# Presentation: 695664

## New Developmentsin theFederal Work-Study Program

## Reauthorization Process Federal Work-Study Program

- Higher Education Amendments of 1998
- Enacted Oct. 7, 1998 (Pub.L.105-244)
- Some Provisions effective Oct. 1, 1998
- DCL GEN-98-28 guidance
- NPRM Aug. 3, 1999
- Final Rule Oct. 28, 1999

## Federal Work-Study (FWS) Topics

- Definition of “Community Services”
- Payment for Time Spent in Training and Travel
- FWS Community Service Expenditure Requirements
- New Reading Tutoring or Family Literacy Project Requirement
- Reallocation of FWS Funds
- Waiver of Institutional-Share Requirement for Literacy Activities

## Federal Work-Study (FWS) Topics (cont.)

- Up to 90% Federal Share for Employment at a Public or Non-Profit Organization
- Internships and Practicums
- Elimination of Requirement to Make “non-FWS Jobs” Available
- Employment Provided by Private for-Profit Organization
- Crediting an FWS Student’s Account
- FWS Employment** **During Periods of Non -Enrollment

## Definition of “Community Services”

- Definition now includes:
- Child care services provided on campus that are “open and accessible to the community”; and
- Services to students with disabilities who are enrolled at the school

**Effective 10/01/98**

## On-Campus Child Care Services

- Services must be:
- Open to all members of the community;
- Publicized to the community; and
- Used by members of the community
- The school in and of itself is not considered the “community”
- Does not change previous Department policy

## On-Campus Services for Students with Disabilities

- Support services to students with disabilities satisfies FWS community service definition even if provided only to students enrolled at the school
- Only statutory exception to “open and accessible to the community” requirement

## Payment for Time Spent in Training and Travel

- School may pay FWS students for a reasonable amount of time spent for training for any FWS employment
- School may pay FWS students for travel time that is directly related to employment in community service activities (including tutoring in reading and family literacy activities)

## Paying for Time Spent in Training

- Does not change previous Department Policy
- Allowed for every FWS job for a reasonable length of time
- Not limited to employment in community service activities

## Paying for Time Spent Traveling

- FWS students may be paid for a reasonable amount of time spent traveling to and from community service employment
- Travel hours must be reported on time record

**Effective 07/01/99**

## FWS Community Service Expenditure Requirements

- School must use at least 7% of total FWS allocation (initial and supplemental) for community service employment
- School must have at least one student employed in a reading tutoring or family literacy project
***Jobs must provide community service***

**Effective 07/01/00**

## New Reading Tutoring Project Requirement

**Project must employ one or more FWS students as reading tutors for children who are preschool age or in elementary school**
**To the extent practicable:**
**School must give employment priority to reading tutors in schools participating in a reading reform project**
**designed to train teachers how to teach on the basis of scientifically-based research**
**funded under Elementary and Secondary Education Act 1965**
**School must ensure FWS student receives training in instructional practices used by the employing school**

## New Family Literacy Project Requirement

- “Family Literacy Project” discussed in:
- Dear Colleague Letter CB-98-6
- FWS Regulations and Preamble in 10/28/99 _Federal_ _Register_

## Family Literacy Project Components

- Literacy or pre-literacy education for children
- Literacy training for parents or other caregivers of children in the program
- Means of equipping parents or other caregivers with skills needed to partner with their children in learning
- Literacy activities between parents or caregivers and their children

## Reallocation of FWS Funds

- Returned 2000-2001 FWS funds will be reallocated to schools that used at least 5% of their total FWS allocation for students employed as reading tutors or in family literacy activities
- Replaces prior requirement to reallocate FWS returned funds to schools that used at least 10% of their total FWS allocation for students employed in community services

**Effective 07/01/00**

## Waiver of Requirement to Employ Students as Reading Tutors or in Family Literacy Projects

**School may request a waiver of new requirement**
**Waiver request must provide evidence that enforcing the requirement would cause hardship for students at the school**
**This waiver combined with community service percentage requirement waiver**
**Procedures and time frames published in **_**Federal**_** **_**Register**_** notice**

**Begins With Waivers for 2000-2001 Award Year**

## Waiver of Institutional-Share Requirement for Literacy Activities

**School may pay Federal share of up to 100% of FWS student’s wages**
**Student must be performing family literacy activities in a family literacy project**
**Waiver of institutional-share requirement no longer limited to tutoring in a family literacy project**
**Jobs do not have to be in community service activities**

**Effective 07/01/00**
**Early Implementation Allowed 10/28/99**

## Up to 90% Federal Share for Employment at a Public or Non-Profit Organization

**School may pay Federal share of up to 90% of FWS student’s wages for employment at a  nonprofit or public organization that cannot afford to pay regular non-Federal share as long as:**
**organization is not wholly or partially owned, operated, or controlled by the school;**
**organization’s inability to pay regular non-Federal share is documented and determined on a case-by-case basis; and**
**no more than 10% of school’s total FWS students are paid at this increased Federal share**

**Effective 07/01/00**
**Early Implementation allowed 10/28/99**

## Internships and Practicums

- Student may be employed under FWS Program and also receive academic credit for--
- Internships
- Practicums, or
- Assistantships (e.g., research or teaching assistantships)

## Internships and Practicums (cont.)

- Student may not be paid:
- Less than he or she would be if no credit were received,
- For receiving instruction in classroom, laboratory, or other academic setting, and
- Unless employer would normally pay the same person for same job
- Does not change previous Department policy

## Elimination of Requirement to Make Non-FWS Jobs Available

- Schools are no longer required to make equivalent non-FWS jobs reasonably available to students who want to work

**Effective 10/01/98**

## Employment Provided by a Private For-Profit Organization

- FWS jobs in a private for-profit organization must be academically relevant only to the maximum extent possible
- Allows some students to pursue other employment opportunities that provide other valuable experiences outside their field of study

**Effective 10/01/98**

## Crediting An FWS Student’s Account

- May credit FWS earnings, with student’s authorization (675.16), to:
- Student’s account at school
- current charges
- Student’s bank account via electronic fund transfer (EFT)

**Effective 10/01/98**

## Crediting An FWS Student’s Account (cont.)

- Conditions:
- Must obtain separate written authorization
- Authorization to transfer funds to school account must be separate from bank account authorization
- Bank forms to initiate EFT will suffice
- Authorization must not be part of a list or combined with other authorizations

## Crediting An FWS Student’s Account (cont.)

- Student may not be required or coerced
- Student must be allowed to cancel or change authorization at any time
- School must refund credit balance no later than 14 days after balance occurred

## FWS Employment During Periods of Non-Enrollment

- School may employ students during period of non-enrollment
- Earnings must be applied to cost-of-attendance for next period of enrollment
- Attributed earnings determined by:
- Subtracting taxes from gross earnings
- Federal, State, and/or local taxes
- Taxes the student will actually pay

## FWS Employment During Periods of Non-Enrollment (cont.)

- Subtracting** **job-related costs
- Uniforms, meals at work, transportation
- May include room and board for period of non-enrollment if they would not otherwise be incurred except for the job
- Living expenses are not job related costs
- Breaks are not periods of non-enrollment
- References
**Section 675.25 of FWS regulations**
**1999-2000 Student Financial Aid Handbook**