ED Reminds Schools of Acceptable Verification Documentation, Addresses Anticipated High PJ Volume – NASFAA
In response to challenges applicants are facing in obtaining verification documentation, the Department of Education (ED) issued an Electronic Announcement (EA) on Thursday that reminds institutions of acceptable uses of signed statements as verification documentation and provides reassurance that an institution’s policy to accept signed statements where allowed will not, alone, be criteria used to select an institution for a program compliance review.
In anticipation of a higher volume of professional judgment (PJ) requests, ED will also make appropriate adjustments to its risk-based model for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 award years to eliminate increased use of PJ as a selection criterion for a program compliance review.
The EA largely restates guidance provided in the Jan. 9, 2019 EA regarding alternative documentation for tax transcripts and verification of non-filing forms. For tax non-filers, ED is also allowing institutions, during this period of national emergency, to accept a copy of a paystub, an employment offer letter, evidence of direct deposit from an employer, or other similar information for verification purposes in place of a IRS Form W-2, or an equivalent document.