What is Federal Verification?

Federal verification is a process used to confirm data you provided on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Verification ensures that the information students and parents report is accurate. Verification prevents ineligible students from receiving aid and helps make certain that eligible students receive the aid they are qualified for. The U.S. Department of Education may select your FAFSA for verification.

Some reasons that your FAFSA may be selected include:

• Incomplete information on your FAFSA
• Estimated information on your FAFSA
• Your information was outside Department of Education tolerances
• The data you provided on your FAFSA is inconsistent

Verification Process

If your FAFSA is selected for verification you will need to submit specific documentation to the UCCS Financial Aid Office. Not all students will have to submit the same documents.

Required Documentation for Verification: Refer to your myUCCS Portal for specific requests related to your file.

*We may request additional documentation after the initial evaluation of your file.

**Don't send us documents until we request them. Unsolicited documents may delay your processing.

Once the UCCS Office of Financial Aid, Student Employment and Scholarships receives your documents we will review your FAFSA data. In reviewing the information, we may have additional requests or clarifications that are needed. Be sure to check your UCCS email often, as requests will be sent there.  Submit the requested information as soon as possible so we can continue the review of your file. Failure to submit the requested information prevents us from completing your file, you knowing your aid package, and from receiving most disbursements of funds.

Our review may result in changes to your FAFSA and in some cases, may change your aid offer. Should a change be made to your information you will receive an e-mail from the Federal FAFSA processor at the e-mail address(es) you listed on your FAFSA notifying you that there is a new Student Aid Report (SAR). Please review the information that was changed and if you have concerns or questions contact us at the e-mail address below. If you already received awards prior to verification and were subsequently selected, if once verification is complete there are changes to your awards you will receive an e-mail at your UCCS e-mail address notifying you to check your portal to review your awards. If your aid has already been disbursed, and your aid offer has changed due to verification, you may be required to pay back all or a portion of your aid.

Processing Time

You can expect the processing of your verification paperwork to take up to three weeks from the date you turn in your complete documentation packet to the Office of Financial Aid. Note: all requested documents must be received in order to have your file be reviewed. Please also be aware that the UCCS Office of Financial Aid, Student Employment and Scholarships experiences seasonal changes in volume. These changes may affect expected processing times.

Deadline Information

We recommend that you complete verification as soon as possible so you will know your financial aid package. You will NOT be offered aid until your file is completed. Consequently, you may be negatively impacted due to fund availability the longer you wait to submit your documents.

For students selected for verification, the school must have verification documents and a valid output document no later than 120 days after the last day of enrollment or September 29, 2014, whichever is earlier. Schools may set earlier deadlines for the Campus-Based and loan programs.

If your file is selected for verification after you have been awarded aid, the deadline for verification for most aid is thirty (30) days from the date you were notified via Missing Information Letter (MIL). If verification is not completed within 30 days any supplemental grants and work-study you may have been offered will be canceled; however, you may still be considered for your Federal Pell Grant (if eligible) and you may still apply for Federal Stafford loans and Federal PLUS loans after the completion of the verification process. Scholarships are examined on a case by case basis as some are subject to verification and some are not.

Common Questions

Q: What can I submit as proof of my / my spouse / my parents AGI and taxes paid?
A: Due to federal changes from the 2012-2013 award year, we can only accept as proof of these items:

• 1. A correction to your FAFSA using the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Data Retrieval Tool or
• 2. By tax return transcript. You may acquire a free tax return transcript by submitting Form 4506-T to the IRS or using the IRS online request system.  You may not submit an account transcript to resolve this requirement.

Q: Where can I find more help in using the IRS Retrieval Tool?
A: Please see this video for more information.

Q: Why do I not have a large packet of information to submit as in previous years?
A: Based on guidance issued on July 17, 2012, from the United States Department of Education which delineates five Verification Tracking Groups. The Five Verification Tracking Groups for 2013-2014: V1-Standard; V2-SNAP; V3-Child Support Paid; V4-Custom; and V5-Aggregate. The implementation of the five groups moves toward the goal of customized verification, which limits the items that most students must verify. It is our intent to make this process as quick and painless as possible.

Q: Where can I find more on the federal requirements of verification?
A: Chapter 4 related to Verification of the 2012-2013 Federal Student Aid Handbook goes in to great detail on what is required and acceptable to fulfill requirements.

Q: Who can I contact with specific questions about my verification documents?
A: Our verification department can be emailed directly at faverif@uccs.edu.

Referral of Fraud Cases

If you suspect that a student, employee, or other individual has misreported information or altered documentation to fraudulently obtain federal funds, you should report your suspicions and provide any evidence to the Office of Inspector General.