Dependency Issues Presented by: Diann G. Maldonado Cosme Associate Director Michigan State University

1. Dependency Issues Presented by: Diann G. Maldonado Cosme Associate Director Michigan State University

2. Independent or Dependent

3. Michigan State University • Founded in 1855 in East Lansing, MI • Nation’s first land-grant institution • Largest residence hall system in US • 24 halls, 3 apartment villages, 18,000 residents • 49,000 students from 125 countries • 69% of students receive financial aid • $602M in disbursed aid for 2010-2011 • $225M - grants/scholarships • $305M – student loans (federal and private) • $69M – parent loans • $3M – work study

4. Brief Background Info • Office of Financial • 40 fulltime/part-time staff members • 8 Student employees

5. Dependency Status • Age • 2011-2012 aid year: born before 01-01-88 • Married • Graduate or Professional Studies • Active military duty • Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces • Supporting a legal dependent(s) other than spouse • Orphan, Foster child, or ward of the court • Emancipated Minor or in legal guardianship • Unaccompanied homeless youth

6. Things to think about… • How do you identify these students to verify status? • What documentation do you accept or require? • What happens in continuing years?

7. Orphan, Foster child, or Ward of the court • Expanded to include • Foster children • Age 13 • If student was a foster child, or ward of the court at the age of 13 or older, than they are independent • Ward of the state may be used instead of ward of the court

8. Emancipated Minor or Legal Guardianship • Must be this status at the time of reaching the age of majority in their state of residency • Challenges: • Documentation received is not current • i.e. in guardianship in 2003 or earlier per the court documentation submitted, but unclear if they continued in guardianship until the age of 18 (for most states) • Require most up-to-date court documentation: this can be obtain from the courts (public record) • Common error: student indicates in guardianship of parents • No parental data provided results in a rejected transaction after status is verified, delay in aid

9. Unaccompanied homeless youth • Unaccompanied on or after July 1, 2010 • Whether they are currently in that status or not • Verified through school district homeless liaison, designee of an emergency shelter program funded by HUD, or the designee of runaway/homeless center

10. Challenges • Not well documented • Student has not shared circumstances with anyone in the school • Unsure who to obtain documentation from

11. MSU stats • Number of students selected for independent verification** • 2009-10 • 785 • 2010-11 • 1090 • 2011-12 (stats incomplete, current year) • 951 ** After new dependency questions were added, decided to select all students answering yes to these questions and collect documentation.

12. Support • Partnership with the MSU School of Social Work • Identify foster youth through FAFSA results • Contact and invite students to register for “Foster Youth Alumni Services” • 127 active registered students currently enrolled • Networking & Support throughout campus • Not just a number…

13. Support

14. Best Practices… • Question/comments…