Verification
Verification
Ogeechee Technical College verifies all applicants that are selected by the Federal Central Processing System (CPS). OTC also utilizes the authority granted by the Department of Education to select certain students for verification that may have not been selected by CPS. Verification groups are detailed below.
Who Will Be Verified
1. All students selected by CPS with a verification flag set to 1, 4, and 5 on the ISIR.
2. Students that have incorrect or missing information on the FAFSA.
3. All students that have C-Flags assigned on the ISIR.
4. Students selected by OTC:
a. Students under the age of 24 and not married that indicate they have children they support or legal dependents. These students will automatically have an Independent Student Household Members Verification Worksheet and an Independent Student Tax and Income Verification Worksheet added to their account. If these documents do not confirm that the student can provide at least 50% of the dependents’ support, the student will be asked for additional documentation or told that parent information is required on the FAFSA.
b. Students under the age of 24 that indicate they are married will be asked to provide a copy of their marriage license.
c. Independent or Dependent students may be required to submit the Zero/Low Income Resources Worksheet with supporting documentation if it is determined that the resources listed may not support the number in the household.
d. Students that answer “Yes” to any of the following questions on the FAFSA will be required to submit adequate documentation showing proof of their situation.
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Orphan, Ward of Court, Foster Care
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Emancipated Minor
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Legal Guardianship
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Unaccompanied Youth by School
e. Students or parents that have a marital status that conflicts with their tax filing status will be required to submit a proof of their marital status.
f. Students with conflicting information may be required to submit additional documentation. This depends on the scenario of each individual student and the information that needs clarification.
Notification
Students selected for verification will be notified via email that additional documentation is required before financial aid can be awarded and/or disbursed. They are given instructions to log into their Banner Web account to find out what is required. OTC sends missing document notifications to student weekly.
*Effective July 13, 2021 and for the remainder of the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 FAFSA verification cycle, the Department of Education declared that all “V1” verification requirements can be waived, due to challenges resulting from the ongoing national (COVID-19) emergency. Tracking Groups “V4” and “V5” (Identity/Statement of Educational Purpose and High School Completion Status) remain in place. This does not exempt institutions from reviewing all documents for conflicting information concerning a student’s eligibility. Ogeechee Tech maintains the discretion to select students for verification according to consistently applied institutional policies.
For more information, please review the regulation listed at this link: https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/dear-colleague-letters/2021-07-13/changes-2021-2022-verification-requirements