A question regarding the FAFSA verification process and disability income received by paternal relation?
Question by Mystic Otaku: A question regarding the FAFSA verification process and disability income received by paternal relation?
I am currently enrolled at Boise State University and have filed my FAFSA for 2010-2011. Shortly after I was processed for the FAFSA, I received notice from BSU that I was to verify the information on the FAFSA. I had to hand over my dad’s 1040 and some W-2 statements for him, and since I did not file, I did not hand anything in. I received an e-mail from the University last night telling me that I now need to bring in a signed letter detailing somewhere on the order of ~10,000 or more received by my dad from workman’s comp that he received for a job injury. I reported the amount on the FAFSA based on hearsay from my dad. He doesn’t have much in the way of documentation from Workman’s comp aside from a few check stubs. He is absolutely not going to hand those over. So the amount he gave was a very rough estimate, and the email from the university asked for “details.” When I told my dad that I needed to write a letter, he became rather irate and told me that I should not have reported his workman’s comp. I don’t know what to do now. I don’t know if the school expects me to report the actual source (as in naming the specific government agency that gave him the compensation) or if I can just get away with saying “worker’s comp”. My dad demanded that I not give out the actual agency name. He is being very combative about me disclosing information about his workman’s comp to the college. I don’t want to go to prison if for being evasive though, and I dont want my dad to go there either. Since that is what our quasi-totalitarian government wants to do to those who don’t disclose every aspect of their lives. I feel like I am between a rock and a hard place right now, What should I do? Should I write a short letter saying that he received the workmans’s comp (without specifically naming Montana), or should I risk my dad’s anger and disclose this, or will I be punished if I don’t tell them every last detail.
Best answer:
Answer by just not that
Your father is ignorant. He will hand over his tax forms with all the details about his address, social security number, dependents socials etc. on them but won’t hand over a few stupid work mans comp stubs? LOL
Anyway.. here goes.. the process of verification is for you to VERIFY that all the information you put on the fafsa is correct. The fin aid office is not in the business of seeking out and catching tax cheats. With this in mind… they just want to be able to give you your fin aid….. So, you need to prove via documentation… that the amount you reported on your fafsa for that $ 10,000 whatever you listed as whatever it was is true and correct and give them paperwork to prove the amount is correct. If all you can come up with is a signed statement from Dad saying “I got this amount from Jan 1 to Dec 31….because of … yada yada yada” and attaching the few stubs he does have, then that is what you have to do if you want to get aid.
The financial aid office knowing the SOURCE and REASON of the money is helpful because often times students report other income (besides income from working) and it is already listed in the AGI on the tax forms and kids don’t know this (they don’t read the form closely enough) and “double report” the income. Making it look like the family has a lot more money that it does. Wouldn’t you and Dad find this mistake and take the income off than risk being stubborn? Many Dads fears can be alleviated by telling him the school is not in the buisness of doing or caring how he does his tax forms.
Besides, sometimes workmans comp (or disability) may not actually be taxable income and so his fears of getting into trouble for tax evasion are completely unjustified. (Basically he thinks the tax man made a mistake and he isn’t going to risk YOU spilling the beans to find out if it was correct or not).
Who knows what he thinks, you need to find out so you can justify (and the fin aid office can help you with this) him giving up the information. ALL income is to be reported on the fafsa when it asks for it. It is up to YOU to read the instructions and determine if it belongs. (Note the differences on the FAFSA about “Taxable” and “NonTaxable” income. Big difference in what you report!
If good ole dad chooses NOT to cooperate or provide you with any documentation, (old bank statements with deposits of that amount for a certain lenght of time) then you simply won’t get any kind of financial aid (this is loans, grants or work study).
good luck.
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