[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 146 (Friday, July 30, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41704-41708]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-19442]



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Part IV





Department of Education





_______________________________________________________________________



Office of Postsecondary Education; Federal Pell Grant Program; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 146 / Friday, July 30, 1999 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Postsecondary Education
[CFDA No.: 84.063]


Federal Pell Grant Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice; deadline and submission dates for receipt of 
applications, reports, and other documents for the 1999-2000 award 
year.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary announces the deadline dates for receiving 
documents from persons applying for grants under the Federal Pell Grant 
Program in the 1999-2000 award year, and the earliest submission and 
deadline dates for receiving documents from institutions participating 
in that program in that year.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Pell Grant Program, administered 
by the U.S. Department of Education (Department), provides grants to 
students attending eligible institutions of higher education to help 
them pay for their educational costs. The program supports Goals 2000, 
the President's strategy for moving the Nation toward the National 
Education Goals, by enhancing opportunities for postsecondary 
education. The National Education Goals call for increasing the rate at 
which students graduate from high school and pursue high quality 
postsecondary education and for supporting life-long learning. 
Authority for the Federal Pell Grant Program is contained in section 
401 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. 1070a.

Deadline and Submission Dates

    The following table provides deadline dates for application 
processing and receipt of Student Aid Reports (SARs) or Institutional 
Student Information Records (ISIRs) for the Federal Pell Grant Program.

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    The following table provides the earliest submission and deadline 
dates for submitting Federal Pell Grant Disbursement Records. The 
origination record and the disbursement record have replaced the 
Payment Data record referred to in previous Federal Pell Grant notices. 
Except for the amount of specific disbursements, the origination record 
contains basically the same information as the previously used payment 
data record. This information is used by the Department's Recipient 
Financial Management System (RFMS) to edit the accuracy of a student's 
annual award amount and includes information such as the student's 
annual award amount calculated by the institution, expected family 
contribution, and cost of attendance. An institution uses the 
disbursement record: (1) to report a disbursement or expected 
disbursement for each student, and (2) for those institutions that 
participate in the Just-in-time payment method pilot, to request funds. 
The ``regular'' disbursement record basically includes an origination 
record unique identifier and the amount and date of the disbursement. 
RFMS uses totals of the accepted disbursement record data in the 
funding process as either the basis for adjusting an institution's 
authorization level or as a request for funds. Starting in the 1999-
2000 award year, an institution may submit a disbursement record 
earlier than the reported disbursement date in the record. The 
Department considers a disbursement of Federal Pell Grant funds to have 
occurred on the earlier of the date that the institution: (a) Credits a 
student's account at the institution's general ledger or any subledger 
of the general ledger; or (b) pays a student directly with funds 
received from the Department. The Department considers a disbursement 
to have occurred even if institutional funds are used in advance of 
receiving the program funds from the Department (34 CFR part 
668.164(a)). Table B provides the earliest date an institution can 
submit a disbursement record to the Department. Any disbursement record 
received prior to the earliest submission date is rejected. Table B 
also includes the latest date an institution may submit a disbursement 
record. The Department may impose an adverse action such as a fine or 
other penalty for an institution's failure to submit a Federal Pell 
Grant disbursement record within the required 30-day timeframe. Also, 
failing to submit a disbursement record within the required 30-day 
timeframe may result in an audit or program review finding for an 
institution.

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Proof of Delivery for Federal Pell Grant Payment Documents

    The Department accepts as proof of delivery, if the documents were 
submitted by mail or by non-U.S. Postal Service courier, one of the 
following:
    (1) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (2) A legibly-dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.

    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method of proof of mailing, an 
institution should check with the post office at which it mails its 
submission. An institution is strongly encouraged to use First Class 
Mail.

    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
courier.
    (4) Other proof of mailing or delivery acceptable to the Secretary.
    The Department accepts commercial couriers or hand deliveries 
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday except 
Federal holidays.

Other Sources for Detailed Information on the Application and Automated 
Processes

    A more detailed discussion of the student application process for 
the Federal Pell Grant Program is contained in the 1999-2000 Student 
Guide, Funding Your Education, the 1999-2000 High School Counselor's 
Handbook, A Guide to 1999-2000 SARs and ISIRs, and the 1999-2000 
Federal Student Financial Aid Handbook. A more detailed discussion of 
the institutional reporting requirements for the Federal Pell Grant 
Program is contained in the Federal Student Financial Aid Handbook and 
the Information for Financial Aid Professionals web site at http://
www.ifap.ed.gov.

Applicable Regulations

    The following regulations apply: (1) Federal Pell Grant Program, 34 
CFR part 690, (2) Student Assistance General Provisions, 34 CFR part 
668, and (3) Institutional Eligibility, 34 CFR part 600.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jacquelyn C. Butler, Program 
Specialist, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Student Financial 
Assistance Programs, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W. (ROB-3, Room 3045), 
Washington, DC 20202-5447. Telephone: (202) 708-8242. Individuals who 
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to Katie Mincey, Director of Alternate Format 
Center, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W. 
(Switzer Bldg., Room 1000), Washington, D.C. 20202-4560. Telephone: 
(202) 260-9895.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in the text or 
Abode Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the 
following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html

    To use the PDF you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with 
Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you 
have questions about using the PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing 
Office (GPO) toll free, at 1-888-293-6498 or in the Washington, D.C. 
area, at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.

    Program Authority: Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a.

    Dated: July 26, 1999.
Greg Woods,
Chief Operating Officer, Office of Student Financial Assistance.
[FR Doc. 99-19442 Filed 7-29-99; 8:45 am]
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