February 15, 2024 2:50 a.m.
On Wednesday, Sen. Ron Wyden, Sen. Jeff Merkley, and other senators asked the U.S. Department of Education about operational issues with the new free application form for federal student aid that impact many students in Oregon and across the country. called for urgent action.
The senators wrote: “While we support the Department's decision to make these adjustments in their updated format, we were disappointed to hear that these adjustments will result in further delays in processing this year's FAFSA… We are writing today to ask for more clarity on how that will be done.''The Department is writing to ask for more clarity on how to do so.'' “We plan to communicate how the Department intends to minimize potential impacts, including by providing an expedited and clear timeline for the next steps,” the senators said. said in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.
Approximately 17 million students fill out the FAFSA form each year as the first step to accessing the financial aid they need to cover the rising costs of higher education, according to the release. In 2002, Congress passed his bipartisan FAFSA Simplification Act, which made the federal student financial aid process more efficient and easier. The law directed the department to streamline application forms and update the formula for assessing students' financial need over the years. As a result of the law, an additional 610,000 students from low-income backgrounds will be eligible to receive federal Pell Grants on their 2024-2025 FAFSA forms, and an additional 1.5 million students will be eligible to receive federal Pell grants, according to the department. They will be eligible to receive the maximum subsidy. Pell Award.
However, implementing these changes was a significant undertaking, and the Department had to do so with less funding than expected. As a result, operational glitches and deployment delays in this new version of his FAFSA form have left students and colleges at a loss, and many families have been shut out of the process entirely.
The letter was led by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Patty Murray. In addition to Mr. Wyden and Mr. Merkley, 34 other senators also signed.
