New Congressional session!!

With Congress returning from their summer recess, there will be more to discuss than just health care reform. Some major changes affecting federal student aid will be discussed and decided upon in a few short weeks. It is almost a foregone conclusion, that the FFEL Program, where student borrow loan monies through lending institutions will be eliminated. It will be replaced by the Federal Direct lending program where the federal government will serve as the primary lender.

One of the other main changes coming for 2010-2011 is a simplification of the electronic version of the FAFSA!! According to Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, many of the repetitive questions will be eliminated and there will be a function that will allow online filers to have their FAFSA forms pre-populated directly with information from the IRS as a result of filing their taxes. That seems almost like science fiction, as there has been talk for years regarding verification of FAFSA information directly from the IRS database. We have yet to see it happen and I am dubious that it will be in place for 2010-2011. But hey, you never know; it is a new administration with more new ideas. Simplification may be be the word of the future!!!