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- Connect you to a human agent at the FAFSA
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- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
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If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
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Oh and don't forget to check if your school has an installment payment plan! Mine let me spread out the remaining balance (after scholarships and loans) over 4 payments each semester. That might help reduce how much you need to borrow overall.
Just wanted to add one more thing that might help - if your grandmother does end up co-signing a private loan, make sure to compare rates from multiple lenders. I've seen cases where retirees actually get better rates with credit unions than big banks, especially if your grandmother has been a long-time member somewhere. Also, some lenders offer rate discounts for setting up autopay, which could save you money over the life of the loan. But definitely try the Parent PLUS denial route first to get those extra federal loans - that's your best bet for getting the most favorable terms!
Great advice about shopping around with different lenders! I hadn't thought about credit unions potentially being more favorable to retiree co-signers. My grandmother has been with the same credit union for like 30 years, so that might actually work in our favor. I'm definitely going to start with having my parents apply for the Parent PLUS first though - sounds like that additional $4-5K in federal loans could make a huge difference and save me from needing as much private funding.
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Here's one more crucial deadline most parents miss: CSS Profile. Many private colleges require BOTH the FAFSA and the CSS Profile. The CSS Profile typically opens October 1 of senior year, and some schools have deadlines as early as November for early decision applicants. The CSS Profile costs money ($25 for first school, $16 for each additional), but fee waivers are available. GI Bill benefits generally don't affect CSS calculations differently than FAFSA, but it's something to research for each specific school.
I had no idea about the CSS Profile! Definitely adding that to our timeline. Is there a way to see which schools require it?
Yes, the College Board maintains a list of all schools requiring the CSS Profile. Just search "CSS Profile participating institutions" and you'll find the current list. Mostly private colleges and some selective public universities.
As a newcomer here, this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I'm also a veteran parent with a high schooler and had no idea about the complexity of coordinating GI Bill benefits with FAFSA. The timeline breakdown from @Ava Johnson is super helpful - I'm definitely bookmarking this. One question I have: if my child decides to use GI Bill benefits for community college first and then transfer, does that affect the FAFSA process for the four-year school? And @Fatima Al-Farsi, I'm so sorry about your counselor situation - that's absolutely unacceptable that they're gatekeeping basic college planning help behind a paid class!
Welcome to the community @Darcy Moore! Great question about the community college transfer route. From what I understand, each school year requires a separate FAFSA regardless of where your child attends - so they'd file FAFSA for community college years AND again when transferring to a four-year school. The GI Bill benefits would transfer with them. @Ava Johnson would probably have more detailed info on how this affects aid calculations at the transfer school. And yes, the counselor situation is maddening - I'm definitely planning to escalate this after reading everyone's suggestions here!
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Just want to emphasize something that might help other parents - when you get to the contributor section and enter your tax info, don't panic if your Expected Family Contribution (now called SAI) seems high at first. The system processes disability considerations after all information is entered. I made the mistake of thinking we wouldn't qualify for any aid when I saw the initial numbers, but the final calculation was much more favorable once everything was properly processed. Also, keep all your documentation handy - schools sometimes request verification of the SSI benefits even though you've indicated disability status on the FAFSA.
This is such valuable advice! I'm just starting this process for my daughter who has autism and receives SSI, and I was already getting anxious about the SAI calculation. It's really reassuring to know that the disability considerations get processed after everything is entered - I would have definitely panicked seeing a high number initially. Thanks for the heads up about keeping documentation ready too. Did your school ask for specific types of verification, or was it pretty straightforward when they requested it?
The verification process was actually pretty straightforward! My son's school just asked for a copy of his SSA award letter showing his current SSI benefit amount and a letter from Social Security confirming his disability determination. They also wanted verification of any medical expenses we claimed as deductions. The financial aid office was really helpful and walked us through exactly what they needed. The whole verification took about 2 weeks to process once we submitted everything. Don't stress too much about it - they're used to working with families who have students with disabilities and they know what documentation is standard.
This thread has been so helpful! I'm a parent of a student with cerebral palsy who gets SSI, and I was having the exact same confusion about where to enter our tax info. Reading through everyone's experiences really clarified the process for me. One thing I learned from our school's financial aid office that might help others - if your child has significant medical expenses related to their disability that aren't covered by insurance or Medicaid, make sure to keep track of those. Some schools allow you to submit an appeal for additional consideration of unreimbursed medical expenses, which can further adjust your aid eligibility in a positive way. It's worth asking about during the verification process if applicable to your situation.
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I wanted to follow up since several people have mentioned calling FSA. Getting through to FSA by phone has been extremely difficult this application cycle. The published wait times have been 1-2 hours, but many callers are being disconnected before reaching an agent. After you do connect with an agent, make sure to: 1. Get a case number for your specific issue 2. Ask for the name of the agent you're speaking with 3. Request an email confirmation of any changes they make to your application 4. Find out exactly when you should check back to see if the issue is resolved If they transfer you to a specialist, restart this process with the new agent. Documentation is crucial with these complex cases.
This is excellent advice, thank you! I'll make sure to get all this information documented when I call. Do you happen to know if there's a better time of day to call when wait times might be shorter?
In my experience working with students, early morning (right when they open at 8am Eastern) tends to have slightly shorter wait times. Late afternoon tends to be the worst. Also, surprisingly, Wednesdays seem to be less busy than Mondays or Fridays.
I'm so sorry for your loss, and I completely understand your frustration with this broken system. As someone who's helped family members through FAFSA issues before, I want to echo what others have said about calling FSA directly - the chatbot really is useless for complex situations like yours. One thing I'd add is to also reach out to your son's college financial aid office proactively. Even if FSA fixes the signature issue, schools often have their own internal deadlines and processes. Let them know you're dealing with this technical problem so they can flag your son's file and potentially extend any priority deadlines if needed. Also, if you have a local TRIO program or college access organization in your area, they often have staff who are experienced with navigating these exact FAFSA problems and might be able to advocate for you or provide additional guidance. Sometimes having a professional advocate can help get things resolved faster. Hang in there - this system failure is not your fault, and there are people who can help get this sorted out!
Ryan Andre
As a newcomer to this community, I'm so relieved to find this discussion! My son's FAFSA has been stuck "In Review" for nearly 3 weeks now, and I was starting to think we'd done something terribly wrong. Reading through everyone's experiences has been both reassuring and informative - it's clear this is a widespread issue with the new system rather than individual application problems. The advice about documenting correction attempts via email is something I hadn't thought of but makes perfect sense. I'm also grateful to learn about the distinction between work-study and regular student income, as my son had both types of earnings last year and I wasn't sure how they'd be treated differently. The tip about contacting schools directly about deadline flexibility is also really valuable - I hadn't considered that they might be accommodating the FAFSA delays. Thank you all for creating such a supportive space for parents dealing with this frustrating but apparently normal situation!
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Isaiah Thompson
•Welcome to the community @Ryan Andre! Your experience with the 3-week "In Review" status is unfortunately very typical of what we're all seeing this year. I'm also new here and have found this thread to be incredibly helpful in understanding that these delays are system-wide rather than application-specific issues. The collective wisdom here has been amazing - from the email documentation strategy to understanding how different types of student income are treated. One thing I'd add from what I've learned reading through all these posts: don't hesitate to keep detailed records of all your attempts to contact FSA or make corrections. It seems like having a paper trail has been helpful for several people when they finally do get through to speak with someone. The fact that schools are being more flexible with deadlines this year due to these processing delays is also encouraging. We're all navigating this together!
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Liam Fitzgerald
As a newcomer to this community, I'm incredibly grateful to have found this thread! My daughter's FAFSA has been stuck "In Review" for about 2.5 weeks now, and I was starting to panic thinking we'd made some critical error. Reading through everyone's experiences has been so reassuring - it's clear this is a widespread issue with the new system changes rather than problems with individual applications. The practical advice here is invaluable: documenting correction attempts via email, understanding that work-study income is treated more favorably than regular student income, and knowing that schools may be flexible with deadlines due to these processing delays. I particularly appreciate learning about the Claimyr service for getting through to FSA - those hold times have been absolutely brutal! It's also comforting to know that even when applications are "In Review," there are still options for making corrections afterward. Thank you all for creating such a supportive environment for parents navigating what feels like the most complicated FAFSA rollout ever. This community is truly a lifesaver!
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