.
- 160-byte specifications for the 2021-22 IVG and ING Grant programs, describing the file layout to be used to send data for each program to ISAC via FTP, are available within the Electronic Tools section of the e-Library for Partners.
- Any 2021-22 benefit usage data that was submitted via FTP prior to August 18, 2021 will not be processed, and must be resubmitted by the college.
- In order to prevent having to resubmit data in the future, never submit benefit usage data via FTP until after ISAC announces it is accepting the data for that academic year.
Resources Available Online
More information, including detailed instructions, is available at the following locations:
- IVG
- ING Grant
System Reminders
- Please verify that the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs (GAP) Access Administrator at your college has established the appropriate program system (MAP, IVG, and/or ING Grant) access level for all impacted staff.
- Instructions for establishing access to the appropriate system(s) may be found on the GAP Access page.
- The MAP, IVG and ING Grant systems are available each day between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. (CT).
- The two-factor authentication process requires a valid user ID, password and single-use verification code each time a user logs in to the GAP Access portal.
- A valid GAP Access user ID and password are required in order to submit files via ISAC's Secure File Transfer System (located at https://transfer.isac.org/), making encryption (password protection) of files unnecessary.
- Additional information and instructions are provided in the FTP Process Using GAP Access Credentials Guide.
Watch for Future Updates
Future updates regarding MAP and ISAC's military programs – including the MAP first-term priority claim deadline date, once determined – will be announced via our usual means of communication: the FAA Message Board; the MAP, IVG and ING Grant "Program News" pages); and/or this e-Messaging system.
July 2021 Electronic ISAC Update
Sent on August 2, 2021.
The July 2021 edition of the ISAC Update is now available for your review, and may be accessed via the Partner e-Messages & Newsletters section of the e-Library for Partners at isac.org. This version of the electronic ISAC Update is a compilation of e-Messages sent to financial aid administrators and business officers via ISAC's e-Messaging service over the past month.
Topics covered in the July 2021 ISAC Update include:
- Ready to View – CCE Conference Recordings
(sent July 28, 2021) - 2021-22 ISAC Administrative Rules Available
(sent July 27, 2021) - Upcoming Important Dates from ISAC
(sent July 22, 2021) - Guidance on the 2021-22 Verification Process for ISAC Programs
(sent July 16, 2021) - 2020-21 Year-End Program Updates
(sent July 12, 2021) - Still Time to Register – CCE Conference
(sent July 12, 2021) - Get Ready! CCE Conference Starts Next Week
(sent July 6, 2021) - 2021-22 MAP Recompute Implemented
(sent July 6, 2021) - Financial Aid 101: Workshops in July
(sent July 2, 2021) - 2021-22 MAP Recompute to Be Implemented
(sent July 1, 2021) - June 2021 Electronic ISAC Update
(sent July 1, 2021)
