FR Doc E6-13619
[Federal Register: August 18, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 160)]
[Notices]
[Page 47783-47784]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18au06-58]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
AGENCY: Department of Education.
SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education requests comments on the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that the Secretary proposes
to use for the 2007-2008 award year. The FAFSA is completed by students
and their families and the information submitted on the form is used to
determine the students' eligibility and financial need for financial
aid under the student financial assistance programs authorized under
Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, (Title IV,
HEA Programs).
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
September 18, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Rachel Potter, Desk
Officer, Department of Education, Office of Management and Budget, 725
17th Street, NW., Room 10222, New Executive Office Building,
Washington, DC 20503 or faxed to (202) 395-6974.
In addition, interested persons can access this document on the
Internet:
(1) Go to IFAP at http://ifap.ed.gov;
(2) Scroll down to ``Publications'';
(3) Click on ``FAFSAs and Renewal FAFSAs'';
(4) Click on ``By 2007-2008 Award Year'';
(5) Click on ``Draft FAFSA Form/Instructions''.
Please note that the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software, version
4.0 or greater, is necessary to view this file. This software can be
downloaded for free from Adobe's Web site:
http://www.adobe.com.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Secretary is publishing this request for
comment under the Provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Under that Act, ED must obtain the review and
approval of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) before it may use
a form to collect information. However, under procedure for obtaining
approval from OMB, ED must first obtain public comment of the proposed
form, and to obtain that comment, ED must publish this notice in the
Federal Register.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: E-mail address
ICDocketMgr@ed.gov.
Section 483 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA)
requires the Secretary, ``in cooperation with agencies and
organizations involved in providing student financial assistance,'' to
``produce, distribute and process free of charge a common financial
reporting form to be used to determine the need and eligibility of a
student for financial assistance * * *'' under the Title IV, HEA
Programs. This form is the FAFSA. In addition, Section 483 authorizes
the Secretary to include non-financial data items that assist States in
awarding State student financial assistance. On February 8, 2006,
President Bush signed the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005
(HERA), Pub. L. 109-171. The HERA made changes to the HEA that affect
student eligibility and need analysis. The HERA changes impact the
FAFSA in the following ways: (1) New questions are added for a student
(and spouse) or a student and parents asking whether they received
benefits from any of five means-tested Federal benefit programs in
2006. Receipt of means-tested Federal benefits during the preceding
calendar year (2006 for the 2007-2008 award year) is an alternative to
the current questions about whether the student or parent filed or was
required to file an IRS 1040 Form as one of the criteria used to
determine who qualifies for an automatic zero EFC or a simplified needs
test. (2) A new dependency question is added to ensure that a member of
the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty for other than training purposes
is considered an independent student. (3) The question regarding a
student's convictions for drug-related offences has been modified. A
student is ineligible for Title IV, HEA financial assistance only if
the conviction for a Federal or State offence involving the possession
or sale of a controlled substance is for conduct that occurred during
the period of enrollment for which the student was receiving Title IV,
HEA financial assistance. The ineligibility period is provided in the
HEA. (4) New instructions have been added to clarify that Coverdell
savings accounts, 529 college savings plans, and the refund value of
529 or State prepaid tuition plans should be reported as an asset of
the account owner (unless the owner is a dependent student). (5) In
addition, the FAFSA instructs applicants to exclude the value of a
small business that the family owns and controls and that has 100 or
fewer full-time or full-time equivalent employees.
The following data elements were deleted from the first FAFSA draft
published June 6, 2006, because of space constraints on the paper form:
Questions 27 and 28 regarding the student's interest in student loans
or work-study and questions 94-97 representing a fifth and sixth
college choice. Question numbers refer to the 2006-2007 FAFSA.
Many comments received during the 60-day public comment period
indicated that financial aid administrators require information about a
student's interest in work-study or student loans to properly package
and award Federal student aid. Therefore, the draft FAFSA has been
revised to restore one question (number 26) allowing students to enter
a code from the instructions and indicate their interest in work-study,
student loans, both programs, or neither program. Additional revisions
to the FAFSA draft are as follows: (1) The new dependency question
number 54 that asks if the student is currently serving on active duty
in the U.S. armed forces has been placed prior to question number 55
that asks if the student is a veteran, for a more logical flow. New
instructions for responding to the active duty question have been added
in the ``Notes'' section. (2) Questions about Federal benefits received
by an independent student or spouse have been placed on page 4 as
questions 92-96. A dependent student would report the receipt of
Federal benefits in the parents' section, questions 71-75, as a member
of the parents' household. (3) Instructions have been modified for
reporting the receipt of benefits from Federal means-tested programs;
for reporting investments; and for using tax returns with U.S.
territories or freely associated states.
The Secretary requests comments on these proposed changes to
wording, as well as suggestions for ways to further simplify the
application for students, parents, and schools. In particular, the
Secretary is interested in comments regarding the best manner in which
to construct a simplified form for applicants who qualify for an
automatic zero or simplified needs test EFC calculation, including
applicants who now qualify based on receipt of benefits from a Federal
means-tested benefit program.
In addition to comments requested above, to accommodate the
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Secretary is
[[Page 47784]]
interested in receiving comments with regard to the following matters:
(1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the
Department, (2) Will this information be processed and used in a timely
manner, (3) Is the estimate of burden accurate, (4) How might the
Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information
to be collected, and (5) How might the Department minimize the burden
of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of
information technology.
Dated: August 14, 2006.
Angela C. Arrington,
Leader, IC Clearance Official, Regulatory Information Management
Services, Office of Management.
Federal Student Aid
Type of Review: Revision.
Title: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Frequency: Annually.
Affected Public: Individuals and families.
Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:
Responses: 15,952,890.
Burden Hours: 7,666,352.
Abstract: The FAFSA collects identifying and financial information
about a student applying for Title IV, HEA program funds. This
information is used to calculate the student's expected family
contribution, which is used to determine a student's financial need.
The information is also used for determining a student's eligibility
for grants and loans under the Title IV, HEA Programs. It is further
used for determining a student's eligibility for State and
institutional financial aid programs. Requests for copies of the
proposed information collection request may be accessed from
http://edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the
``Browse Pending Collections'' link
and clicking on ``Download attachments'' to view. Written requests for
information should be addressed to U.S. Department of Education, 400
Maryland Avenue, SW., Potomac Center, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20202-
4700. Requests may also be electronically mailed to ICDocketMgr@ed.gov
or faxed to (202) 245-6623. Please specify the complete title of the
information collection when making your request. Comments regarding
burden and/or the collection activity requirements should be directed
to the e-mail address ICDocketMgr@ed.gov.
Individuals who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
[FR Doc. E6-13619 Filed 8-17-06; 8:45 am]
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