ISAC Student PortalISAC Update
| Messages sent to: | Multiple Subscription Groups |
| ISAC Update |
Welcome to the December 2023 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 December.
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.
NES Payment Request Results Available Thursday, December 28
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, Business Officers, and NES Schools on December 27, 2023.
This message is being sent as a follow-up to a December 14 e-Message about the opening of the 2023-24 payment cycle for Nursing Education Scholarships (NES).
Effective Thursday, December 28, NES payment request results will be available to be viewed by schools. The first payment run of this academic year will take place on Wednesday night and payment will continue to run on a nightly basis every weekday.
Complete payment processing details are available on the NES Payment page, but here's a general overview:
- Payment records that have been saved display a "U" status.
- Payment records that have been submitted display an "S" status.
- Only "S" status records will receive payment results.
- A Payment Results Summary and Invoice Detail Report can be viewed or printed by selecting the Report tab in the NESP system that day after a payment request has been processed. The report includes payment requests, payment exceptions and invoice detail.
- The Payment Results/Exceptions report should be reviewed the day after submitting payment requests to see if any requests did not process as expected.
Although the first-term NES priority claim deadline date has not yet been determined, schools are urged to submit payment requests as soon as possible, if not already done. Refer to the NES User Guide for detailed information about submitting payment claims.
As more information becomes available, we will share it through our usual means – the FAA Message Board, the NES Program News page and/or this e-Messaging system.
2023-24 MAP Second-Term Payment Now Open – ECACE First-Term Payment Claims Due
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, MAP Users, Business Officers, and ECACE Administrators on December 21, 2023.
The ISAC Gift Assistance Programs (GAP) Access portal is now open for submission of second-term claims for the 2023-24 Monetary Award Program (MAP).
Colleges may submit both first- and second-term payment claims by accessing the MAP system within GAP, as well as by File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. Keep in mind that claims may be submitted no more than 10 days prior to the start of classes for the term for which they are being requested. Even though the MAP priority claim deadline date of December 8, 2023 has passed, ISAC is continuing to accept first-term claims and will hold them as late, to be considered for payment later in the year.
The 2023-24 MAP priority claim deadline date for the second term will be announced once it has been established.
Payment Results
The timely submission of claims and cancellations/adjustments allows ISAC to monitor remaining funds and award other students, as applicable. Colleges should always review the Payment Results/Exceptions report, which is available the day after claims are processed. MAP payment results are available for review every weekday.
Disbursement and Reconciliation
The disbursement of funds is processed by the State 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.
- Refer to the MAP Payment area to view information regarding a report for tracking payment vouchers and warrants available via the online system.
Because Payment Offset and Reconciliation procedures apply to MAP, refund checks should not be sent for cancellation/adjustments made throughout the award year. Funds should be returned to ISAC only after a final reconciliation has been completed at the end of the regular school year.
More information regarding payment functionality, including detailed instructions, is available at:
ECACE Payment Claim Reminder – Due December 29
Colleges are strongly urged to complete and submit first-term payment request data for the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program as soon as possible. To be considered timely, 2023-24 first-term claims must be submitted on or before Friday December 29, 2023.
Resources:
Future program updates will be shared via ISAC's standard methods of communication, including the FAA Message Board and this e-Messaging service.
2023-24 NES Payment Processing
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, Business Officers, and NES Schools on December 14, 2023.
Unless otherwise noted, links in this message are to corresponding pages at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) website (isac.org).
The 2023-24 Nursing Education Scholarships (NES) payment processing cycle has commenced, and colleges may submit payment requests (claims) for the fall term via the NESP system.
Payment records that schools have saved will display a Status of "U." Payment records that schools have submitted will display a Status of "S." Once ISAC begins processing submitted claims, only records with a Status of "S" will receive payment results. The NES area of ISAC's website will be updated once payment results are available for schools to view – at that time, schools will also be able to generate payment reports.
The fall-term priority claim deadline date will be announced once it has been determined.
The NES User Guide has been updated to reflect the 2023-24 payment process. Details regarding the payment process are also available via the NES Payment page.
What's New
The changes indicated below have taken effect with 2023-24 NES payment processing.
- Awarded living allowance funds that had been disbursed directly to eligible full-time students as a "stipend" in the 2022-23 and earlier academic years are now included in the payment amount requested by and paid to the college (i.e., NES awards no longer have a stipend component).
- If the recipient is enrolled, the institution may credit the scholarship funds to the recipient's account for expenses due and payable.
- If appropriate, any balance is to be returned to the recipient.
- Funds resulting from each payment request submitted via the NESP system are delivered to the college in a lump sum (either electronically or as a check, depending on how the college has set up their payments), rather than as individual checks for each recipient that had been co-payable to the student and school.
- Payment Offset and Reconciliation procedures now apply to Nursing Education Scholarships.
- 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.
Watch for Updates
Program updates – including notification of when schools will see 2023-24 payment results in the NESP system – will be announced via our usual means of communication: the FAA Message Board, the NES Program News page, and/or this e-Messaging system.
December Webinars for FAAs
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, Public Schools – Participating in the ING Grant and IVG Programs, MAP Users, Business Officers, ECACE Administrators, and NES Schools on December 5, 2023.
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) will offer the following webinars for financial aid administrators during the month of December.
- Tuesday, December 12, 10 a.m. – Policies & Procedures Webinar about the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program
- Wednesday, December 20, 2 p.m. – Monthly Operational Update and Program News
- Please note the date change for the holiday.
To participate, visit the Partner Training page in the e-Library on the day of the event to access the webinar link and presentation materials.
Commission Meeting Thursday, December 7 – No Executive Briefing Scheduled
Sent to Financial Aid Directors and Financial Aid Administrators on December 4, 2023.
The next regular meeting of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, December 7. Those interested in attending the meeting in person may do so at either the ISAC Deerfield or Springfield office location; see below for addresses. There will be no videoconference access to the meeting from ISAC's website.
Some of the items on the tentative agenda are:
- Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) appropriated funds budget request
- Proposed administrative rules and amendments
- College Illinois!® Prepaid Tuition Program investment and program updates
The Agenda Book, providing the complete listing of agenda items, is posted on the 2023 Agenda Books page, which is located within the ISAC's Governing Board: The Commission section of the About ISAC area of isac.org. The online Agenda Book will be updated within 1-2 days following the meeting to reflect action taken.
No Executive Briefing Conference Call
There is no Executive Briefing conference call scheduled following the December Commission meeting.
ISAC Office Addresses
Deerfield office
1755 Lake Cook Road
Conference Room 3030, 3rd floor
Deerfield
Enter through the east door and check in at the desk
Springfield office
500 West Monroe
Conference Room, 3rd floor
Springfield
Enter from the rear parking lot through the east door, use the elevator or stairs
November 2023 Electronic ISAC Update
Sent on December 1, 2023.
The November 2023 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 November 2023 ISAC Update include:
- Join Us to Learn about Repaying Your Federal Student Loans
(sent November 30, 2023) - 2023-24 NES Awards Announced
(sent November 29, 2023) - 11th Annual Illinois Education and Career Success Network Conference
(sent November 29, 2023) - Session Materials are Now Available!
(sent November 15, 2023) - November Webinars for FAAs
(sent November 9, 2023) - First Gen Symposium – Coming Spring 2024
(sent November 8, 2023) - October 2023 Electronic ISAC Update
(sent November 1, 2023)
