Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF III) ARP

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF III) is authorized by the American Rescue Plan, 2021 (ARP), signed into law on March 11, 2021. This fund allows Maritime College to provide emergency grants to students for expenses related to any component of the student's cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus.

Maritime College received Student Aid Funding under section 2003(7) of the ARP. This program, with some changes, provides supplemental funds to the CARES Act section 18004(a)(1) program. Maritime College signed and returned to the Education Department a Certification and Agreement as required under the CARES Act section 18004(a)(1) program. We acknowledge that by drawing down the ARP funds, our institution agrees to be bound by the conditions set forth in the ARP Supplemental Agreement including using 100 percent of these funds to provide emergency aid grants to students.

Maritime College has received $1,802,287 from the Department of Education pursuant to the Supplemental Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under the American Rescue Plan.

Maritime College has distributed the following ARP funding to students under Section 2003 (a)(1) of the American Rescue Plan.

DATE

REPORTING REQUIREMENT

UPDATE

June 30, 2021

          Quarterly

Maritime College has not yet distributed Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students

September 30, 2021

           Quarterly Maritime College has not yet distributed Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students
December 30, 2022           Quarterly Maritime College has distributed $723,614.50 in Emergency Financial Aid Grants to 525 students.
March 31, 2022           Quarterly Maritime College has distributed $913,357.25 in Emergency Financial Aid Grants to 643 students.
June 30, 2022           Quarterly Maritime College has distributed $165,315.25 in Emergency Financial Aid Grants to 180 students.

Campus Plan

Purpose

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III), created under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP), authorizes SUNY Maritime to award emergency grants to eligible students that can be used for any component of a student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or child care.

SUNY Maritime was allocated $1,802,287 in federal funds under HEERF III or ARP for the exclusive purpose of providing financial aid grants to students, and colleges must continue “to prioritize students with exceptional need, such as students who receive Pell Grants or are undergraduates with extraordinary financial circumstances.” 

This document establishes a campus plan to award Federal Stimulus Grants under HEERF III and ARP in accordance with ED Guidance, the Supplemental Agreement, SUNY Guidance (refer to Appendix 1), SUNY Template (Appendix 2), and all applicable laws as of August 23, 2021. It was drafted by a Workgroup of representatives from Financial Aid and Finance.

Workgroup Members

  • Roxanne Thompson, Vice President of Administration (Chair)

  • Andrea Damar, Director of Financial Aid

  • LLeny De La Cruz, Assistant Director of Financial Aid

Plan

SUNY Maritime awards Federal Stimulus Grants to every matriculated undergraduate and graduate student enrolled in the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters per SUNY Guidance and SUNY Template (refer to Appendix 1 & Appendix 2). The grant amount awarded to each eligible student is determined based upon a combination of level EFC range (levels 1 to 6), level (undergraduate versus graduate), and enrollment status (full-time versus part-time). Higher grant amounts are awarded to students with higher financial need based upon the prescribed SUNY Template. Below are the grant amounts for each combination of these three factors for the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters:

Fall 2021 Semester (calculated on or after September 24, 2021)

LEVEL     EFC RANGE EFC RANGE  FULL TIME
(>= 12 Credits)   		 PART TIME
(< 12 Credits)     		 FULL TIME
(>= 9 Credits)  		 PART TIME
(< 9 Credits)   
      Undergrad         Undergrad        Graduate     Graduate   

Level 1

$0

$2,923

$1,590.75

$1,237.25

$1,590.75

$1,237.25

Level 2

$2,924

$5,846

$1,414.00

$1,060.50

$1,414.00

$1,060.50

Level 3

$5,847

$8,769

$1,237.25

$883.75

$1,237.25

$883.75

Level 4

$8,770

$11,692

$1,060.50

$707.00

$1,060.50

$707.00

Level 5

$11,693

$14, 615

$883.75

$530.25

$883.75

$530.25

Level 6

All other matriculated
(> 14,616 and no FAFSA) 

All other matriculated
(> 14,616 and no FAFSA) 

 

Spring 2022 Semester (Calculated on or after January 28, 2022)

LEVEL EFC RANGE  EFC RANGE FULL TIME
(>= 12 Credits)      		 PART TIME
(< 12 Credits)         		 FULL TIME
(>= 9 Credits)     		 PART TIME
(< 9 Credits)      
      Undergrad    Undergrad    Graduate  Graduate 

Level 1 

$0

$2,923

$1,710

$1,330

$1,710

$1,330

Level 2

$2,924

$5,846

$1,520

$1,140

$1,520

$1,140

Level 3

$5,847

$8,769

$1,330

$950

$1,330

$950

Level 4

$8,770

$11,692

$1,140

$760

$1,140

$760

Level 5

$11,693

$14,615

$950

$570

$950

$570

Level 6

All other matriculated
(EFC > 14,616 and no FAFSA)

All other matriculated
(EFC > 14,616 and no FAFSA) 

        

The IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) definition is used to determine enrollment status: full-time undergraduates are enrolled in 12 credits or more, while full-time graduate students are enrolled in 9 credits or more.

Per SUNY Guidance and SUNY Template (see Appendix 1 & Appendix 2), a minimum of 80% of the total federal allocation is awarded as a block grant to every eligible student with an EFC of $14,615 or less (2.5 times the 2021-22 Pell threshold of $5,846). A maximum of 20% of the total federal allocation is awarded as a block grant to other matriculated eligible students (Level 6). SUNY Maritime plans to award these block grants to matriculated eligible students during the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters according to the following fiscal plan:

Fiscal Plan for HEERF III or ARP

FALL 2021

EFC

ALLOCATION %

AMOUNT

    Levels 1 to 5

     $0 to $14,615

         40% minimum

         $721,670.25

    Level 6

     >=$14,616 or Null

        10% maximum

         $179,473.25

    Sub-total

 

         50%

         $901,143.50

Spring 2022

 EFC

 ALLOCATION %

AMOUNT

    Levels 1 to 5

   $0 to $14,615

         40% minimum

         $721,670.25

    Level 6

   >=$14,616 or Null

         10% maximum

         $179,473.25

    Sub-total

 

         50%

         $901,143.50

Grand Total

 

100%

$1,802,287.00

Grant recipients are notified of their Federal Stimulus Grant via their college email account (refer to Email Notification 1 and 2 below). By default, the entire grant amount is refunded to a student via a paper check irrespective of any outstanding account balance with the college. ED Guidance allows colleges to offer an “opt in” option for students to apply Federal Stimulus Grants to their accounts. SUNY Maritime has elected to inform only students with balances of this option in order to assist with administrative burden of keeping track of information for larger student population.

This methodology objectively demonstrates a priority for students with exceptional need since Pell recipients are budgeted a disproportionate amount of the federal allocation in comparison to their proportional headcount within the college. Pell recipients are projected to compose 61% of all Federal Stimulus Grant recipients for the fall 2021 semester, but are anticipated to receive more than 54% of the total amount awarded to all recipients.

A small amount of the budget allocated to each semester may remain available after all eligible students have been awarded a Federal Stimulus Grant in a semester. Additional federal funds may also become available due to returned or uncashed refund checks and due to additional federal allocations. Federal Stimulus Grants will be awarded to the following cohorts in order to exhaust the remainder of the federal allocation in a semester:

  • Eligible students who move to an EFC Range with a higher grant amount. This could occur because a student did not satisfy all student eligibility criteria on the original award date but then become eligible after this date. For example, this could occur after the original award date because verification becomes complete, the approval of a special circumstance, the approval of a dependency override, etc. No changes are made if a student moves to an EFC Range with a lower grant amount after the original award date.

  • Eligible students within Level 6 who move to a Level 1 or Level 2 EFC Range because they are non-citizen non-FAFSA filers, or non-citizens ineligible to file a FAFSA, with a documented equivalent to a Level 1 or Level 2 EFC range. A documented equivalent to a Level 1 EFC Range is defined as a non-citizen non-FAFSA filer, or a non-citizen ineligible to file a FAFSA, who is a recipient of a maximum NYS TAP award of:
    – $5,665 for a dependent student; or
    – $3,525 for Independent students who are married with no other tax dependents; or
    – $3,025 for Independent students who are single with no tax dependents
    A documented equivalent to a Level 2 EFC range is defined as a non-citizen non-FAFSA filer, or a non-citizen ineligible to file a FAFSA, who is a recipient of NYS TAP award between:
    – $500 and $5,664 for a dependent student; or
    – $500 and $3,524 for independent students who are married with no other tax dependents; or
    – $500 and $3,024 for independent students who are single with no tax dependents.

  • The remaining funds, a maximum of 20% in a sixth tier, will be utilized as a HEERF III “Discretionary Pool” for campuses to use for emergency grants to students with exceptional need and/or extraordinary financial circumstances, who did not receive a Block Grant. Funds may also be awarded to permanent residents, international, refugees, asylum seekers, DACA recipients, DREAMers, and student’s whose EFC threshold is above the SUNY grid maximum. These students may not be eligible to file a 2021/2022 FAFSA application and will receive a standard Block Grant. There may be other students that become eligible through the required ARP Professional Judgment outreach to Maritime’s student body; see ARP Special Circumstance guidance.  

    Funds that remain due to students who decline the award will be added to the “Discretionary Pool.” Remaining HEERF II funds will also be rolling into the HEERF III “Discretionary Pool.”

  • Eligible students enrolled in a semester other than Fall 2021 and Spring 2022. For example, this could include eligible students under HEERF II with EFCs above the Pell-eligible threshold for HEERF II (EFC > $5,711) who satisfy all other eligibility criteria. These students would be awarded the grant amounts associated with the Level 4 EFC Range under HEERF II ($4,301 to $5,711).

Students within these cohorts are awarded in sequential order based upon the lowest EFC, and then lowest federal adjusted gross income if there are equivalent EFCs, until the exhaustion of the entire federal allocation. SFS follows the procedure employed under HEERF I and HEERF II for all uncashed or returned refund checks. This procedure includes additional outreach to students with uncashed or returned refund checks, establishes a reasonable time for the student to claim the refund, and includes email notifications regarding a deadline for a response to avoid the loss of the Federal Stimulus Grant.

SUNY Maritime plans to start to award fall 2021 eligible students and refund the majority of Federal Stimulus Grants at the beginning of October for Fall 2021 and expend entire Fall 2021 portion of the federal allocation by the end of November 2021. For Spring 2022, SUNY Maritime plans to start to award eligible students and refund the majority of Federal Stimulus Grants at the beginning of February and expend entire Spring 2022 portion of the federal allocation by the end of April 2022.

Definitions

The award term is defined as the term assigned to the Federal Stimulus Grant in the college information system for disbursement. For example, Federal Stimulus Grants disbursed to the Fall 2021 term would have an award term of Fall 2021.

The EFC Ranges are the following:

  • Level 1: $0 to $2,923

  • Level 2: $2,924 to $5,846

  • Level 3: $5,847 to $8,769

  • Level 4: $8,770 to $11,692

  • Level 5: $11,693 to $14,615

  • Level 6: >=$14,616 or null (all other matriculated)

An eligible student satisfies all the following criteria:

  • At the time of the Federal Stimulus Grant notification and disbursement, the student must have been matriculated and registered in coursework after the fourth week of the semester for the award term of the Federal Stimulus Grant for Fall 2021 and for Spring 2022). SUNY Maritime uses the number of billed hours to determine enrollment status, and excludes non-matriculated students from the eligible cohort.

  • For grant amounts based upon EFC, at the time of Federal Stimulus Grant notification and disbursement, student must have an EFC as determined by a valid FAFSA on file (i.e., non-rejected FAFSA) for the award term of the Federal Stimulus Grant. For FAFSAs selected for verification, the EFC must be verified or waived prior to notification and disbursement.

  • For grant amounts based upon EFC, eligible students do not need to satisfy all criteria for being eligible for Title IV financial aid. They must satisfy all Title IV financial aid eligibility criteria that are required to generate an EFC from a valid FAFSA (i.e., non-rejected FAFSA).

  • Students participating in study-away or study-abroad, and who are otherwise eligible (i.e., satisfy all other eligibility criteria), are eligible as long as the college remains the home campus and is responsible for awarding any Title IV financial aid for the award term of the Federal Stimulus Grant. Students matriculated in online academic programs are also eligible if they satisfy all eligibility criteria.

Enrollment status is based upon the number of billed and is based upon the IPEDs definition for full-time versus part-time. For undergraduates, full-time is defined as 12 credits or more and part-time as less than 12 credits. For graduate students, full-time is defined as 9 credits or more and part-time as less than 9 credits.

Allowable expenses are defined as any component of a student’s cost of attendance or emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or child care.

Original award date is defined as the start date of the first round of Federal Stimulus Grants for the award term. This is the date that data is captured to determine student eligibility.

Responsibilities

  • Financial Aid: Establishes the grant amount for each eligible student and creates vouchers.

  • Student Accounts: Notifies each eligible student of their grant amount and allowable expenses. Creates any new AR Detail codes and establishes any other AR Detail codes that are necessary to post and refund these grants to students. Posts the appropriate AR Detail codes to each student’s account on TSAAREV in order to generate a refund for the entire amount of the Federal Stimulus Grant.

  • Business Office: Establishes AR Detail Codes that are linked to the new state account for the Federal Stimulus allocation.

  • Student Accounts notifies each eligible student of their Federal Stimulus Grant via their college email account (see Email Notification). This email also notifies each grant recipient of the allowable expenses and informs students to notify the Financial Aid Office immediately if they will not incur expenses that meet or exceed the amount of their Federal Stimulus Grant.

  • Financial Aid and Student Accounts will temporarily adjust standard operations to ensure that all Federal Stimulus Grant refunds are processed separately and not mixed in with other student refunds. This is accomplished by temporarily stopping the disbursement of financial aid and informing all SFS staff to not manually post any refunds during the Federal Stimulus disbursement process.

  • For the first large initial round of notifications and refunds, Financial Aid plans to halt all operations that impact EFC between notification and disbursement to prevent changes in student eligibility.

  • Financial Aid, Student Accounts, and the Finance Office follows the “CARES Grant Refund Returns” procedure for all uncashed or returned refund checks. This procedure includes additional outreach to students with uncashed or returned refund checks, establishes a reasonable time for the student to claim the refund, and includes email notifications regarding a deadline for a response to avoid the loss of the Federal Stimulus Grant.

Email Notification 1

Below is a copy of the Federal Stimulus Grant email notification sent to students without balances.

Subject: SUNY Maritime Federal Stimulus Grants

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, funds have been made available through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act to award emergency grants to students for expenses related to any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus. Eligible expenses include tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care), or childcare.

  • The Campus has deemed you eligible to receive a Federal Stimulus Grant in the amount of $XXX.

  • This amount will be refunded to you via a paper check irrespective of any outstanding account balance with the college. We anticipate these funds will be available to you within two weeks.

  • This is not a loan and will not need to be paid back and will not affect your financial aid award amounts for academic year 2021–2022.

It is your responsibility to notify the Student Accounts Office immediately (cares_grants@sunymaritime.edu) if you will not incur expenses that meet or exceed the amount of your Federal Stimulus Grant.

Email Notification 2

Below is a copy of the Federal Stimulus Grant email notification sent to students with balances.

Subject: SUNY Maritime Federal Stimulus Grants

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, funds have been made available through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act to award emergency grants to students for expenses related to any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus. Eligible expenses include tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care), or childcare.

  • The Campus has deemed you eligible to receive a Federal Stimulus Grant in the amount of $XXX.

  • You will receive a direct payment of your emergency grant via paper check unless you respond to this email within 10 days indicating you would like to apply all or a portion of your emergency grant to your outstanding account balance. You must identify the amount you would like to apply to you r account within your email communication.

  • This is not a loan and will not need to be paid back and will not affect your financial aid award amounts for academic year 2021–2022.

It is your responsibility to notify the Student Accounts Office immediately (cares_grants@sunymaritime.edu) if you will not incur expenses that meet or exceed the amount of your Federal Stimulus Grant.