Make sure you specifically ask about the HESC Form H (Special Consideration Form). This is typically the form used for TAP dependency overrides in McKinney-Vento cases. Not all college financial aid advisors mention it immediately, but it's the official pathway for these situations in New York State. The student's high school McKinney-Vento liaison should be familiar with this form as well.

I'm new to this community but wanted to share some hope! My sister went through almost the exact same situation last year as a McKinney-Vento student. The initial TAP rejection was devastating, but we didn't give up. Working with her college's financial aid office, we gathered every piece of documentation we could find - the McKinney-Vento determination letter, statements from her high school counselor and principal, even a letter from the family she was staying with. The key was being very persistent and detailed in explaining her complete lack of contact with her parents. It took about 6 weeks total, but TAP finally approved her dependency override. Don't lose hope - the system is frustrating but it can work! Make sure to keep copies of absolutely everything you submit.

Update: My account just got verified! It took exactly 2 business days. I was able to complete my contributor section of the FAFSA and now it shows as "Processing" on my daughter's dashboard. Thanks everyone for the reassurance and advice - this whole new FAFSA system is so much more complicated than when I went to college!

Congratulations on getting through the verification process! As someone new to this community, I'm so relieved to see this had a positive outcome. I'm actually going through something similar right now - my son just started his FAFSA and I'm dreading the FSA ID verification wait. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful. It's reassuring to know that the 1-3 day delay is normal and that schools are generally understanding about these system delays. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge and advice - this community is such a valuable resource for navigating these stressful financial aid processes!

I'm still waiting on my SAI calculation from an application I submitted 3 weeks ago... anyone know how long it takes for those to come through? The site just says "processing" with no timeline.

As someone who just went through this nightmare myself, I can totally relate to your frustration! The browser compatibility issues are real and it's honestly unacceptable for such an important government service. I ended up having success with a combination approach - cleared everything (cookies, cache, extensions) in Chrome, then switched to Edge as my backup. The key for me was also making sure I wasn't on my work VPN and using a personal email that wasn't associated with any educational institution. One thing I noticed is that the site seems to have better stability in the early morning hours (like 6-8 AM) when fewer people are hammering the servers. Also, don't give up if the verification email takes forever - mine took almost an hour to arrive one time. The whole system desperately needs an overhaul, but in the meantime these workarounds seem to help. Hope you get through to your account soon - the actual FAFSA form is much less painful once you're past the account creation hurdle!

Thank you all SO MUCH for your helpful advice! I'm going to try several approaches: 1. Have my daughter log in with her own FSA ID to make corrections 2. Contact each school's financial aid office directly 3. File a case through studentaid.gov 4. Try Claimyr to reach a human at FSA 5. Document everything with screenshots and dates If all else fails, I'll contact our congressional representative as suggested. It's both comforting and frustrating to know we're not alone in this. I'll update this thread if we get a resolution that might help others!

I'm dealing with something similar right now! My FAFSA has been stuck since May with the same processing loop issue. One thing that helped me was reaching out to the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman - they're specifically there to help resolve these kinds of system issues when regular customer service isn't working. You can submit a request at studentaid.gov/feedback-ombudsman/disputes/prepare. It took about 2 weeks to hear back, but they were able to escalate my case to a technical team that actually understood the name glitch problem. Definitely worth trying alongside the other great suggestions here! Also, make sure your daughter's schools know about the May 1st commitment deadline pressure - many are being flexible this year because of all the FAFSA delays.

So glad you got real help from actual financial aid offices! Your experience proves exactly what everyone here has been saying - there are no "secret questions," just legitimate appeal processes that schools are happy to explain. The fact that you got forms from multiple schools so quickly shows these offices WANT to help students in genuine need, not hide information behind some paywall. Hope your appeals go well and you get the adjustment you deserve!

This is such an important thread for families to read! The timing of these scam emails is no coincidence - they're targeting the confusion around the new SAI system. What really bothers me is how they prey on families who are already stressed about college costs. For anyone still getting these emails: legitimate financial aid information is ALWAYS available for free through your school's financial aid office, StudentAid.gov, or nonprofit organizations like College Goal Sunday. If someone is asking for money upfront to reveal "secrets," that's your red flag right there. The professional judgment process that everyone mentioned is real and can make a significant difference, but it requires actual documentation of changed circumstances - not magic questions. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here!