As a newcomer to this community and the FAFSA process, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences with VA disability and the new FAFSA system. My husband is a veteran receiving disability compensation, and I've been completely overwhelmed trying to figure out how this new automatic system works compared to what I've heard about previous years. Reading through all these detailed step-by-step instructions has been incredibly reassuring. The "submit first, correct later" approach definitely feels backwards to me, but now I understand that's just how the system is designed. I'm particularly grateful for the specific details like where to find the "Special Circumstances" section (apparently it's easy to miss at the bottom!), what documentation to have ready (VA award letter), and realistic expectations about processing times (3-5 business days). This is our first time doing FAFSA for our daughter, and I was honestly panicking that we might mess up her financial aid eligibility. But seeing how many other families have successfully navigated this VA disability exclusion process gives me confidence that we can figure it out too. The community support here is amazing - thank you all for taking the time to help newcomers like me!

As someone completely new to both this community and the FAFSA process, I can't express how grateful I am for all the detailed guidance shared here! My spouse receives VA disability benefits and I've been absolutely lost trying to understand how the new automatic system handles this. The step-by-step breakdowns from everyone who has successfully navigated this process are incredibly valuable. What really stands out to me is how counterintuitive the "submit first, correct later" approach is - I would have naturally wanted to get everything perfect before submitting. But understanding that the system is designed to pull all income data first and then allow for corrections afterward makes so much more sense now. The specific tips about finding that easily-missed "Special Circumstances" link at the bottom of the page, having the VA award letter ready, and being patient with the 3-5 day processing time are exactly what I needed to hear. This community is amazing for helping newcomers understand a process that feels incredibly overwhelming at first. Thank you all for taking the time to share your experiences and help families like mine ensure we don't accidentally impact our children's financial aid eligibility!

I'm so grateful I found this thread! I'm a parent filling out my first FAFSA for my daughter and was completely stumped by this question. I did a 401k rollover last year when I retired from my previous job, and like so many others here, I got thrown off by the word "pension" when I knew it was a 401k. Reading through everyone's explanations, especially from Connor about how marking "yes" actually prevents the rollover from being counted as income, makes so much sense now. I was terrified of checking the wrong box and accidentally inflating our income or making it look like we had more available funds than we actually do. I'm going to go back and check my 1099-R for that "G" code that was mentioned, and I'll make sure to keep all my rollover paperwork organized. It's such a relief to know that being honest about the rollover actually helps rather than hurts our aid calculation. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - this community has been invaluable for a nervous first-time FAFSA parent!

I just want to echo what everyone else has said - this thread literally saved me from making a huge mistake! I was about to mark "no" on the pension rollover question because I kept thinking "it's not a pension, it's a 401k transfer." But now I understand that the FAFSA uses "pension" as a broad category that includes 401k plans. What really clicked for me was the explanation about how marking "yes" actually PROTECTS your financial aid by preventing that rollover amount from being counted as available income. I had it completely backwards - I thought saying "yes" would somehow make our financial situation look better than it really is. For anyone else reading this who's still unsure: if you moved money from one 401k to another, that IS a pension rollover for FAFSA purposes, and you should definitely mark "yes." The system is designed to be fair and accurate, not to trick you into the wrong answer. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and expertise - this community is incredible!

Congratulations on getting your discharge! This is huge! I'm a financial aid counselor and I've helped several students navigate this exact situation. A few important points to add to the great advice already shared: **Immediate steps:** - Download and save multiple copies of your discharge letter (as others mentioned) - Check your credit reports in 60-90 days to ensure the discharged loans are properly removed - Consider setting up credit monitoring to track the positive changes **FAFSA application tips:** - You can start your 2025-2026 FAFSA application now, but wait to submit until you confirm your loans show as discharged in the system - When you apply, you'll be treated as a "new" borrower for aggregate loan limits, which is fantastic - Make sure to complete the FAFSA early - community colleges often have limited aid funds that are awarded first-come, first-served **One thing most people don't know:** If you had any federal work-study earnings or other aid from your time at Corinthian that was later deemed fraudulent, those amounts may also be restored to your lifetime eligibility limits. You're about to get a fresh start on your educational journey - that's incredible after 8 years of struggle! Community college is an excellent choice for completing your degree affordably. Best of luck! 🌟

This is such wonderful news - congratulations on finally getting justice after all these years! 🎉 I went through something similar with my Art Institute loans that got discharged last year, and I can tell you that getting your FAFSA eligibility back is truly life-changing. A few things from my experience that might help: **System timing**: Like others mentioned, there can be delays between your discharge letter and the systems updating. Mine took about 5 weeks to show properly on studentaid.gov, but don't worry if it takes a bit longer. **PELL Grant restoration**: Since you mentioned PELL grants in your follow-up comment - those should be automatically restored to your lifetime eligibility when the discharge processes. You won't need to do anything special on the FAFSA application for that. **Community college tip**: When you're ready to apply, reach out to the financial aid office at your community college directly. Many of them have experience helping students with restored eligibility and can guide you through any quirks in the application process. **Credit score**: In my case, my score jumped about 85 points over 3 months as the negative marks were removed. It was incredible to see! You've been through so much - you deserve this fresh start. Community college is perfect for getting back into the swing of things academically, and with your FAFSA eligibility restored, you'll actually be able to afford it. Wishing you all the best on this new chapter! 📚✨

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter last year, I can confirm what others have said - gather ALL bank statements, even for accounts with tiny balances. We learned this the hard way when we initially only submitted our main checking account statement and got a letter requesting documentation for every single account we had listed on our tax returns. One thing that really helped us was creating a simple spreadsheet listing all our accounts, their balances on the day we filed FAFSA, and where we kept the documentation. It made the whole verification process much less stressful when we had everything organized in one place. Also, don't let the anxiety get to you too much - yes, the process can be tedious, but thousands of families go through this successfully every year. Your twins are lucky to have a parent who's being so thorough about getting everything right!

As a newcomer to this process, I'm finding all this information incredibly helpful but also a bit overwhelming! I'm in a similar situation - stay-at-home parent with joint accounts and preparing for my child's FAFSA next year. One thing I'm still confused about: when you all mention getting statements for "all accounts," does that include things like savings accounts for the kids (like their birthday money accounts) or 529 college savings plans? Or are we just talking about the parent accounts here? Also, for those of you who've been through verification - how long did the whole process typically take from start to finish? I want to make sure we submit everything early enough so there's time for any back-and-forth if needed. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's making this feel much less scary knowing other families have navigated this successfully!

Great job getting that fixed! Just wanted to add for anyone else reading this thread - if you're in a similar situation, don't panic. This is actually one of the most common FAFSA mistakes, especially with the new system. The key is catching it early like Ethan did. I've helped several families through this exact issue and it's totally fixable. One tip: if you're married filing separately, always double-check the "Contributors" section shows both parents before submitting. The system should auto-prompt for both, but it doesn't always work perfectly. Thanks for sharing your experience - it'll help other parents who run into the same thing!

Welcome to the community, Rhett! You're absolutely right to catch this early - it's so much easier to get it right the first time than to fix it later. Since you and your spouse file separately, here's a quick checklist before you submit: 1) Make sure both parents show up in the Contributors section, 2) Have both of your tax returns handy (you'll need income info from both), and 3) Don't forget that you'll both need to provide asset information too. The new FAFSA interface can be a bit confusing, but take your time with each section. If you run into any issues while filling it out, feel free to post here - this community has been super helpful for navigating these tricky situations!