Code of Maryland Regulations › Title 13B - MARYLAND HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION › Subtitle 08 - FINANCIAL AID › Chapter 13B.08.10 - Delegate Howard P. Rawlings Educational Excellence Awards Program › Section 13B.08.10.13 - Verification of Eligibility

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 14, July 12, 2024
A. In-House Verification by OSFA.
(1) OSFA annually shall verify a percentage of all new Educational Excellence Award applications to determine if they contain accurate information.
(2) OSFA shall verify Educational Excellence Award applications for recipients identified by OSFA, or by institutions, based upon:
(a) Whether the information contained in the application has discrepancies from the information contained in the FAFSA or MSFAA; or
(b) Whether the applicant misreported dependency status, State residency status, or status related to eligibility for in-State tuition.
(3) OSFA may randomly select applications for verification.
(4) An applicant who filed a MSFAA and is selected for verification may only be verified by OSFA.
(5) Selected recipients are required to provide documentation of financial data and to verify dependency and State residency or eligibility for in-State tuition.
(6) OSFA annually shall verify the eligibility status of at least 25 percent of GA Grant award recipients.
(7) Initial GA Grant applicants shall submit a high school transcript or documentation of GED scores.
(8) Initial and renewal GA Grant recipients shall provide documentation of financial data to verify eligibility as requested by OSFA.
(9) OSFA shall notify a student who has been selected for verification in writing, and shall advise the student that the student is required to provide the following documents within the time specified in the notification:
(a) A Maryland Office of Student Financial Assistance Dependent or Independent Verification Form to verify:
(i) Number of individuals in the household who will attend or are enrolled in college;
(ii) Household size; and
(iii) Other untaxed income;
(b) As applicable, the Maryland State tax return, IRS tax transcript, federal tax return, or IRS data retrieved through the FAFSA, W-2 forms, 1099, or Schedule C of the student, student's parents, and student's spouse, to verify:
(i) Adjusted gross income;
(ii) Income taxes paid;
(iii) Untaxed portions of IRA distributions;
(iv) Untaxed portions of pensions;
(v) Tax exempt interest income;
(vi) Education credits; and
(vii) State residency or eligibility for in-State tuition; and
(c) If deemed necessary by OSFA, a Non Tax Filer Statement for the student, student's parents, or student's spouse.
(10) Awards may not be issued for students who fail to provide the requested information by the deadline established by OSFA.
(11) Students who provide the requested documentation shall be verified in accordance with the procedures established by OSFA. Awards for students with errors shall be recalculated and adjusted or canceled in accordance with this chapter.
(12) OSFA annually shall perform an independent review for a select percentage of GA Grant recipients that were verified in-house. This process shall occur between July 1 and December 1. If a discrepancy is found during the review process, OSFA reserves the right to make necessary adjustments to a student's award and shall notify the student in writing.