Capitol Notebook: Iowa awarded $276,000 to help students apply for financial aid

The Iowa Department of Education will use $276,000 in recently received federal funding to boost efforts helping Iowa students and their families apply for federal financial aid this summer.

The U.S. Department of Education awarded the money to expand the number of completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid forms. It comes after months of delays and problems following the U.S. Department of Education’s botched rollout of its new financial aid application.

The FAFSA is the primary application for students to be considered for federal and state need-based grants and scholarships, work-study opportunities and federal student loans.

The U.S. Department of Education launched the redesigned application last December, much later than the expected date of Oct. 1. Since its launch, the online application has had significant errors and processing delays. While the redesign was intended to simplify the application process, delays and errors have meant many Iowa students and others across the country have struggled completing and submitting the FAFSA, according to state education officials.

The funds will be used by the Bureau of Iowa College Aid to help applicants complete the FAFSA form and remove challenges throughout the process, by hiring additional staff, including bilingual associates, to bolster existing FAFSA completion capacity, according to a news release.

The money also will support partnerships with college and career transition counselors and nonprofits to provide direct support to students and families with completing the new federal financial aid application and helping them understand new requirements and eligibility criteria.

“Alongside schools, postsecondary institutions, and community partners, we will continue to champion students pursuing their unique pathways to postsecondary success,” Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow said in a statement.

Governor announces disaster awards to Iowans for damaged homes

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Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday announced conditional awards are beginning to be approved for Iowans whose homes were damaged by severe weather over the past few months.

Record flooding and tornadoes devastated many parts of Iowa this spring and summer. More than 5,000 homes in Iowa have been affected by the natural disasters, including roughly 2,000 that have been destroyed, Reynolds said during a news conference last month where she announced new state housing programs.

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The awards will help Iowans address unmet housing recovery needs not covered by insurance or the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Reynolds said in a news release. Eligible homeowners can receive up to $50,000 for the repair or rehabilitation of their disaster-affected homes.

"Fast-tracking relief for disaster-impacted Iowans has been my priority, and I’m pleased to announce that funds have started being awarded to homeowners," Reynolds said in the release. "Those receiving conditional awards today, and in the days and weeks to come will be able to take another step toward recovery."

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The governor’s office said applications are being accepted on an ongoing basis and will remain available until funds have been exhausted. Applications will be reviewed and approved on a first submitted, first ready to proceed basis.

Eligible homes must be in a county approved for FEMA Individual Assistance. Those counties are Adair, Adams, Buena Vista, Cedar, Cherokee, Clarke, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Harrison, Humboldt, Jasper, Lyon, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Polk, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Shelby, Sioux, Story, Union and Woodbury.

More information about the Disaster Recovery Housing Assistance Program, including an eligibility precheck, is available at iowafinance.com/DRHAP. For information on other disaster-related programs and resources, visit disasterRecovery.iowa.gov.