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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!
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Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
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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!
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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.
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Glad you got answers! This whole new FAFSA system is such a disaster. My daughter almost missed out on $8000 in grants because of similar issues. They really need to extend all the deadlines this year.
Completely agree! I don't understand how they could launch a system with so many problems when students' financial futures depend on it. At least we finally have a path forward now.
I'm dealing with a similar signature issue right now and this thread has been so helpful! For anyone else reading this, I wanted to add that I discovered you can check your FSA ID verification status by logging into your account and looking at the "My Account" section - it will show if your identity verification is still "pending" or "complete." This saved me from wondering if that was my problem. Also, if you're still having browser issues, try Safari if you're on a Mac - it worked for me when Chrome and Firefox didn't. The FAFSA system really is a nightmare this year but at least we're all suffering together! 😅
This is such great additional info, thank you! I wish I had known about checking the FSA ID verification status earlier - that would have saved me hours of troubleshooting. And good tip about Safari too! It's crazy how different browsers can have such different results with government websites. Really appreciate you sharing what worked for you. This whole experience has been so stressful but at least this community has been incredibly helpful! 🙏
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That retirement withdrawal situation is frustrating when it affects your Pell Grant eligibility. Unfortunately, the FAFSA does count retirement distributions as income, even when used for debt payoff rather than education expenses. Your best approach is definitely to request a Professional Judgment review from your school's financial aid office. Prepare documentation showing: - The retirement withdrawal amount - Proof it went directly to debt payments - A letter explaining this was a one-time circumstance that doesn't reflect your family's typical financial situation When you meet with the financial aid administrator, be clear that this withdrawal artificially inflated your family's income for FAFSA purposes and doesn't represent ongoing financial capacity. Some schools are more flexible with Professional Judgment than others, but this is exactly the kind of situation it's designed for. You might also want to check if your school has emergency grants or other institutional aid that could help fill the gap if the Professional Judgment review doesn't fully restore your Pell eligibility.
@brianna rodriguez I d'also suggest gathering any documentation that shows the debt burden was preventing your family from contributing to your education in the first place. For example, if high monthly debt payments were eating up most of your father s'income, collect old credit card statements or loan documents that demonstrate this. You want to paint a clear picture that the retirement withdrawals were essentially robbing "Peter to pay Paul rather" than creating new disposable income. Also consider asking your school s'financial aid office if they can do a forward-looking assessment - since the debt is now paid down, your family s'actual ability to contribute to education costs may have improved, which could help your case for future aid years.
@brianna rodriguez One more thing to consider - if your father is still working and plans to stop making retirement withdrawals once the debt is fully paid off, make sure to emphasize the temporary nature of this situation in your appeal. Even though it s'happened multiple years, if there s'a clear endpoint like (debt "will be fully paid by X date ,")that strengthens your case that this isn t'permanent income but rather a specific debt elimination strategy. You might also want to calculate and present what your family s'normal "income" would be without these withdrawals to show the financial aid office what your typical eligibility should look like. Some schools are more willing to work with families when they can see a clear timeline for when the unusual financial circumstances will end.
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my sister had twins last year and she said one got more aid than the other even with identical parent info. depends on what schools they apply to and their own merit scholarships etc
That's interesting and a bit concerning. I hope the colleges will consider that we have two kids attending simultaneously. I've heard there's some adjustment for multiple college students but wasn't sure how that works now with the new SAI system.
With the new FAFSA, multiple children in college is handled differently than before. The SAI calculation no longer includes the automatic reduction for multiple students that the old EFC had. However, individual colleges may still make adjustments to their aid packages when they see multiple students from the same household. It's definitely worth contacting each financial aid office directly to discuss your twin situation.
Just wanted to add another perspective as someone currently going through this process with twins this year! One thing I discovered is that it's helpful to create a simple spreadsheet with all your financial information before starting either application. This way, when you're completing the second parent portion, you can just copy the exact same numbers and avoid any typos that might trigger verification issues. Also, make sure both twins use consistent naming conventions when they list you as their contributor - use your full legal name exactly as it appears on your tax return for both applications. This small detail can prevent headaches later!
That's such a smart tip about the spreadsheet! I'm definitely going to do that. I'm also wondering - should I wait for both twins to completely finish their student portions before I start either parent section, or can I complete one parent portion as soon as I get the first notification and then do the second one later when the other twin finishes?
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Congratulations on getting your award! That's awesome news and such a relief when you finally see those numbers. Your experience is exactly why I always tell people not to stress too much about the SAI number - the thresholds are higher than most people think. $3,465 is a solid amount that will definitely help with your costs. Hope your sophomore year goes smoothly!
That's such great news! I'm a new student here and was panicking about my own SAI being around 2800. Seeing everyone's experiences really helps calm my nerves about the whole process. It's encouraging to know that the system actually works and people do get the aid they qualify for, even if it takes some patience waiting for the schools to process everything.
Welcome to the community! Your SAI of 2800 should definitely qualify you for Pell Grant funding - you're actually in a better position than the original poster. Based on what others have shared here, you'll likely receive around $3,800-$4,200 for the year if you're enrolled full-time. The waiting is definitely the hardest part, but it sounds like you're on track to get good aid. Make sure to check studentaid.gov to see your official eligibility, and don't hesitate to reach out to your school's financial aid office if you have questions once your package is ready!
Thank you so much for the welcome and the information! That's incredibly reassuring to hear. I've been losing sleep over this whole financial aid process, especially since I'm the first in my family to go to college and we have no idea how any of this works. I'll definitely check studentaid.gov like you suggested. It's amazing how supportive everyone is here - I was expecting to just lurk and read, but you all make it feel like a real community where people actually help each other out.
Connor O'Reilly
This thread is so helpful! I'm a junior just starting to research financial aid and had no clue about any of these potential FAFSA issues. Reading through everyone's experiences is eye-opening - especially the name matching problem that seems to trip up so many students. I'm definitely going to make sure I enter my name exactly as it appears on my Social Security card when I apply next year. And I'm saving the Claimyr recommendation too since it sounds like getting through to FSA support is nearly impossible otherwise. Thanks Isabella for sharing your solution and everyone else for the detailed advice!
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Benjamin Johnson
•This whole thread has been incredibly educational! As someone new to the FAFSA process, I had no idea there were so many potential pitfalls. The name matching issue seems like such a small detail but can cause weeks of delays - definitely something they should make more prominent in their instructions. It's also concerning how many system issues there seem to be with the 2023-2024 FAFSA overhaul. I'm grateful for communities like this where people share real solutions like the Claimyr service. Isabella's experience shows how important it is to be persistent and seek help when things aren't working. I'll definitely be extra careful with my application details when my time comes!
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Paolo Moretti
Wow, this entire thread is exactly what I needed to see! I'm a senior dealing with a similar FAFSA nightmare right now - my application has been stuck in "processing" for over 2 weeks and I can't figure out why. After reading through everyone's experiences, I'm pretty sure it might be a name matching issue too since I used a shortened version of my legal name. The fact that Isabella got it resolved so quickly with Claimyr gives me hope! I'm definitely calling FSA tomorrow using that service. It's honestly ridiculous that the FAFSA system is this broken, but at least this community is sharing actual solutions. Thank you all for being so detailed about the troubleshooting steps - this is way more helpful than any official FAFSA help page I've found!
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Dmitry Sokolov
•Paolo, I hope the Claimyr service works as well for you as it did for Isabella! The name matching thing is so frustrating because it seems like such a minor detail but can completely derail your whole application. Make sure you have all your documents ready when you call - your FSA ID, Social Security card to verify the exact name spelling, and your DRN number from any emails you've received. It's crazy that we have to use third-party services just to reach the people who are supposed to help us with federal aid, but at least there are solutions out there. Keep us posted on how it goes - your experience could help other students in the same situation!
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