This is such a great reminder! I'm a college sophomore and just realized I never double-checked my family size from freshman year. My parents got divorced last year and my living situation changed, so I'm wondering if I need to update anything for next year's FAFSA. Does anyone know if changes in family structure (like divorce) affect how you count family size? I'm still claimed as a dependent by my mom but my dad remarried and has stepkids now. This whole process is so confusing but posts like this show how much money can be on the line!

This is exactly the kind of post that needs to be pinned! I'm a financial aid counselor and I see this mistake ALL the time. The family size field is probably the most underestimated factor in FAFSA calculations. What many people don't realize is that even if your income stays the same, adding just one more person to your household can lower your SAI by 2,000-4,000 points depending on your income bracket. I always tell families to think carefully about who qualifies - it's not just parents and kids, but can include other relatives you support more than 50% financially. Great catch on checking this, and congrats on the increased Pell eligibility!

As a newcomer who's been following this thread closely, I just wanted to add that this issue highlights a broader systemic problem with how veteran benefits are understood and processed in higher education. The fact that so many schools are making identical errors suggests this isn't just isolated mistakes but rather a fundamental gap in training and system updates across the industry. What really stands out to me is how this community has essentially created a comprehensive guide for addressing these violations - from the specific legal citations (38 U.S.C. § 3679, HEA section 480(c)(2)) to practical strategies like requesting to see exactly how benefits are coded in school systems. This kind of collective knowledge sharing is invaluable for veterans who shouldn't have to become legal experts just to access earned benefits. For anyone dealing with this issue, I'd recommend creating a simple one-page summary with all the key legal references and documentation strategies mentioned in this thread. Having everything organized and ready to present seems to be the difference between a quick resolution and months of back-and-forth with financial aid offices. It's frustrating that we have to be so prepared to advocate for ourselves, but this thread proves that with the right information and community support, these violations can be successfully challenged. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and legal expertise - this is exactly the kind of mutual aid that makes veteran communities so powerful!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm absolutely blown away by the incredible knowledge and support shared in this thread! I'm a veteran who's been putting off using my GI Bill benefits because I was intimidated by the complexity of financial aid processes, but reading through everyone's experiences has been both educational and empowering. The systematic nature of this problem across schools nationwide is really alarming - it's clear that there are fundamental issues with either financial aid software systems not being updated to comply with the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act, or widespread training gaps among financial aid staff (likely both). What's particularly frustrating is that veterans are essentially being forced to become legal experts just to access benefits we've rightfully earned through our military service. I'm definitely saving all the crucial legal references that have been shared here: - 38 U.S.C. § 3679 (Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act) - Higher Education Act section 480(c)(2) - Federal Student Aid Handbook Chapter 5 (October 2024 guidance) The practical strategies mentioned throughout this thread are incredibly valuable too - especially asking schools to show exactly how they code GI Bill benefits in their systems and requesting written documentation of any changes made to aid packages. For veterans just starting this process, would you recommend proactively reaching out to financial aid offices before submitting applications to discuss how they handle VA education benefits? Or is it better to wait until you receive your aid package and then address any errors? I'm trying to figure out the best approach to potentially prevent these issues from occurring in the first place. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences, legal expertise, and successful resolution strategies. This community support is exactly what makes the difference for veterans navigating these complex bureaucratic systems!

Thank you everyone for the helpful information! I've decided to: 1) File the FAFSA as required with my husband's information included, 2) Prepare a detailed financial statement showing our separate arrangements, and 3) Appeal to each school's financial aid office with documentation of our situation. I'm not optimistic but at least I have a plan now. This forum has been so much more helpful than the FSA website!

Good luck with your appeals process! I'd suggest also documenting any child support payments (or lack thereof) from your ex-spouse, as this can sometimes help demonstrate your actual financial situation versus what the FAFSA formula assumes. Some schools are more flexible than others with professional judgment, so don't get discouraged if the first school you appeal to doesn't budge much. Also, make sure to submit your appeals early in the process - financial aid offices typically have more flexibility with institutional funds earlier in the year before their budgets are depleted.

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for this incredibly detailed and helpful discussion! I'm currently helping my eldest daughter with her FAFSA application, and we found ourselves in almost the exact same situation as the original poster - we received Medicaid benefits during 2023 due to the COVID continuous enrollment policy, even though our family income would typically disqualify us from the program. When I answered "yes" to the federal benefits question and watched the asset questions completely vanish from our application, I immediately assumed I had made a critical error or somehow broken the system. Reading through this entire thread has been such a relief and has provided exactly the kind of real-world guidance that the official FAFSA documentation completely lacks. What I find most valuable is how multiple families have had nearly identical experiences, and especially how @Hunter Edmunds took the initiative to contact FSA directly and then returned to share those official findings. That confirmation about the Simplified Needs Test working as intended, particularly the detail about contributing parent income versus household income for married couples filing separately, is information that simply isn't available anywhere in the official materials. This thread perfectly demonstrates why communities like this are so essential for navigating these complex processes. The new FAFSA interface provides no explanation for why certain questions get skipped, leaving families to wonder if they've made mistakes when the system is actually working exactly as designed. I'm now confident about submitting our FAFSA as-is, trusting that our honest answer about 2023 benefit receipt correctly triggered the appropriate qualification. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - you've transformed what felt like a stressful mistake into a clear understanding of how this new system works!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to add my sincere thanks for this incredibly comprehensive and reassuring discussion! I'm currently going through the FAFSA process with my son for his college applications, and we encountered the exact same situation - we received SNAP benefits during part of 2023 under the expanded COVID eligibility rules, and when I answered "yes" to the federal benefits question, all the asset questions completely disappeared. Like so many others in this thread, my immediate reaction was panic - I was absolutely convinced I had broken the application or misunderstood something fundamental. The relief I've felt reading through everyone's nearly identical experiences cannot be overstated! What's been most valuable to me is seeing how this community has collectively figured out that this is actually the intended behavior of the new FAFSA system with the Simplified Needs Test. The official FSA confirmation that @Hunter Edmunds obtained and shared about contributing parent income thresholds was particularly enlightening - that's crucial information that isn't explained anywhere in the actual application interface. This thread is a perfect example of why online communities are so essential for navigating these complex processes. When official documentation leaves major gaps in explanation, real families sharing their experiences and seeking clarification creates exactly the kind of resource we all need. I'm planning to submit our FAFSA this week with confidence, knowing that our honest answer about benefit receipt in 2023 correctly triggered the SNT qualification. Thank you to everyone who contributed their experiences and especially to those who went the extra mile to get official verification!

Just wanted to jump in as someone who's been helping students navigate NY financial aid for a while - this thread is absolutely gold for anyone dealing with the unmarried/separated parents TAP situation! I see this confusion come up constantly, and honestly, the lack of clear communication from HESC about how TAP differs from FAFSA is really frustrating. A few additional tips for anyone finding this thread: 1) If you're unsure which parent to choose, go with whoever you can honestly say you lived with more during the past 12 months - don't overthink it or try to game the system, 2) Keep records of your choice and reasoning like others mentioned, and 3) Remember that this is totally legitimate - you're not doing anything wrong by reporting only one parent when that's literally what the system requires. The fact that so many students think the application is broken shows how poorly this is communicated by the state. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here - threads like this are incredibly valuable for future students facing the same confusion!

Wow, this thread has been so incredibly helpful! I'm a high school senior applying for financial aid and I was literally having a breakdown yesterday because the TAP system seemed completely broken - I kept trying to add my second parent's income and nothing would work. My parents were never married but they both support me financially, so I thought I was doing something wrong when I could only enter one parent's information. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief! It's honestly crazy that FAFSA and TAP have completely different rules for the same situation, but at least now I understand it's intentional rather than a glitch. I live with my mom about 60% of the time (weekdays mostly), so I'll go with her information. Thank you to everyone who shared their stories - this community is amazing for helping navigate all this confusing financial aid stuff. I wish the state would make this clearer in their instructions because based on all these responses, this confusion seems to happen to a lot of students!