The Education Provisions (Subtitle B) of the CARES Act allows for the use of campus-based
funds as emergency aid during the period of qualifying emergency, which the CARES act
defines as:
- A public health emergency related to the Coronavirus declared by the Secretary of Health
and Human Services pursuant to section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
247d); - An event related to the Coronavirus for which the President declared a major disaster or an
emergency under section 401 or 501, respectively, of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 and 5191); or - A national emergency related to the Coronavirus declared by the President under section
201 of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.).
On April 3, 2020 the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released an electronic announcement
providing the following information.
Emergency financial aid grants: Institutions can use any portion of their FSEOG allocation to
award emergency financial aid grants to assist undergraduate or graduate students pay for
unexpected expenses and to cover unmet financial needs as the result of a qualifying
emergency. This can include paying emergency FSEOG to students who would have otherwise
received FWS wages had they started their job prior to the national emergency. ED will be
issuing additional guidance on the use of remaining SEOG allocation.
FWS: During the period of a qualifying emergency, the CARES Act allows the institution to
transfer up to 100 percent of its unexpended FWS allocation into FSEOG. This includes
unexpended initial and supplemental fund allocations. ED will be issuing additional guidance on
how to administer grants made from the funds that have been reallocated.
Waiver of Non-federal share requirements: While additional guidance is forthcoming on the
matter, for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 award years, the CARES Act has waived the non-federal
share requirements of the FWS and FSEOG programs that is paid by the institution. This
applies retroactively to awards already made. The CARES Act does not require institutions to
stop making the nonfederal match.
Note: This waiver does not apply to FWS to pay students who work for private for-profit
organizations.
FAME will continue to monitor and bring you the latest developments as guidance is released by
ED.
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