Fall 2009 Negotiated Rulemaking on school-related issues is underway: Part I
ED has established two committees, or "teams," to develop proposed regulations on a variety of issues through the Negotiated Rulemaking (Neg Reg) process. Team I held its first meeting on November 2-6.

ED releases announcement regarding increased aid for students whose parent or guardian died as a result of military service in Iraq or Afghanistan
On November 6, the Department of Education (ED) released an electronic announcement on the "Operational Implementation of Increased Title IV Student Assistance to Children of Certain Deceased Members of the U.S. Military" as provided by recent amendments made to the Higher Education Act.

ED announces IRS data retrieval process for 2009-10 FAFSA on the Web
ED announced its plans to initiate a process that will enable Title IV student aid applicants and parents of dependent applicants to transfer certain tax return information from an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website directly to their 2009-10 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the Web application.

Plan to attend TG's sessions at the CCCSFAAA Annual Conference
TG offers a session on the new cohort default rate calculation method at this year's CCCSFAAA Annual Conference. TG presenters will also offer an in-depth look at the return of Title IV funds and a primer on how best to manage difficult customer interactions.

Join TG for its R2T4 session at upcoming CASFAA Conference
TG trainers will be presenting a session at this year's California Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (CASFAA) Conference on one of the more challenging duties that a financial aid officer must perform - the return of Title IV funds (R2T4) calculation.

Claim recalls: New email process
Effective immediately, TG claims announces a long-requested change in the claim recall process. Claims may now be recalled via email.

TG releases NSLDS submittal schedule for 2010
TG's data reporting team has released the TG National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) reporting schedule for 2010.

New Financial Aid for Rookies module available: Professional Judgment
TG offers a new addition to its Financial Aid for Rookies (FAR) training modules. In this module, participants will examine professional judgment principles in the Higher Education Act and discuss various situations requiring professional judgment, including dependency overrides and awarding unsubsidized Stafford loans to dependent students who lack parental support.

Help your spring grads go from grace to repayment with TG's brochures
The grace period has ended or will soon end for May and June graduates with Federal Stafford loans. You can inform them of their financial obligations with TG's printed materials, which anticipate their questions and define their options in repaying loans.

TG's List Assist℠ now offers alternative lender survey support
On October 30, TG released an enhanced version of List Assist℠, an online tool for managing surveys used in creating a recommended lender list. The latest version of List Assist provides schools and lenders with the ability to administer survey requests about alternative student loans.

Ask the Policy Expert
If a PLUS Loan borrower uses an endorser, and the PLUS loan borrower dies, can the lender collect the loan proceeds from the endorser?