Federal Stimulus Grants

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SUNY Plattsburgh transitioned all Spring 2020 classes to distance learning and required most students to vacate the residence halls after spring break. The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act authorizes colleges to award emergency financial aid grants to students for their expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care and child care expenses.

SUNY Plattsburgh was awarded $2.6 million in CARES funds by the federal government for the sole and exclusive purpose of providing emergency financial aid grants to students. This policy establishes a campus plan to award these grants, and was developed by a workgroup of representatives from the Financial Aid Office, Office of Student Accounts and several offices from within the Division of Enrollment and Student Success.

SUNY Plattsburgh plans to award CARES Emergency Grants according to two methods that are consistent with federal regulations and SUNY guidance as of April 29, 2020.

The first method awards a CARES base grant to all eligible students, with a higher award amount for those who are high-need in contrast to those who are not. High-need eligible students are awarded a $1,200 in a base grant and all other eligible students are awarded $250. A high-need student is an undergraduate or graduate student with an EFC below the Pell threshold in either 2019–20 or 2020–21.

In order to receive a base grant, eligible students must submit an online or paper form that collects the minimum certification requirements that are established in the CARES Act. On this form, students certify that they have already incurred or will incur allowable expenses of food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, childcare, and/or transportation as a result of the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus which equal or exceed the amount of their CARES base grant. The definition of allowable expenses is included on the form. On this form, students have the opportunity to replace the original base grant amount ($1,200 or $250) with a lower amount because they have or will have allowable expenses less than the original base grant amount. On this form, students also have the opportunity to decline their base grant because they did not or will not incur any allowable expenses.

The second method provides eligible students with the opportunity to request a CARES enhanced grant for allowable expenses that they have already incurred or will incur that are in excess of the base grant amount. The maximum amount of the aggregate sum of the base and enhanced grant for any student is $6,195, which is equivalent to the maximum Pell grant for 2019–20 and suggested by ED.

Eligible students request an enhanced grant by completing an online or paper supplemental form in addition to the base grant form. This form includes a similar certification as the base grant, but also requests more information and detail from the student. On the supplemental form for an enhanced grant, students list each allowable expense incurred or will incur. For each allowable expense, the student writes brief description, describes how it is related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, and also specifies the amount of each allowable expense. Students are informed on the form that the college reserves the right to request additional documentation and receipts. Requests for enhanced grants are evaluated by the financial aid office, and may be approved or denied based upon whether the request is permissible under the CARES Act.

The table below displays the projected unduplicated headcount of recipients by type of CARES emergency grant:

CARES Emergency Grant

Award	Amount	Federal Allocation	% Allocation
Base Grant for Not High Need	$250	$362,250	14%
Base Grant for High Need	$1,200	$1,868,400	71%
Enhanced Grant	Up to $6,195 total	$398,435	15%
Total		$2,629,085	100%

Appendix 9.1 contains the enrollment data that was used to establish the award amounts for the three types of CARES grants, and the distribution of the federal allocation between the three grant types (see Tables 1 and 2). This methodology is consistent with the federal formula that was used to calculate the total campus allocation of $2.6 million, which heavily weighted Pell eligible students in the formula (~75%). Note that the projected recipients and award amounts are based on current guidance regarding student eligibility, and also assume an 85% response rate of certifications from all eligible students.

The college plans to notify all eligible students of their base grants by no later than the end of May, as soon as the college receives access to federal funds and completes the technical set-up process within Banner. This notification will include student instructions on how to complete the online or paper form for certification, and well as instructions to request an enhanced grant. The college plans to start to post base grants to student accounts as soon as it starts to receive student responses to the certification. The college plans to start to evaluate requests for enhanced grants after the onset of base grants, and start to post enhanced grants to an account after approval by financial aid.

CARES emergency grants are not considered estimated financial assistance (EFA) and excluded from student financial aid packages. The entire grant amount is refunded to a student irrespective of any outstanding account balance with the college. Refunds are delivered via the normal college refund process for students, BankMobile. Students have three options with BankMobile: direct deposit into any checking account of their choice (92% of refunds at Plattsburgh), direct deposit into a BankMobile account (6% of refunds at Plattsburgh), or paper check (2% of refunds at Plattsburgh).

Base grants are refunded to students in sequential order based upon the receipt date of the certification. Enhanced grants are refunded to students in sequential order based upon the receipt date of the request. Base and enhanced grants continue to be refunded to students until the total amount of awards on campus reaches the federal allocation of $2,629,085. If the response rate is lower than anticipated and federal allocations remain in the fall, the original budgets for base and enhanced grants will be revisited and the original award amounts may be increased in order to ensure the total federal allocation is expended by April 21, 2021.

The Financial Services Forms web page contains paper forms for certification of the base grant and enhanced grant. Online forms are available on the college secure website (MyPlattsburgh) and include similar instructions, collect the same information, and include the same certification.

Definitions

An eligible student satisfies all of the following criteria:

• Enrolled during the Spring 2020 semester on or after March 13, 2020. Students who withdrew from the college prior to March 13 are not eligible for a CARES grant since they had withdrawn prior to date of the President’s Proclamation, “Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak,” Federal Register 85, No. 53 at 15337–38.
• Matriculated in an eligible undergraduate or graduate academic program as of March 13, 2020. Eligible academic programs include all academic programs eligible for federal Title IV financial aid except those designated by the college as solely online for billing purposes. Ineligible online programs currently include: Accounting BS Completion Program, (755D), Fitness & Wellness Leadership M.S. (8073), Healthcare Informatics Certificate (0058), Nursing RN to B.S. (0203), and Special Education Grades 7–12 Advanced Certificate (063D).
• Eligible for federal Title IV financial aid in 2019–20 or 2020–21 and a FAFSA on file in 2019–20 or 2020–21. See below definition of eligible for federal Title IV financial aid. SFS encourages otherwise eligible students with no FAFSA on file to complete one.
• Certify that they have already incurred or will incur allowable expenses of food, housing, course materials, technology, course materials, health care, childcare, and/or transportation as a result of the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus which equal or exceed the amount of their CARES base grant.
• There is an additional eligibility criteria for an enhanced grant. Students certify that they have already incurred or will incur allowable expensesin excess of the amount of their base grant. Students must list each allowable expense already incurred or that will incur. For each allowable expense, the student writes a brief description, describes how it is related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, and also specifies the amount of each allowable expense. Students are informed that the college reserves the right to request additional documentation and receipts.
• These criteria may be modified based upon any additional guidance from ED or SUNY.

According to federal regulations (Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA)) a student is eligible for federal Title IV financial aid if all of the following criteria are met:

• Be enrolled in a degree, certificate or other recognized educational credential (including a program of study abroad approved for credit by the eligible institution at which such student is enrolled) — that is, a regular student under 34 CFR 600.2);
• Not be enrolled in elementary or secondary school and have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent;
• Be maintaining satisfactory academic progress (SAP);
• Not owe an overpayment (refund) on Title IV grants;
• Not be in default on a Title IV loan;
• File with ED “as part of the original financial aid application process” a certification (Statement of Educational Purpose) that includes: a) A statement of educational purpose, and b) The student’s Social Security Number (SSN);
• Be a U.S citizen or national, a permanent resident, or an eligible noncitizen;
• Have returned any fraudulently obtained Title IV funds, if the student is convicted of or plead guilty or no contest to charges;
• Not have fraudulently received Title IV loans in excess of annual or aggregate limits;
• Have repaid any Title IV loan overpayment amounts in excess of annual or aggregate limits, if obtained inadvertently;
• Have his Selective Service registration verified (the Title IV aid ineligibility for failure to register is actually in the Selective Service Act §3811(f));
• Have a valid SSN, except for residents of the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of Palau; and

Not have a federal or state conviction for drug possession or sale, with certain time limitations.

A high-need student is defined as an otherwise eligible undergraduate or graduate student with an EFC below the Pell threshold of 5,576 in either 2019–20 or 5,712 in 2020–21.

Allowable expenses are defined as expenses that resulted from the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, and include food, housing, course materials, technology and computer, health care, dependent care, transportation, and other non-tuition expenses under the cost of attendance.

SUNY issued new guidance to colleges on November 10, 2020. This guidance authorized colleges to provide payments directly to students without asking them to either complete an application or certification. SUNY Plattsburgh had less than $100,000 in federal allocation remaining on this date and elected to award all remaining funds based upon the new guidance. Appendix 9.3 contains a copy of the new guidance along with a sample student email notification.

SUNY Plattsburgh awarded two final cohorts CARES Base Grants under this new guidance. Both cohorts satisfied all student eligibility criteria for a CARES Base Grant except they were first enrolled at SUNY Plattsburgh in Fall 2020 and were not enrolled in Spring 2020. Base Grants awarded under this new guidance were posted to the Fall 2020 semester instead of Spring 2020.

The first cohort was first-year students admitted into the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) in Fall 2020 who were not expected to withdraw from the college per guidance from the EOP Office. All of these students were high-need students and awarded a $1,200 CARES Base Grant.

The second cohort was first-year students admitted into our Student Support Services (SSS) program who were high-need. Since the number of students in the second cohort exceeded the remaining federal allocation, students were ranked-ordered based upon parental federal adjusted gross income (AGI) from the FAFSA. Students were awarded a $1,200 Base Grant in sequential order, from lowest federal parental AGI to highest, until the exhaustion of the entire federal student allocation of $2,629,085.

Appendix 9.3 contains a copy of the email notification that was sent to both cohorts.

Public Reporting Requirement for CARES Act Sections 18004 (a)(1) Student Aid Portion

Date	Type	Report
4/24/2020	Notice	SUNY Plattsburgh receives Grant Award Notification (GAN) for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students under the CARES Act.
5/24/2020	30 Day	SUNY Plattsburgh has not yet distributed any emergency financial aid grants to students.
6/10/2020	Notice	Notification that funds are available for SUNY Plattsburgh to draw down.
6/19/2020	Optional	SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $1,501,936 of emergency financial aid grants to 1,688 students.
7/7/2020	45 Day	SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $1,893,666 of emergency financial aid grants to 2,227 students.
7/17/2020	Optional	SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $2,362,064 of emergency financial aid grants to 2,710 students.
8/19/2020	45 Day	SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $2,423,845 of emergency financial aid grants to 2,766 students.
9/30/2020	Quarterly	Since 8/19/2020, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed $40,150 more in emergency financial aid grants to 33 more students. SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $2,463,995 of emergency financial aid grants to 2,799 unduplicated students.
12/31/2020	Final Quarterly	Since 9/30/2020, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed $166,340 more in emergency financial aid grants to 189 more students. This periodic update (189 more students @ $166,340) is not unduplicated and includes the re-issuance of uncashed checks. SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $2,629,085 of emergency financial aid grants to 2,974 unduplicated students. This is the final quarterly report posting which covers all HEERF fund expenditures for Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.
3/9/2021	Addendum	Since 12/31/2020, a $250 uncashed refund check was returned and then the returned funds were re-awarded to a student who originally received a partial grant amount. The impact of these transactions was a loss of one unduplicated CARES Grant recipient (from 2,974 to 2,973) and no change in cumulative total grant amounts. This is reflected in the Federal Disclosure Reporting Chart Quarterly report for March 31, 2021. SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $2,629,085 of emergency financial aid grants to 2,973 unduplicated students.

Quarterly Public Reporting Form for CARES Act Sections 18004 (a)(1) Institutional Portion, 18004 (a)(2), and 18004 (a)(3)

Date	Type	Report
9/30/2020	Quarterly	September 30 2020 Quarterly HEERF Institutional Report (link to PDF)
12/31/2020	Quarterly	December 31 2020 Quarterly HEERF Institutional Report (link to PDF)

• SUNY Plattsburgh signed and returned to the department the Certification and Agreement. SUNY Plattsburgh has used, or intends to use, no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide emergency financial aid grants to students.
• SUNY Plattsburgh will receive or has received $2,629,085 from the department pursuant to the institution’s Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.
• SUNY Plattsburgh estimated that 3,536 students are eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act. SUNY Plattsburgh estimated that of the 3,536 eligible students, 85% of them, or 3,006, would respond to the certification and receive an emergency grant (see Campus Plan).
• SUNY Plattsburgh’s policy and methods for awarding emergency financial aid grants under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act are located above (see Campus Plan).
• Below is a copy of SUNY Plattsburgh’s CARES grant notification that was emailed to all eligible students. The email included instructions, directions and guidance for students concerning the emergency financial aid grants.
• The Financial Services Forms web page contains paper forms for certification of the base grant and enhanced grant. Online forms are available on the college secure website (MyPlattsburgh) and include similar instructions, collect the same information, and include the same certification.

CARES Base Grant Award Notification

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SUNY Plattsburgh transitioned all Spring 2020 classes to distance learning and required most students to vacate the residence halls after spring break.

SUNY Plattsburgh has awarded you a CARES Base Emergency Grant of $XXX.XXX for allowable expenses that you have already incurred or will incur as a result of the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus. The amount of your base grant was based upon the college’s federal allocation, the total number of eligible students, and financial need per the FAFSA (see college policy).

Click this link to certify or decline your base grant. You can also follow the student instructions below in order to certify or decline your base grant.

If you certify the grant, the amount will be refunded to you irrespective of any outstanding account balance with the college. Refunds will be delivered via the normal college refund process for students, BankMobile. Base grants are refunded to students in sequential order based upon the receipt date of the certification, until the exhaustion of the college’s federal allocation. CARES grants are not considered financial aid, are not included in your financial aid package, and have no impact on your current financial aid package.

If you have or will incur allowable expenses in excess of the amount of your base grant, you have the option to complete a Request for an CARES Enhanced Emergency Grant.

Contact the financial aid office for more information.

Online Student Instructions

1. Login to MyPlattsburgh.
2. Click the Student Services Tab.
3. Click the link to “Certify Base CARES Emergency Grant” under Financial Aid Office.
4. Follow the instructions and remember to submit your online certification.

Paper Student Instructions

1. Visit the Financial Services Forms web page.
2. Print the paper certification form: “Certify Base CARES Emergency Grant”.
3. Follow the instructions, sign, and return the paper form to the Financial Aid Office.

Purpose

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II (HEERF II) is authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA), Public Law 116-260, signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020. Similar to the original federal CARES program, the Student Portion of CRRSAA authorizes colleges 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.

More information about the Student Portion of CRRSAA can be found on the following websites:

• CRRSAA: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/crrsaa.html
• FAQ: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/faqsfora1crrsaaheerfii.pdf
• Supplemental Agreement: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/supplementalagreement314a1s.pdf
• Fact Sheet: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/factsheetheerfii.pdf
• Allocations: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/314a1allocationtableheerfii.pdf
• NASFAAA: https://www.nasfaa.org/heerf_ii

SUNY Plattsburgh was allocated $2.6 million in federal funds from the student portion of HEERF II or CRRSAA for the exclusive purpose of providing financial aid grants to students, and colleges must “prioritize grants to students with exceptional need.” This Policy establishes a campus plan to award these Federal Stimulus Grants in accordance with ED Guidance, the Supplemental Agreement, SUNY Guidance (see Appendix I), and all applicable laws as of April 13, 2021. It was drafted by a Workgroup of representatives from Student Financial Services, Educational Opportunity Program, Student Support Services, and the Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Revision History

Version	Date	Change
1.0	February 20, 2021	New Document
1.1	March 5, 2021	Revised per meeting with Committee and VP
1.2	March 19, 2021	Revised per guidance from SUNY
2.0	March 21, 2021	Revised per reviews from Committee
2.1	March 24, 2021	Minor updates to text and procedure
3.0	March 26, 2021	Updated with extended award levels and template
4.0	March 31, 2021	Returned to original SUNY Template
4.1	April 2, 2021	Adjustments for 12-month primary Pell EFC
5.0	April 13, 2021	Final SUNY template established

Workgroup Members

• Todd Moravec, Director of Student Financial Services (Chair)
• Michele Carpentier, Assistant VP for Enrollment and Student Success/Director of Special Programs
• Cheryl Datkun, Programmer/Analyst
• Cassie Joseph, Associate Director of Educational Opportunity Program
• Kerry Lubold, Associate Director of Student Financial Services
• Sean Rice, Coordinator of Multicultural Initiatives
• David Soder, Assistant Director of Student Financial Services

Units and Persons Affected

• Students and their families
• Staff from the Division of Administration and Finance
• Staff from the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Staff from the Division of Enrollment and Student Success
• Designee from Computer Information Systems

Plan

SUNY Plattsburgh awards Federal Stimulus Grants to matriculated undergraduate and graduate students with a Pell-eligible EFC (EFC < = $5,711) per SUNY guidance (see Appendix I & Appendix II). The grant amount awarded to each eligible student is determined based upon a combination of EFC range (level 1 to 4), level (undergraduate versus graduate), and enrollment status (full-time versus part-time). Below are the award amounts for each combination of these three factors:

Level	EFC Range	Undergraduate Full Time >= 12 Credits	Undergraduate Part Time < 12 Credits	Graduate Full Time >= 9 Credits	Graduate Part Time < 9 Credits
Level 1	$0 to $1,500	$1,560	$1,170	$1,560	$1,170
Level 2	$1,501 to $2,900	$1,365	$975	$1,365	$975
Level 3	$2,901 to $4,300	$1,170	$780	$1,170	$780
Level 4	$4,301 to $5,711	$975	$585	$975	$585

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.

The amounts for each cell are calculated based upon a formula and template prescribed in SUNY Guidance (see Appendix II). This formula awards a base amount to every eligible student that correlates with their full-time or part-time status, and then adds a supplemental amount that is higher for students with lower EFC ranges. Federal Stimulus Grants are not considered estimated financial assistance (EFA) and are excluded from student financial aid packages.

Students are notified of their Federal Stimulus Grant via their college email account (see Email Notification). By default, the entire grant amount is refunded to a student via their BankMobile refund preference 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 Plattsburgh elected not to offer this option because of the predicted lack of student participation in this option, the delays caused by offering this option, the administrative burden of offering it, the potential impact on 1098-T statements, and eligibility conflicts that may arise due to the delay between notification and disbursement.

There are three refund preferences with BankMobile: direct deposit into any checking account of the student’s choice (92% of refunds at Plattsburgh), direct deposit into a BankMobile account (6% of refunds at Plattsburgh), or paper check (2% of refunds at Plattsburgh). Federal Stimulus Grants refunds are sent to BankMobile separately and not mixed in with refunds from other sources. Students receive a Federal Stimulus Grant refund from BankMobile for the exact amount of the Federal Stimulus Grant and not a larger refund in which the Federal Stimulus Grant is a portion of it, for example, not a $500 refund in which $250 of it is a Federal Stimulus Grant.

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 40% of the official student headcount for the Spring 2021 semester, but are anticipated to receive more than 80% of the federal allocation.

A small amount of federal allocation is projected to remain available ($51,770 or 2%) after all eligible students have been awarded a Federal Stimulus Grant (Appendix II). Additional federal funds may also become available due to returned refunds from BankMobile (ex. returned 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:

• Students with EFCs above the Pell-eligible threshold (EFC > $5,711) who satisfy all other eligibility criteria. These students are awarded the grant amounts associated with the Level 4 EFC Range (4,301 to $5,711).
• Students who did not satisfy all student eligibility criteria on the original award date but then become eligible after this date. 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.
• Students who move to an EFC Range with a higher grant amount. This could also occur after the original award date for the same reasons cited above.
• New students who first enroll at the college after the Spring 2021 semester and satisfy all eligibility criteria.

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 policy employed under HEERF I for all uncashed or returned refund checks. This policy 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 Plattsburgh plans to start to award and refund the first Federal Stimulus Grants in April 2021, and expects to expend the entire federal allocation of $2.6 million by the end of June 2021.

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 Spring 2021 term would have an award term of Spring 2021.

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 Pell census date (i.e., Pell freeze date) for the award term of the Federal Stimulus Grant. SUNY Plattsburgh uses the number of billed plus permission-to-attend hours to determine enrollment status, and excludes non-matriculated students from the eligible cohort (i.e., major codes 0099 and 0999). No one can be notified of a Federal Stimulus Grant before the Pell census date for the award term of the Federal Stimulus Grant. The Pell census date for Spring 2021 was February 8, 2021.
• At the time of Federal Stimulus Grant notification and disbursement, student must have an EFC below the Pell threshold (EFC < = 5,711 for 2020-21) as determined by a FAFSA on file for the award term of the Federal Stimulus Grant. For FAFSAs selected for verification, the Pell-eligible EFC must be verified prior to notification and disbursement.
• 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.

The EFC Ranges are the following:

Level	From	To
Level 1	$0	$1,500
Level 2	$1,501	$2,900
Level 3	$2,901	$4,300
Level 4	$4,301	$5,711

Enrollment status is based upon the number of billed plus permission-to-attend hours of a student, 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. This is the date that data is captured to determine student eligibility.

According to federal regulations (Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA)) a student is eligible for federal Title IV financial aid if all of the following criteria are met:

• Be enrolled in a degree, certificate or other recognized educational credential (including a program of study abroad approved for credit by the eligible institution at which such student is enrolled) — that is, a regular student under 34 CFR 600.2;
• Not be enrolled in elementary or secondary school and have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent;
• Be maintaining satisfactory academic progress (SAP);
• Not owe an overpayment (refund) on Title IV grants;
• Not be in default on a Title IV loan;
• File with ED “as part of the original financial aid application process” a certification (Statement of Educational Purpose) that includes: a) A statement of educational purpose, and b) The student’s Social Security Number (SSN);
• Be a U.S citizen or national, a permanent resident, or an eligible noncitizen;
• Have returned any fraudulently obtained Title IV funds, if the student is convicted of or plead guilty or no contest to charges;
• Not have fraudulently received Title IV loans in excess of annual or aggregate limits;
• Have repaid any Title IV loan overpayment amounts in excess of annual or aggregate limits, if obtained inadvertently;
• Have his Selective Service registration verified (the Title IV aid ineligibility for failure to register is actually in the Selective Service Act §3811(f));
• Have a valid SSN, except for residents of the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of Palau; and
• Not have a federal or state conviction for drug possession or sale, with certain time limitations.

Responsibilities

Student Financial Services (SFS): Manages the implementation of the Federal Stimulus Grant program and establishes any tracking codes. Establishes the grant amount for each eligible student. Notifies each eligible student of their grant amount and allowable expenses.  Collaborates with CIS to develop a computer program that 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

Computer Information Systems (CIS): Collaborates with SFS to automate the awarding, posting, and tracking of Federal Stimulus Grants. Develops an ARGOS database and tool to calculate the grant amount for each student, track all variables that are used to determine student eligibility and award amount, and reconcile actual grant amounts posted on TSAAREV versus calculated award amount in the Argos tool. Automates the posting of tracking codes on RRAAREQ and AR Detail codes on TSAAREV. Stores the ARGOS database for record-keeping and audit trail.

Budget and Financial Reporting (BFR): Creates any new AR Detail codes and establishes any other AR Detail codes that are necessary to post and refund these grants to students.

Procedures

• SFS develops the Federal Stimulus Grant email notification (see Email Notification).
• BFR establishes AR Detail Codes that are linked to the new state account for the Federal Stimulus allocation (see Appendix III — Not displayed).
• SFS uses queries to identify a list of students who satisfy all student eligibility criteria. SFS posts “FSG2” tracking code in an “Pending” (“P”) status for each eligible student.
• Using an ARGOS tool, SFS calculates the Federal Stimulus Grant amount for each student based upon the combination of EFC range (level 1, 2, 3, or 4), level (undergraduate versus graduate), and enrollment status (full time versus part time).
• SFS 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.
• SFS runs a computer program and posts AR Detail codes for the correct grant amount in batch for all “FSG2” tracking codes in “Pending” (P) status. To create a direct refund, both the XXXX and XXXX AR Detail Codes are posted to TSAAREV and linked via “t-pay”. Linking via “t-pay” generates a refund for the entire amount of the Federal Stimulus Grant whether the student has an account balance with the college or not.
• After disbursement, the “FSG2” tracking code automatically converts from “Pending” (“P”) to “Satisfied” (“S”) status.
• SFS temporarily adjusts standard operations to ensure that all Federal Stimulus Grant refunds are sent to BankMobile separately and not mixed in with other 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. This could also be accomplished by sending a separate refund file to BankMobile, but this was determined to be an administrative burden given the extent of computer programming required to do this and would most likely result in errors.
• For the first large initial round of notifications and refunds, SFS plans to halt all operations that impact EFC between notification and disbursement to prevent changes in student eligibility. After the first large round, SFS plans to coordinate notification to occur either immediately before or immediately after disbursement.
• SFS follows the SFS “CARES Grant Refund Returns” policy for all uncashed or returned refund checks from BankMobile.

Email Notification

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

Subject: SUNY Plattsburgh Federal Stimulus Grants

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, funds have been made available through the CRRSAA 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 child care.

• The campus has deemed you eligible to receive a Federal Stimulus Grant in the amount of $XXX.
• This amount will be refunded to your BankMobile refund reference irrespective of any outstanding account balance with the college. If you have one of the electronic means of refunding with BankMobile (direct deposit into a checking account or VIBE Account), we anticipate these funds will be deposited in your account 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 Financial Aid Office immediately ([email protected]) if you will not incur expenses that meet or exceed the amount of your Federal Stimulus Grant.

Public Reporting Requirement for HEERF II or CRRSAA Sections 18004 (a)(1) Student Aid Portion

Date	Type	Report
01/17/2021	Notice	SUNY Plattsburgh receives Grant Award Notification (GAN) for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students under HEERF II or CRRSAA.
03/31/2021	Quarterly	SUNY Plattsburgh has not yet distributed any emergency financial aid grants under HEERF II to students.
04/13/2021	Update	Funds are available for SUNY Plattsburgh to draw down.
04/16/2021	Update	SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $2,577,315 of emergency financial aid grants to 1,812 students.
05/24/2021	Update	Since 4/16/2021, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed $51,770 more in emergency financial aid grants to 45 more new recipients and increased the grant amounts for 4 original recipients. SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $2,629,085 of emergency financial aid grants to 1,857 unduplicated students.
06/30/2021	Quarterly	Since 5/24/2021, SUNY Plattsburgh has not distributed any more emergency financial aid grants to students. SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative and quarterly total of $2,629,085 of emergency financial aid grants to 1,857 unduplicated students.

Quarterly Public Reporting Form for HEERF II or CRRSAA Sections 18004 (a)(1) Institutional Portion, 18004 (a)(2), and 18004 (a)(3)

Date	Type	Report
03/31/2021	Quarterly	March 31 2021 Quarterly HEERF Institutional Report
06/30/2021	Quarterly	June 30 2021 Quarterly HEERF Institutional Report

• SUNY Plattsburgh received Student Aid funding under the CRRSAA section 314(a)(1) program. This program, with some changes, provides supplemental funds to the CARES Act section 18004(a)(1) program. SUNY Plattsburgh 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 CRRSAA funds, our institution agrees to be bound by the conditions set forth in the CRRSAA Supplemental Agreement including using 100 percent of these funds to provide emergency aid grants to students.
• SUNY Plattsburgh will receive or has received $2,629,085 from the department pursuant to the institution’s Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.
• SUNY Plattsburgh estimated that 3,605 students were originally eligible to receive an emergency grant under HEERF II or CRRSAA. Of these 3,605, an estimated 1,812 students qualified under the Campus Plan above with a Pell-eligible EFC, and an estimated 1,793 students had an EFC above the Pell threshold that qualified for any remaining funds afterwards.
• SUNY Plattsburgh’s policy, methods, and eligible students for awarding emergency financial aid grants under Section 18004(a)(1) of the HEERF II or CRRSAA are located above (see Campus Plan). This section also includes a copy of the email notification and instructions for students concerning the emergency financial aid grants.

Purpose

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III), created under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP), authorizes SUNY Plattsburgh 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 Plattsburgh was allocated $7,359,308 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.” More information about the student portion of HEERF III and ARP can be found on the following websites:

• ARP: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/heerfiiistudent.html
• FAQ: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/arpfaq.pdf
• Supplemental Agreement: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/arpheerfiiisupplementa1student.pdf
• Allocations: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/arpa1allocationtable.pdf
• NASFAAA: https://www.nasfaa.org/heerf_iii
• SUNY Plattsburgh HEERF Disclosures: https://www.plattsburgh.edu/cost-aid/federal-stimulus.html

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 (see HEERF III Appendix 1), SUNY Template (see HEERF III Appendix 2), and all applicable laws as of August 23, 2021. It was drafted by a Workgroup of representatives from Student Financial Services, Educational Opportunity Program, Student Support Services, and the Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Revision History

Version	Date	Change
1.0	August 1, 2021	New Document
1.1	August 11, 2021	Updated with edits from Workgroup
1.2	August 23, 2021	Updated with SUNY Guidance regarding non-citizen non-FAFSA filers with a TAP Grant
1.3	September 28, 2021	Updated SUNY Template, fall grant amounts, and other minor edits

Workgroup Members

• Todd Moravec, Director of Student Financial Services (Chair)
• Michele Carpentier, Assistant VP for Enrollment and Student Success/Director of Special Programs
• Cheryl Datkun, Programmer/Analyst
• Cassie Joseph, Associate Director of Educational Opportunity Program
• Jackie Vogl, Director of Global Education Office
• Kerry Lubold, Associate Director of Student Financial Services
• Sean Rice, Coordinator of Multicultural Initiatives
• David Soder, Assistant Director of Student Financial Services

Units and Persons Affected

• Students and their families
• Staff from the Division of Administration and Finance
• Staff from the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Staff from the Division of Enrollment and Student Success
• Designee from Computer Information Systems

Plan

SUNY Plattsburgh 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 (see 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 September 28, 2021

Level	EFC Range		Undergraduate Full Time >= 12 Credits	Undergraduate Part Time < 12 Credits	Graduate Full Time >= 9 Credits	Graduate Part Time < 9 Credits
Level 1	$0	$2,923	$1,368	$1,064	$1,368	$1,064
Level 2	$2,924	$5,846	$1,216	$912	$1,216	$912
Level 3	$5,847	$8,769	$1,064	$760	$1,064	$760
Level 4	$8,770	$11,692	$912	$608	$912	$608
Level 5	$11,693	$14,615	$760	$456	$760	$456
Level 6	All other matriculated		$335	$201	$335	$201

Spring 2022 Semester
Calculated on or after February 28, 2022

Level	EFC Range		Full Time >= 12 Credits	Part Time < 12 Credits	Full Time >= 9 Credits	Part Time < 9 Credits
Level 1	$0	$2,923	$1,476	$1,148	$1,476	$1,148
Level 2	$2,924	$5,846	$1,312	$984	$1,312	$984
Level 3	$5,847	$8,769	$1,148	$820	$1,148	$820
Level 4	$8,770	$11,692	$984	$656	$984	$656
Level 5	$11,693	$14,615	$820	$492	$820	$492
Level 6	All other matriculated		$335	$201	$335	$201

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 Plattsburgh 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	$2,943,724
Level 6	>=$14,616 or Null	10% maximum	$735,931
Sub-total		50%	$3,679,655

Spring 2022	EFC	Allocation %	Amount
Levels 1 to 5	$0 to $14,615	40% minimum	$2,943,723
Level 6	>=$14,616 or Null	10% maximum	$735,930
Sub-total		50%	$3,679,653
Grand Totals		100%	$7,359,308

Grant recipients are notified of their Federal Stimulus Grant via their college email account (see Email Notification). By default, the entire grant amount is refunded to a student via their BankMobile refund preference 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 Plattsburgh elected not to offer this option because of the predicted lack of student participation in this option, the delays caused by offering this option, the administrative burden of offering it, the potential impact on 1098-T statements, and eligibility conflicts that may arise due to the delay between notification and disbursement.

There are three refund preferences with BankMobile: direct deposit into any checking account of the student’s choice (92% of refunds at Plattsburgh), direct deposit into a BankMobile account (6% of refunds at Plattsburgh), or paper check (2% of refunds at Plattsburgh). Federal Stimulus Grants refunds are sent to BankMobile separately and not mixed in with refunds from other sources. Students receive a Federal Stimulus Grant refund from BankMobile for the exact amount of the Federal Stimulus Grant and not a larger refund in which the Federal Stimulus Grant is a portion of it, for example, not a $500 refund in which $250 of it is a Federal Stimulus Grant.

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 30% 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 refunds from BankMobile (ex. returned 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.

• Students who did not satisfy all student eligibility criteria on the original award date but then become eligible after this date. This unlikely event could occur because a student becomes matriculated after the original award date.
• 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 Plattsburgh 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 (>=September 27) and expend entire Fall 2021 portion of the federal allocation by the end of November 2021. For Spring 2022, SUNY Plattsburgh plans to start to award eligible students and refund the majority of Federal Stimulus Grants at the beginning of March (>=February 28 for Spring 2022) 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 (>=September 27 for Fall 2021 and >=February 28 for Spring 2022). SUNY Plattsburgh uses the number of billed plus permission-to-attend hours to determine enrollment status, and excludes non-matriculated students from the eligible cohort (i.e., major codes 0099 and 0999). No one can be notified of a Federal Stimulus Grant before the start of the fifth week of classes for the award term of the Federal Stimulus Grant.
• 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 plus permission-to-attend hours of a student, 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.

According to federal regulations (Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA)) a student is eligible for federal Title IV financial aid if all of the following criteria are met:

• Be enrolled in a degree, certificate or other recognized educational credential (including a program of study abroad approved for credit by the eligible institution at which such student is enrolled)--that is, a regular student under 34 CFR 600.2);
• Not be enrolled in elementary or secondary school and have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent;
• Be maintaining satisfactory academic progress (SAP);
• Not owe an overpayment (refund) on Title IV grants;
• Not be in default on a Title IV loan;
• File with ED “as part of the original financial aid application process” a certification (Statement of Educational Purpose) that includes: a) A statement of educational purpose, and b) The student’s Social Security Number (SSN);
• Be a U.S citizen or national, a permanent resident, or an eligible noncitizen;
• Have returned any fraudulently obtained Title IV funds, if the student is convicted of or pled guilty or no contest to charges;
• Not have fraudulently received Title IV loans in excess of annual or aggregate limits;
• Have repaid any Title IV loan overpayment amounts in excess of annual or aggregate limits, if obtained inadvertently;
• Have his Selective Service registration verified (the Title IV aid ineligibility for failure to register is actually in the Selective Service Act §3811(f));
• Have a valid SSN, except for residents of the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of Palau; and
• Not have a federal or state conviction for drug possession or sale, with certain time limitations.

Responsibilities

• Student Financial Services (SFS): Manages the implementation of the Federal Stimulus Grant program and establishes any tracking codes. Establishes the grant amount for each eligible student. Notifies each eligible student of their grant amount and allowable expenses. Collaborates with CIS to develop a computer program that 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
• Computer Information Systems (CIS): Collaborates with SFS to automate the awarding, posting, and tracking of Federal Stimulus Grants. Develops an ARGOS database and tool to calculate the grant amount for each student, track all variables that are used to determine student eligibility and grant amount, and reconcile actual grant amounts posted on TSAAREV versus calculated grant amount in the Argos tool. Automates the posting of tracking codes on RRAAREQ and AR Detail codes on TSAAREV. Stores the ARGOS database for record-keeping and audit trail.
• Budget and Financial Reporting (BFR): Creates any new AR Detail codes and establishes any other AR Detail codes that are necessary to post and refund these grants to students.

Procedures

• BFR establishes AR Detail Codes that are linked to the new state account for the Federal Stimulus allocation (see Appendix 3 - not displayed).
• SFS uses queries to identify a list of students who satisfy all student eligibility criteria. For Fall 2021, SFS posts “FSG3A” tracking code in an “Pending” (“P”) status for each eligible student. For Spring 2022, SFS posts “FSG3B” tracking code in an “Pending” (“P”) status for each eligible student.
• Using an ARGOS tool, SFS calculates the Federal Stimulus Grant amount for each student based upon the combination of EFC range (level 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6), level (undergraduate versus graduate), and enrollment status (full-time versus part-time).
• SFS 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.
• SFS runs a computer program and posts AR Detail codes for the correct grant amount in batch for all “FSG3A” or “FSG3B” tracking codes in “Pending” (P) status. To create a direct refund, both the XX and YY AR Detail Codes are posted to TSAAREV and linked via “t-pay”. Linking via “t-pay” generates a refund for the entire amount of the Federal Stimulus Grant whether the student has an account balance with the college or not.
• After disbursement, the “FSG3A” or “FSG3B” tracking code automatically converts from “Pending” (“P”) to “Satisfied” (“S”) status.
• SFS temporarily adjusts standard operations to ensure that all Federal Stimulus Grant refunds are sent to BankMobile separately and not mixed in with other 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. This could also be accomplished by sending a separate refund file to BankMobile, but this was determined to be an administrative burden given the extent of computer programming required to do this and would most likely result in errors.
• For the first large initial round of notifications and refunds, SFS plans to halt all operations that impact EFC between notification and disbursement to prevent changes in student eligibility. After the first large round, SFS plans to coordinate notification to occur either immediately before or immediately after disbursement.
• SFS follows the SFS “CARES Grant Refund Returns” procedure for all uncashed or returned refund checks from BankMobile. 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

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

Subject: SUNY Plattsburgh 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 your BankMobile refund preference irrespective of any outstanding account balance with the college. If you have one of the electronic means of refunding with BankMobile (direct deposit into a checking account or VIBE Account), we anticipate these funds will be deposited in your account 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 Financial Aid Office immediately ([email protected]) if you will not incur expenses that meet or exceed the amount of your Federal Stimulus Grant.

Public Reporting Requirement for HEERF III or ARP Sections 18004 (a)(1)
Student Aid Portion

Date	Type	Report
05/20/2021	Notice	SUNY Plattsburgh receives Grant Award Notification (GAN) for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students under HEERF III or ARP.
09/17/2021	Optional	Funds are available for SUNY Plattsburgh to draw down.
09/30/2021	Quarterly	SUNY Plattsburgh has not yet distributed any emergency financial aid grants under HEERF III to students.
10/04/2021	Optional	SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $3,661,491 of emergency financial aid grants under HEERF III to 4,666 unduplicated students.
11/09/2021	Optional	Since 10/04/2021, one original recipient has declined a $201 emergency grant. SUNY Plattsburgh has also distributed $7,773 more in emergency financial aid grants to 10 more new recipients. In addition, SUNY Plattsburgh has increased the grant amounts of 26 original recipients a total of $22,592. Twenty-five of the increases were due to EFC reductions, and one was due to a credit-load increase. SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $3,691,655 of emergency financial aid grants to 4,675 unduplicated students.
12/10/2021	Optional	Since 11/09/2021, SUNY Plattsburgh has increased the grant amounts of 38 previous recipients a total of $28,303. The increases were due to EFC reductions or the receipt of an original FAFSA. SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $3,719,958 of emergency financial aid grants to 4,675 unduplicated students.
12/31/2021	Quarterly	SUNY Plattsburgh has made no additional grant awards or grant increases since 12/10/2021. SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $3,719,958 of emergency financial aid grants to 4,675 unduplicated students.
01/07/2022	Optional	Since 12/31/2021, SUNY Plattsburgh has increased the grant amounts of 17 previous recipients a total of $13,671. The increases were due to EFC reductions or the receipt of an original FAFSA.  SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $3,733,629 of emergency financial aid grants to 4,675 unduplicated students.
02/28/2022	Optional	Since 1/07/2022, SUNY Plattsburgh has cancelled the grants of 23 previous recipients for a total of $8,055.  Cancellations resulted from recipients failing to collect refunds after due diligence by the college.  SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $3,725,574 of emergency financial aid grants to 4,652 unduplicated students.
03/04/2022	Optional	SUNY Plattsburgh has started to award emergency financial aid grants for students enrolled in the spring 2022 semester.  Since 2/28/2022, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed $222,227 of emergency grants to 303 new recipients this spring.  In addition, SUNY Plattsburgh has awarded 3,942 fall recipients a total of $3,376,093 in the spring.  For the spring semester, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $3,598,320 of emergency financial aid grants to 4,245 unduplicated students.  For both the fall and spring semester, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $7,323,894 of emergency financial aid grants to 4,955 unduplicated students.
03/31/2022	Quarterly	Since 3/4/2022, SUNY Plattsburgh has cancelled the grant of 1 previous recipient for a total of $670 (both fall and spring portions) and reduced the grant of 1 previous recipient for a total of $335 (fall portion cancelled and spring remains). For the fall 2021 semester, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $3,724,904 of emergency financial aid grants to 4,650 unduplicated students. For the spring 2022 semester, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $3,597,985 of emergency financial aid grants to 4,244 unduplicated students. For both the fall and spring semesters combined, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $7,322,889 of emergency financial aid grants to 4,954 unduplicated students.
4/11/2022	Optional	Since 3/31/2022, SUNY Plattsburgh has increased the spring grant amounts of 17 previous recipients a total of $13,348. The increases were due to EFC reductions, the receipt of an original FAFSA, or changes in credit load. For both the fall and spring semesters combined, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $7,336,237 of emergency financial aid grants to 4,954 unduplicated students.
5/6/2022	Optional	Since 4/11/2022, SUNY Plattsburgh has increased the spring grant amounts of 5 previous recipients a total of $4,206. The increases were due to EFC reductions and a change in credit load. For both the fall and spring semesters combined, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $7,340,443 of emergency financial aid grants to 4,954 unduplicated students.
6/14/2022	Optional	SUNY Plattsburgh has started to award the remainder of its federal allocation to spring grant recipients who were also enrolled in the summer semester. Since 5/6/2022, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed $18,865 of summer emergency grants to 17 EOP students who were spring grant recipients that were also enrolled in the summer semester with extenuating financial circumstances on record. For the fall and spring and summer semesters combined, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $7,359,308 of emergency financial aid grants to 4,954 unduplicated students.
6/30/2022	Quarterly	Since 6/14/2022, SUNY Plattsburgh has cancelled the grants of 2 previous grant recipients for a total of $871. Cancellations resulted from recipients failing to collect refunds after due diligence by the college. For the fall and spring and summer semesters combined, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $7,358,437 of emergency financial aid grants to 4,952 unduplicated students. The remaining allocation will be awarded ASAP in the next quarter.
7/20/2022	Optional	Since 6/30/2022, SUNY Plattsburgh has cancelled the fall and spring grants for 1 previous recipient for a total of $670. The cancellation resulted from the recipient failing to collect refunds after due diligence by the college. Since 6/30/2022, SUNY Plattsburgh has increased the summer grants for five EOP recipients who originally received a partial summer grant (a total of $651). SUNY Plattsburgh has also awarded partial summer grants to 2 more EOP students who were spring grant recipients that were also enrolled in the summer semester with extenuating financial circumstances on record (a total of $890). For the fall and spring and summer semesters combined, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $7,359,308 of emergency financial aid grants to 4,951 unduplicated students.
8/16/2022	Optional	Since 7/20/2022, SUNY Plattsburgh has cancelled the spring grants for 13 previous recipients for a total of $4,387. The cancellation resulted from the recipients failing to collect refunds after due diligence by the college. Since 7/20/2022, SUNY Plattsburgh has increased the summer grants for two EOP recipients who originally received a partial summer grant (a total of $1,406). SUNY Plattsburgh has also awarded full summer grants to two more EOP students and a partial grant to one more EOP student (a total of $2,981). All five EOP students were spring grant recipients that were also enrolled in the summer semester with extenuating financial circumstances on record. For the fall and spring and summer semesters combined, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $7,359,308 of emergency financial aid grants to 4,947 unduplicated students.
9/30/2022	Quarterly	There has been no activity since 8/16/2022. For the fall and spring and summer semesters combined, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $7,359,308 of emergency financial aid grants to 4,947 unduplicated students.
12/23/2022	Final Quarterly	Since 9/30/2022, SUNY Plattsburgh has cancelled the spring grant for 1 previous recipient for a total of $201. The cancellation resulted from the recipient failing to collect the refund after due diligence by the college. Since 9/30/2022, SUNY Plattsburgh has increased the summer grant by $201 for one EOP recipient who originally received a partial summer grant. For the fall and spring and summer semesters combined, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed a cumulative total of $7,359,308 of emergency financial aid grants to 4,946 unduplicated students.

Quarterly Public Reporting Form for HEERF III or ARP Sections 18004 (a)(1) Institutional Portion, 18004 (a)(2), and 18004 (a)(3)

Date	Type	Report
09/30/2021	Quarterly	September 30, 2021 Quarterly HEERF Institutional Report
12/31/2021	Quarterly	December 31, 2021 Quarterly HEERF Institutional Report
03/31/2022	Quarterly	March 31, 2022 Quarterly HEERF Institutional Report
06/30/2022	Quarterly	June 30, 2022 Quarterly HEERF Institutional Report
09/30/2022	Quarterly	September 30, 2022 Quarterly HEERF Institutional Report
12/31/2022	Quarterly	December 31, 2022 Quarterly HEERF Institutional Report

• SUNY Plattsburgh 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. SUNY Plattsburgh 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.
• SUNY Plattsburgh will receive or has received $7,359,308 from the department pursuant to the institution’s Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.
• SUNY Plattsburgh estimated that 4,689 students matriculated in the fall 2021 semester (calculated on September 28, 2021) were originally eligible to receive an emergency grant under HEERF III or ARP and the Campus Plan above.
• SUNY Plattsburgh’s policy, methods, and eligible students for awarding emergency financial aid grants under Section 18004(a)(1) of the HEERF III or ARP are located above (see Campus Plan above). This section also includes a copy of the email notification and instructions for students concerning the emergency financial aid grants.