Electronic Processing of a State Grant Program: The New York Story

1. Electronic Processing of a State Grant Program:The New York Story Fall NASSGAP Conference Burlington, VT October 24, 2006

2. Presenter Information Norene Grose, Director Grants and Scholarships, New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) Jennifer Williams, Sr. Project Director, Pearson Government Solutions

3. Agenda • HESC-Pearson Partnership • TAP Process • On-line Change Form (CF) / Request for Information Form (RFI) • Enhancements for 2007-2008 • Q&A

4. HESC-Pearson Partnership • We’ve worked together since 1993. • We’re one team (flexible, work well together). • We’re in the process of renewal of contract as sole source through 2011.

5. HESC-Pearson Process • Enhancements discussions for the following cycle begin in the late spring: we meet to discuss high level requirements, e.g. what do we want to do differently (or for the first time) next cycle? • We hold weekly conference calls to discuss updates. • We document enhancements and track changes (what, how, who and when) in a customer requirements document.

6. Schedule: 2008 – 2007 Cycle 2006 May to Aug. Requirements and planning Sept. – Oct. System development Nov. - Dec. Testing and sign-off 2007 Jan. – Feb. Implementation (phased) Jan. – Dec. Production 2008 May – Aug. Shutdown (phased) Jan. – Aug. Production

7. TAP Process • Receive ISIR data • Determine TAP eligibility: multi-year or Express TAP Application (ETA) • If multi-year (returning student): Transmit data to HESC (step #7) • If ETA, send e-mail or postcard (step #3) • Send student e-mail or postcard notification to complete on-line ETA – includes TAP on the Web (TOTW) URL. • Send student second e-mail reminder.

8. TAP Process (continued) • Send student a printed ETA if no response to e-mail or postcard reminders. • Student completes paper or on-line ETA. • Transmit data to HESC for processing. • Send award or denial letter to student or request more information. This is done via the on-line CF/RFI process.

9. The On-line CF/RFI System: What It Is The on-line CF/RFI application is: • A process for students to view and update data from their original application (ETA, Web, or Multi-year). • Accessed via HESC’s secure PIN site (HescPIN). • Used to determine TAP award eligibility and amounts.

10. Why It’s Needed • TAP has different program requirements and needs data that is not included on the FAFSA. • NYS taxable income instead of AGI • Financial independence determination • Allow payment to only one college per term

11. Why It’s Needed (cont.) • This used to be a paper process (except for simple college and address changes) with high costs for mailing, data entry, and storage, plus labor intensive manual processes. • This paper process resulted in a higher error rate as opposed to logical presentation of questions on-line. • HESC is now able to determine awards more quickly and notify students.

12. How It Works • Student visits www.hesc.org and selects View TAP Status. • Student enters SSN and DOB. • Student receives basic award information (award amounts, college selected, messages). • Student clicks Review/Update Your TAP Information. • Student is directed to HescPIN for sign in and authentication. • Encrypted data is redirected from HESC to Pearson.

13. How It Works (cont.) • The CF/RFI Summary Page displays with student-specific messages. • All data used for award determination is displayed with either Modify Your Answer or Your Answer Can’t Be Modified. • The Modify Your Answer optiondirects students to the appropriate screen(s) so they can change or add information. • The Your Answer Can’t Be Modified option directs students to Help Text explaining why the information cannot be updated and what the next steps are.

14. On-line CF/RFI Summary Page (1 of 4)

15. On-line CF/RFI Summary Page (2 of 4)

16. On-line CF/RFI Summary Page (3 of 4)

17. On-line CF/RFI Summary Page (4 of 4)

18. Scenario 1: Financial Dependence • Students age 35+ are automatically considered to be financially independent. • Students age 22-35 must meet 8 basic conditions for financial independence (FIS). • Students under 22 must meet the 8 basic FIS conditions as well as special conditions.

19. Financial Dependence: FIS Questions

20. Financial Dependence: Special Conditions

21. Financial Dependence: Dependent

22. Financial Dependence: Independent

23. Scenario 2: College Code Changes HESC initiates payments for students through the college, therefore it is important to know the student’s “one and only” college of attendance for each term.

24. College Code Changes: Main Screen

25. College Codes: Search Screen

26. College Codes: Results Screen

27. Outcome 2005-06 was the first year for on-line processing. Implementation occurred after peak processing, so usage was low. 2006-07 has shown a considerable increase in volumes. We hope this trend will continue as we improve the process by encouraging students to use the electronic method. Processing Cycle 2006-07 2005-06 Fiscal Year 2006 2005 Applications submitted On-line CFs/RFIs 31,134 1,993 Paper CFs/RFIs 48,623 67,400 Data through Sept. 30th (1st nine months of processing)

28. What’s Next? 2007-08 cycle enhancements: • Residency form (on-line & paper) • Student lookup function • E-mail for multi-year students

29. Student Lookup Screen(1 of 2)

30. Student Lookup Screen (2 of 2)

31. Questions and Answers What questions do you have about the TAP process or on-line CF/RFI application?

32. Contact Information Norene Grose 518-473-0410 NGROSE@hesc.org Jennifer Williams 319-665-7841 Jennifer.a.williams@pearson.com