Foster and Homeless Youth No Longer Required to Reverify Status for FAFSA Each Year - Upcoming Webinar to Provide Details

The U.S. Department of Education issued Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) GEN-22-15 last week to announce changes taking effect for the 2023/2024 FAFSA award year from the passage of the FAFSA Simplification Act in 2021. 

Students who were in foster care on or after their 13^th birthday, who were in legal guardianship when they turned 18, or who are unaccompanied homeless youth have historically qualified for independent status when completing the FAFSA, which eliminates the requirement to provide financial information for the student’s parents. New this year is that renewal applicants with an eligible homeless youth, foster care youth, orphan, ward of the court, emancipated minor, or legal guardianship flag on their 2022-23 FAFSA will have their answers to these questions carried over into their 2023-24 FAFSA form. This change eliminates the need for students who qualify as independent to reverify their status every year.  

The guidance also updates the options for who can verify of status as an unaccompanied homeless youth or foster youth. For homeless youth, Financial Aid Administrators (FAA) must accept documentation provided by McKinney-Vento Liaisons, any program serving individuals experiencing homelessness, a TRIO or GEAR UP program, or an FAA from another institution who previously documented the student’s circumstance. The guidance also clarifies that third-party documentation of homeless status is not required and in the absence of such verification, FAAs must make a determination based on a documented interview with the student. For foster youth, verification sources can include not only official state documentation but also verification of eligibility for a Chafee ETV grant and a verifiable electronic data match, such as that currently available in California through the WebGrants system. 

Students who do not otherwise qualify as independent continue to have the ability to request a dependency override to gain independent status based on “unusual circumstance.” Beginning with the 2023/2024 award year, however, financial aid administrators are instructed to presume continued eligibility for independent status based on previous determinations without requiring a new verification of status. In addition, institutions may now use a dependency override determination made by a financial aid administrator at another institution in the same or a prior award year to grant independent status. 

SchoolHouse Connection will be hosting a webinar to review these changes on December 7^th at 10 am PT. To register for the webinar, follow this link.

New Brief Shows Maternal & Infant Death Rates Increased During Pandemic; Racial Disparities Widened

A new research brief finds higher rates of pregnancy-related death, higher premature births and infant deaths, and lack prenatal care among Black women (over 3x higher) and American Indian and Alaska Native women (over 2x higher), when compared to White women. Racial disparities in maternal and infant health are analyzed in the brief along with the factors driving these disparities and cautions that overturning Roe v. Wade may increase barriers to abortion for people of color nationwide.

In response, the Biden Administration released the Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis and the Congressional Black Maternal Health Caucus is sponsoring the MOMNIBUS federal legislative package. The brief lists increased data and reporting, improving access to care and coverage, expanding coverage to include doula services, expanding and diversifying the healthcare workforce, and several other actions as necessary to improve maternal and infant health.

California has already taken several actions to improve maternal and infant health, including for foster youth. The state has just passed Proposition 1 which enshrines the right to abortion and contraception in the California constitution and California’s Senate Bill 65 MOMNIBUS Act. In 2021, the Governor signed Assembly Bills 153 and 172 which provide an expectant parent payment to pregnant foster youth, an annual report on reproductive and sexual health performance and outcome measures, and require new information included in court reports. Additionally, counties have the opportunity to include home visiting services for expectant and parenting foster youth in their Family First Prevention and Services Act plans.

November 30^th is the University of California and Cal State University Application Deadline for Fall 202

The priority application deadline for students interested in attending a Cal State University (CSU) or University of California (UC) in Fall 2023 is November 30, 2022. There is a $70 fee to apply to each CSU and UC campus, however, low-income students are eligible for a fee waiver at up to four CSU campuses and four UC campuses.

Eligible students applying to a CSU are also encouraged to complete the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) section within their CSU Apply application. EOP provides additional academic services, supports and financial resources to students from historically low-income and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. The EOP application requires students to answer additional biographical questions and provide letters of recommendation. The deadline to apply for EOP for Fall 2023 varies by campus; learn more here.

Lastly, each CSU and UC offers a foster youth support program that can assist students with experience in foster care in navigating the application process and provide extra support once admitted. Further information about these programs is available here.

November 17^th Webinar to Highlight Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Special Education Policy & Practice

FASD Network of Southern California is hosting a webinar on November 17^th at 9:00 a.m. with Senator Anthony J. Portantino to discuss the passage of Senate Bill 1016, the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Special Education Eligibility Bill. The bill requires the State Board of Education to include FASD in the definition of “other health impairment” for the purposes of special education and related services.

The bill will allow students with the most prevalent developmental disability in the United States to be served in school districts in California. Local agencies and school districts will be reimbursed for costs related to the expansion of services for students with FASD. Learn more in the factsheet.

Presenters will discuss the passage of SB 1016, assess policy and practice for FASD and how interagency coordination addressing FASD can be accomplished, and review options for an interagency coordinating body and staffing. Register here and contact annettek@fasdsocalnetwork.org for more information.

Upcoming Webinars, Trainings, and Events

• 2023 Reproductive Health Equity Project Virtual Conference

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