CFI School Services
ISIR Verification Program
Presented to:
North Carolina
Association of Community College
Instructional Administrators Conference
February 28, 2013
Agenda
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Who was part of the pilot project
How the process works
Customer service for schools
Customer service for students and families
What the financial aid administrator will see
What the student will see
Results and ratings
Enhancements
Participants in the Pilot Project
• North Carolina Community College System
Office (NCCCS)
•
•
•
•
Davidson County Community College
Edgecombe Community College
Gaston College
Wake Technical Community College
• North Carolina State Education Assistance
Authority (NCSEAA)
• College Foundation Inc. (CFI)
• Financial Aid Services (FAS)
CFI School Services (CFISS)
We offer:
• depth of financial aid experience
• technology and operations know how
• commitment to excellent customer service
We support colleges as they:
• increase administrative effectiveness and efficiency
• enhance service to students and families
• comply with complex and changing regulations
Standard Verification
CFI School Services currently offers two services:
• Standard Federal Verification
(designated by ED or by the school -- all changes for 2013-14)
CFI will verify the following new federal tracking groups:
V1:
V2:
V3:
V4:
V5:
Standard Verification Group
SNAP Verification Group
Child Support Paid Verification Group
Not Supported (Custom Verification Group)
(V1 portion of V5) (Aggregate Verification Group)
• Resolution of C-Flags
(Student Aid Report Comment Codes –mismatches between federal data
bases)
The CFISS Verification Process
THE CFI PROCESS AT A GLANCE
Record
Matched
with ISIR
Colleges
Send
roster
Initial
Verification
Analysis
Request for
additional
information
CFI Followsup for
missing
information
Student
Returns
Required
documentation
FAS
Reviews
records as
necessary
ISIR
Correctio
ns Sent
to CPS
CFI Sets
College
FAM
system
flag to
"Verified"
Colleges
& CFI
receive
updated
ISIR
CFI Stores
Images and
makes
available to
Colleges
Colleges
Award
Student
Aid
School Sends Request File
• School uploads request file through CFISS
Administrator Web Portal
• CFISS process begins:
• Access current ISIR records
• Evaluate ISIR and build verification review
• Send emails/letters/reminders advising student
what information is needed for verification
• Notify school if student drops school from FAFSA
School Request File Format
Column
Column Content
Length
Type
Column Requirement
Example
Content
Required
A
School Federal Code
6
Char
Must have leading zeros
001234
Yes
B
School Federal
Branch Code
2
Char
Must have leading zeros
00
Yes
C
Academic Year
2
Num
14 for 2013-2014
14
Yes
D
SSN
9
Char
Must have leading zeros and NO dashes
000123456
Yes
E
Student ID
11
Char
Must be left justified
00000987654
Yes
F
Reject Email
1
Char
“Y” only if student has requested NOT to receive
emails
Y or Blank
No
G
Cancel Request
1
Char
“Y” only if cancelling a previous request
Y or Blank
No
H
Override Delay
Processing
1
Char
“Y” only if school does not wish use standard delay
for initial processing
Y or Blank
No
I
Mid Processing Date
10
Char
For Future Use – leave blank – include column
N/A
No
J
Verification Tracking
Group
2
Char
See Notes *
V1, V2, or V3
No*
CFISS Collects Information
• CFISS contacts students by email & mail
• CFISS contacts students – with reminders –
until all information received
• More “reminders” than most schools
• Student submits data & documentation
• CFISS assesses each new ISIR for more
information needed
Student Portal
Student Submits Data / Documents
• Data & Information submitted by student is:
• Imaged & indexed
• (available to schools on web administrator portal)
• All data entered into system
• two separate “blind” entries and variation review
• School tracks progress on-line thru web portal:
• at portfolio level thru dashboard
• at individual level – what is needed, received, & status
Early Requests
Student Contact and Reminder Schedule
School
Request File
reciev ed by
CFI School
Serv ices
Day 1
Base Date
Missing
Information
Email sent
to students
DAY 2
Periodic
Reminder
Emails Sent
First
Reminder
Email Sent
45 Days
Before
Target
Second
Reminder
Email Sent
30 Days
Before Target
Date
"No-Response"
Warning Email
Sent
15 Days
Before Target
Date
"NoResponse"
File Closed
Email Sent
School Target
Date
Administrator Portal -- Portfolio Dashboard
CFISS System -- Initial Display
Snapshot of record
where request for data
or documentation has
been sent to student.
Status shows MLS
To Verify or Not
When all data & documents submitted:
• System assesses information & determines:
• Additional Information Needed
– Supplemental email/letter/reminders sent
• Final Review Needed by FAS
• Verified – no further action or information required
• Changes & Verified – corrected data sent to CPS
• CFISS confirms accuracy of CPS changes on ISIR
Customer Service – Schools
• CFISS works with FAM system interface
• CFISS “follow-up” – tied to key dates in school
calendar – bills due, registration, classes start
• System level efficiency -- One review per
student across all participating schools
• Speed to complete submission is critical –
simplicity & customer service are key
• Faster aid packaging – student can decide sooner
• More students = more Pell $$
Customer Service – Schools
• Regular progress calls – schools, CFI, FAS –
issue spotting, feedback, trends
• Schools have toll-free access to CFI and to FAS
for review or student-specific problem solving
• Schools track portfolio with online dashboard;
individual students with online reporting
• CFISS monitors submission of documentation
and can respond proactively if trend varies
Customer Service – Students
• Experienced Call Center staff who know when
to answer / when to refer to school
• 11 staff
• 8 am to 8 pm Monday thru Thursday
• 8 am to 5 pm on Friday
• Email CFISS -- get detailed response, assistance
and guidance with verification process
• Customized emails/letters address complex
issues with process or required documentation
How the Schools Rated CFISS Verification
• On a scale of 1 to 5 – 5 being best – how
would you rate the CFISS verification pilot?
Pilot School
Rating
• Davidson
4.0
• Edgecombe
3.5 to 4
• Gaston
4.5
• Wake Tech
4.0
How the Schools Rated CFISS Verification
The benefits for financial aid offices and for students:
• “Staff could spend more time with the students even though the
staff were still busy”
• “What we did had more meaning”
• “Staff could spend time where it really matters – explaining
information to the student and building a bond with the student”
Comments from Kim Sepich
VP, Student Affairs
Davidson County Community College
Enhancements During This Year
• ISIR corrections uploaded directly to CPS
• Enhanced status grid shows student
“exactly” what is needed
• Flexible “aging” reminders – keyed off
school deadlines and critical dates
• On-line “authorization to speak with others”
• School request student-specific “extension”
Enhancements for 2013-2014
• New video for students about verification
• Enhanced reporting options – greater
granularity for schools (dashboards too)
• Federal “tiered” requirements AY 13-14
• On-line wizard interview process
• Authentication & E-sign for documents
• “Texting” reminders to students
• Automated interface to Datatel and Banner
Contacts and Reminders
• Emails direct students to web interview
and student portal
• “Texting” used for reminders, prompting
students to respond to emails and take
action to complete the verification process.
Student Verification Interview
• Student Verification Interview process
• TurboTax like - guiding the student simply
through the process
• Allows us to ask most questions while the
student is online
Fewer forms
Fewer complicated instructions
Fewer actions to take
• Allows us to gather more information in
one session instead of over several weeks
Student Verification Interview
Wizard On-line Interview
E-Signature of Interview Results
• Student can electronically sign interview
results via our customized Adobe
EchoSign process
• Parent(s) of dependent student esigns
• Spouse of independent student esigns
E-Signature
E-Signature
Schools Participating for 2013-2014
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute
Davidson County Community College
Edgecombe Community College
Elizabeth City State University
Gaston College
Guilford Technical Community College
Johnson Community College
Southwestern Community College
Wake Technical Community College
Winston-Salem State University
Security
• CFI School Services takes strong
measures to protect confidentiality &
privacy of student/family information
• Data collection, web portals and
automated review system protected by a
layered defense system
Questions
• Questions about CFISS Verification Service
• Please contact:
Patrick Kaiser
VP Technology & School Services
College Foundation, Inc.
919-835-2312
pkaiser@cfi.org