Special Circumstances

Occasionally, unique circumstances or changes may occur and impact students and/or families abilities to pay for college.  These special circumstances may not be evident on the FAFSA, so students and/or families may need to indicate these changes to our Financial Aid office. When special circumstance situations arise, the Financial Aid office can re-evaluate a student’s aid eligibility based on current circumstances using the Professional Judgement (PJ) process. At Chaffey College, we have two ways students can submit those updates. 

Special Circumstance Appeal

Student Aid Index or Family Income Changes

We understand that students and their families may have special circumstances that cause a significant reduction in income that impacts their ability to contribute to the cost of college. If you or your family have experienced a significant drop in recent income compared to the income that was required to be reported on your FAFSA, you may be considered for an income reduction.

When you complete your FAFSA application for the 2024-2025 academic year, you are required to report 2022 income information.  If you have had a drastic change in income in 2022 or 2023 due to an unforeseen or special circumstance, the Department of Education and Chaffey College will allow you to have your financial aid eligibility re-evaluated. 

If you have circumstances that may not be reflected in the information provided on your financial aid application, we may be able to help.  Please see the sections below on what is automatically considered in your aid award, what we can consider, and the special considerations given as a result of a job loss or reduction in income.

Special circumstances may include but are not limited to: 

• Loss of Income (2023 income is significantly less than in 2022)
• Death of a parent or the Independent student’s spouse
• Divorce/legal separation of parents/Independent student and spouse
• One-time income removal (e.g. inheritance, IRA distribution, retroactive lump-sum payment)
• Reduced or loss of untaxed income or benefits

These situations may qualify for reevaluation of financial aid when finalized documentation is available regarding earnings from the prior year:

If you've experienced a significant reduction in pay due to one of the qualifying events listed above, we will reevaluate your financial aid once all earnings information from the prior tax year can be assessed. The Professional Judgment:  Special Circumstance -EFC Calculation Appeal should be submitted via Student Forms  by  May 1, 2025.

We understand this may result in a financial burden and we will work with you to determine the best financing options available until your financial aid award can be reevaluated. Families should be aware that data must be collected from the entire household who wishes to appeal on the basis of income loss (i.e. wage statements must be received for all wage earners) to determine the net change in household income for the current aid year.

To apply for a 2024-2025 Student Aid Index (SAI) Calculation Appeal student must meet the following:   

• Submit your 2024-2025 FAFSA application.   
• Complete all required actions/tasks requested, if any, and receive your revised award or no award notification.   
• Request an SAI Recalculation Appeal from the financial aid office in StudentForms.   
• Log into your Student Forms account 

• Select the red "Request" button at the top right of the page. A "Requests" window will open where you can add “Professional Judgment:  Special Circumstance – SAI Calculation Appeal” webform for the 2024-2025 academic year.  

 

SAI Recalculation Appeal steps: 

• Webform and statement 
• Upload supporting documentation
  • Upload a copy of your 2022 or 2023 signed Federal IRS Transcript and all schedules 

• • Upload any other documentation to support your appeal

Once all forms are uploaded, submit the appeal for consideration.You will be notified via email regarding the results of your appeal. If approved, you will receive a revised award notification via email. Please keep in mind not all changes in income will result in additional financial assistance.

• Please ALLOW 3-4 WEEKSfor the review of this appeal and receipt of the decision notification.

 

Unusual Circumstance Appeal

Change of Dependency Status/Dependency Override

When a student completes the FAFSA/CADAA, they are asked a series of questions to determine their dependency status.  Your answers to these questions will determine if you are considered a “dependent student” or an “independent student” for financial aid purposes and whether or not you will need to include parental or spousal (if applicable) information on your application. 

If you are younger than 24, you may still qualify for independent status if you are:  

• Legally married on the day the FAFSA was filed;  
• The parent of a child for whom you provide more than half of the support they receive;  
• Living with dependents for whom you provide more than half of the support they receive;  
• An orphan (both natural parents are deceased);  
• A ward or dependent of the court (or were until age 18);  
• A member of the U.S. Armed Forces currently serving on active duty for purposes other than training;  
• A veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces;  
• A foster youth (in a foster youth program sometime after the age of 13);  
• An emancipated child as determined by a court judge; OR  
• Homeless or at risk of homelessness as determined by the director of a HUD approved homeless shelter, transitional program, or high school liaison.  

 

Unsusual Circumstances refer to the conditions that justify an financial aid administrator making an adjustment to a student’s dependency status based on a unique situation. An override may only be granted on a case-by-case basis for students with unusual & exceptional circumstances. These circumstances must show compelling reason for a student to be considered independent rather than dependent.  The Professional Judgment:  Unusual Circumstance Appeal should be submitted via Student Forms by May 1st, 2025. The following are some examples of conditions that could warrant a Dependency Override:

• Abusive family environments
• Abandonment
• Incarceration or institutionalization of both parents
• An unsuitable household requiring legal intervention
• Severe estrangement from parents
• Death of a biological / adoptive parent

 

The conditions listed below, individually or in combination, do not qualify as unusual circumstances meriting a dependency override:

• Your parent(s) refuse to contribute to your education.
• Your parents are unwilling to provide information on the application or for verification.
• Your parents do not claim you as a dependent for income tax purposes.
• You demonstrate total self-sufficiency.

 

Renewal of Dependency Override

Beginning 2023-2024 if you had an APPROVED dependency override at Chaffey College in the prior aid year, you are not required to submit a dependency override appeal again. 

STUDENT PROCEDURES 
If you have unusual circumstances and are unable to complete the parent(s) section on the FAFSA/CADAA application, follow these steps:  

• Log into your Student Forms account, select the red "Request" button at the top right of the page.  A "Requests" window will open where you can add a "Professional Judgment: Unusual Circumstance Appeal”.  
  • A detailed statement from the student explaining the extraordinary circumstance(s) detailing
    • The relationship with both biological or adoptive parents to include why you are unable to provide parental information
    • Last time you lived with parent(s)
    • Last time you had contact with parent(s)
    • Last time you were supported by parent(s)
    • How you support yourself 
  • Two (2) signed letters of support from independent sources who can attest first-hand to the extenuating circumstances (at least 1 letter must be from a 3rd party in a professional capacity)  
    • The signed statement should be submitted on letterhead from the person’s place of employment and include their full address and phone number  
    • You may submit police reports and/or court documents in place of one of the letters, if applicable

• The information stated in the Professional Judgment: Unusual Circumstance Appeal must be verified by a disinterested, professional third party who is aware of the student’s home situation and can verify the information the student has provided.  Examples of such a person include, but are not limited to: employer, clergy, social worker, attorney, court official, teacher, counselor, psychiatrist, psychologist, medical professional, law enforcement agent, etc.
• Third party documentation must be a SEPARATE statement on official letterhead. Please include any information of which you have first-hand knowledge and that you feel best describes the student’s situation.  The following is a list of information to include in the letter:
• How long you have known the student
• Your relationship to the student
• The last time the student lived with and/or received financial support from their parents
• State your direct knowledge of when the student last had contact of any type with their parents (please include information regarding both parents)
• Any knowledge of the student's current relationship with their parents
• The steps that the student has taken to establish independence from their parents
• Please include your professional title, name and type of business, business address, telephone number, and where to contact you should any additional information be required

 

HOW YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED

Please ALLOW 2-3 WEEKS for the review of this appeal and receipt of the decision notification to your student email. If your appeal is approved, the decision notification will outline the conditions of your appeal.