[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 34, Volume 3] [Revised as of July 1, 2002] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 34CFR668.162] [Page 524-526] TITLE 34--EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PART 668--STUDENT ASSISTANCE GENERAL PROVISIONS--Table of Contents Subpart K--Cash Management Sec. 668.162 Requesting funds. (a) General. (1) The Secretary has sole discretion to determine the method under which the Secretary provides title IV, HEA program funds to an institution. In accordance with procedures established by the Secretary, the Secretary may provide funds to an institution under the advance, reimbursement, just-in-time, or cash monitoring payment methods. (2) Each time an institution requests funds from the Secretary, the institution must identify the amount of funds requested by program and fiscal year designation that the Secretary assigned to the authorization for those funds. (b) Advance payment method. Under the advance payment method-- (1) An institution submits a request for funds to the Secretary. The institution's request for funds may not exceed the amount of funds the institution needs immediately for disbursements the institution has made or will make to eligible students and parents; [[Page 525]] (2) If the Secretary accepts that request, the Secretary initiates an electronic funds transfer (EFT) of that amount to a bank account designated by the institution; and (3) The institution must disburse the funds requested as soon as administratively feasible but no later than three business days following the date the institution received those funds. (c) Just-in-time payment method. Under the just-in-time payment method-- (1) For each student or parent that an institution determines is eligible for title IV, HEA program funds, the institution transmits electronically to the Secretary, within a timeframe established by the Secretary, records that contain program award information for that student or parent. As part of those records, the institution reports the date and amount of the disbursements that it will make or has made to that student or that student's parent; (2) For each record the Secretary accepts for a student or parent, the Secretary provides by EFT the corresponding disbursement amount to the institution on or before the date reported by the institution for that disbursement; (3) When the institution receives the funds for each record accepted by the Secretary, the institution may disburse those funds based on its determination at the time the institution transmitted that record to the Secretary that the student is eligible for that disbursement; and (4) The institution must report any adjustment to a previously accepted record within the time established by the Secretary in a notice published in the Federal Register. (d) Reimbursement payment method. Under the reimbursement payment method-- (1) An institution must first make disbursements to students and parents for the amount of funds those students and parents are eligible to receive under the Federal Pell Grant, Direct Loan, and campus-based programs before the institution may seek reimbursement from the Secretary for those disbursements. The Secretary considers an institution to have made a disbursement if the institution has either credited a student's account or paid a student or parent directly with its own funds; (2) An institution seeks reimbursement by submitting to the Secretary a request for funds that does not exceed the amount of the actual disbursements the institution has made to students and parents included in that request; (3) As part of the institution's reimbursement request, the Secretary requires the institution to-- (i) Identify the students for whom reimbursement is sought; and (ii) Submit to the Secretary or entity approved by the Secretary documentation that shows that each student and parent included in the request was eligible to receive and has received the title IV, HEA program funds for which reimbursement is sought; and (4) The Secretary approves the amount of the institution's reimbursement request for a student or parent and pays the institution that amount, if the Secretary determines with regard to that student or parent that the institution-- (i) Accurately determined the student's eligibility for title IV, HEA program funds; (ii) Accurately determined the amount of title IV, HEA program funds paid to the student or parent; and (iii) Submitted the documentation required under paragraph (d)(3) of this section. (e) Cash monitoring payment method. Under the cash monitoring payment method, the Secretary provides title IV, HEA program funds to an institution under the provisions described in paragraph (e)(1) or (e)(2) of this section. Under either paragraph (e)(1) or (e)(2) of this section, an institution must first make disbursements to students and parents for the amount of title IV, HEA program funds that those students and parents are eligible to receive, before the institution-- (1) Submits a request for funds under the provisions of the advance payment ethod described in paragraph (b) of this section, except that the institution's request may not exceed the amount of the actual disbursements the institution made to the students and parents included in that request; or [[Page 526]] (2) Seeks reimbursement for those disbursements under the provisions of the reimbursement payment method described in paragraph (d) of this section, except that the Secretary may modify the documentation requirements and review procedures used to approve the reimbursement request. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1094) [61 FR 60603, Nov. 29, 1996, as amended at 62 FR 62876, Nov. 25, 1997]