General Questions | Section 8003

General Questions

1. We just received notice that our school district is going to be reviewed. What should we do to get ready?

   We will send you a list of the documents we need to review. These documents include your parent/pupil survey forms or source check documents, your membership as of the survey date, final average daily attendance for the preceding year, and individual education plans for each of the children with disabilities claimed on your application. If you claim children living on Indian lands, we will also review your Indian Policies and Procedures. If you claim children residing in low-rent housing, we will need to review information about those properties.

   Because we must review so many individual documents, we will ask you to organize them in certain ways to help us manage the task quickly. We will send you detailed instructions before the review. You can also call us if you have specific questions while you are preparing.

2. How long will this review take?

   Be prepared to set aside at least one or two business days. The time required for each review varies depending upon the number of children claimed, the type of survey you use, and how well you organize your documents.

3. What happens if you find something wrong with our records?

   If we find a particular area of concern, we will work with you to try to solve the problem and we will allow you additional time after the review to locate the necessary documents. Of course, if after a reasonable time you cannot document all of the information in your application, we will pay you on the basis of the documented information.

4. We had a field review the year before last. How often do you do this?

   Due to the large number of school districts that receive Impact Aid, we cannot review each applicant every year. We try to regularly review those school districts that receive large payments, and periodically review school districts that receive smaller payments.

   We review applicants annually if they receive more than $750,000 under section 8003(b) or any funds under section 8003(f). We also periodically review applicants that receive more than $200,000. If your school district has fewer than 300 federally connected students, or if you count your students by source-check, we may ask you to mail us your documents for review.

Section 8003

1. How does a school district apply?

   Local school districts must submit an application annually. Applications are available from the Impact Aid Program beginning in November and must be submitted by January 31. A school district must provide in its application specific information about the local federal property, the number of children enrolled that are associated with the federal property, and the total membership and average daily attendance in the schools. State departments of education must also provide some data.

2. When is the application deadline?

   Applications are due January 31 of each year.

3. How can school districts use Impact Aid?

   School districts use Impact Aid for a wide variety of expenses, including the salaries of teachers and teacher aides; purchasing textbooks, computers, and other equipment; after school programs and remedial tutoring; advanced placement classes; and special enrichment programs. Most Impact Aid funds are considered general aid to the recipient school districts and may be used in whatever manner they choose, in accordance with state and local requirements. Although most school districts use Impact Aid for current expenditures, funds may also be used for capital expenditures. Payments for Children with Disabilities must be used for the extra costs of educating these children

4. How often are payments made?

   Payments are made annually. After the initial payment for a fiscal year, an LEA may later receive additional amounts for that same fiscal year as we complete the distribution of all available funds.

5. Who do I contact if I have a question on how to read my voucher?

   For questions on how to read your voucher, you should contact your State's Program Operations Group analyst. They can explain how the payments are calculated and verify any data on the vouchers.

6. Who do I contact for missing vouchers or payment information?

   To obtain copies of missing vouchers, you should contact your State's Program Support Group analyst.

7. Who do I contact if I have questions about completing the application?

   For questions on completing the application, please contact your State's Program Operations Group analyst.

8. Can I get an estimate for next year's payment for budgeting purposes?

   There is a payment estimation calculator available for Section 8003 payments at http://www.ed.gov/programs/8003/calculator/edlite-calculator.html. Please keep in mind that this is an estimate for Section 8003 Basic Support Payments and payments for children with disabilities. If your school district is eligible for a hold harmless payment, this calculator will NOT estimate those payments.

9. What will I need to do if we are selected for a field review?

   We will send you a list of the documents we need to review. These documents include your parent/pupil survey forms or source check documents, your membership as of the survey date, final average daily attendance for the preceding year, and individual education plans for each of the children with disabilities claimed on your application. If you claim children living on Indian lands, we will also review your Indian Policies and Procedures. If you claim children residing in low-rent housing, we will need to review information about those properties.

10. How long do we need to keep our supporting documentation for the application?

    You should keep your records for three years after you receive your final payment for a fiscal year.

11. How do you define a child with disabilities?

    You may count any child with an individualized education plan (IEP) or an individualized family service plan (IFSP) for whom the LEA is providing a free appropriate public education in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

12. Under what circumstances can a school district claim infants and toddlers with disabilities?

    A local educational agency (LEA) may claim these infants and toddlers on Table 1 or 2 of its 8003 Impact Aid application if it is responsible under State law for providing a free appropriate public education for those children and is providing it.

13. What is Free Appropriate Public Education for infants and toddlers?

    Free appropriate public education includes special education and related services as a part of early intervention services provided to infants and toddlers with disabilities. The services must be provided at no cost to the families of the children. Even if your state uses a fee schedule for services, you may claim an eligible child for whom the family does not pay a fee.

14. Are all federally connected infants and toddlers eligible to be claimed for Children with Disabilities payments?

    No. The children you claim for these supplemental payments must be either dependents of members of the uniformed services or living on Indian lands. Also, each of the infants and toddlers you claim must have an individualized education program (IEP) or individualized family service plan (IFSP).

15. How do we prepare parent-pupil survey forms or source check forms for these children?

    Simply mark the form to identify the child as an infant/toddler for whom the LEA is providing education or services. If you use survey forms, have the parents of the child complete and sign the form.

16. Our LEA has a "child-find" program that screens preschool-aged children and refers them to other agencies for services. Can we claim the federally connected children with disabilities that we identify through this program?

    No. If your LEA simply identifies a child in need of services and refers the child to the other agency for services supported with other funds, at no further cost to the LEA, then the child would not be eligible to be claimed for Impact Aid. This would likely be the case if the other agency's services were provided entirely from State and Federal IDEA funds.

17. Our LEA doesn't serve preschool-aged children with disabilities. The agency that serves these kids has asked us to claim the children and pass through the Impact Aid funds we receive to help pay for these services. Is this OK?

    If you do not have a genuine responsibility for the children, you cannot claim them on your application. Impact Aid is intended to help support LEAs that don't have enough local tax revenue to educate federally connected children. Claiming extra children that your LEA is not responsible for would deprive other LEAs of Impact Aid funds that they need.