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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
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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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!
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As a newcomer to this community, this thread has been absolutely incredible for understanding FAFSA calculations! I had no idea that assets are only assessed at a maximum of 5.64% while income can be assessed at rates up to 47%. This completely changes my understanding of how financial aid eligibility actually works. @Tate Jensen - huge congratulations to your daughter on that phenomenal $80K merit scholarship! That's truly an outstanding achievement. Following your questions about aid stacking has been so educational, and it's clear you're asking all the right questions about how merit awards interact with need-based aid. The practical advice shared here has been invaluable - from the optimal timing for calling financial aid offices (right at opening or during lunch hours) to the importance of documenting every conversation. I'm definitely going to implement that tracking spreadsheet suggestion to stay organized with different school policies and deadlines. What really stood out to me was the advice about framing discussions as "comparing offers" rather than "requesting more aid" - that's such a smart strategic approach that probably yields much better results. And learning about professional judgment reviews for special circumstances and state aid programs has opened my eyes to funding opportunities I never knew existed. This thread has provided me with such a comprehensive roadmap for approaching financial aid strategically when my own family goes through this process. Thank you to everyone who has generously shared their expertise and real-world experiences - this community is proving to be an absolutely invaluable resource! 🙏
As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this thread! The detailed breakdown of FAFSA asset vs income weighting has been incredibly enlightening - I had completely misunderstood how the formula works. Learning that assets are only assessed at 5.64% maximum while income can be assessed up to 47% really changes everything for families like mine who have saved but have moderate incomes. @Tate Jensen - first, congratulations to your daughter on that amazing $80K merit scholarship! What an incredible achievement. Your questions about aid stacking have been so helpful to follow, and the advice everyone has shared about calling schools directly to ask about their specific policies seems absolutely crucial. I'm taking detailed notes on all the practical tips shared here - the timing suggestions for calling financial aid offices, the importance of creating tracking spreadsheets for different school policies, and especially that brilliant strategy of framing conversations as "comparing offers" rather than "requesting more aid." The information about professional judgment reviews and state aid programs has opened my eyes to opportunities I never knew existed. This thread has been like getting a masterclass in financial aid strategy from families who've actually been through the process. The collective wisdom here is so much more valuable than trying to piece together information from official websites alone. Thank you to everyone who has shared their real experiences - this community is truly an invaluable resource for navigating the complexities of college financing! 🙏
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As a newcomer to this community, I'm so relieved to have found this discussion! I was having the exact same issue and was starting to panic that I had somehow accessed an incomplete version of the FAFSA. Like many others here, I spent way too much time clicking through every section looking for that housing question. It's incredibly reassuring to know that both first-time filers and experienced users are finding the new interface confusing - definitely makes me feel better about struggling with it! I just went back and found all my housing selections under each school in the School Selection section. The explanations about how housing affects Cost of Attendance rather than SAI were really eye-opening too. Thank you to this amazing community for being so supportive and helping newcomers navigate these changes!
Welcome to the community, Liam! Your experience is so similar to what I went through as a newcomer - I was also convinced I had accessed some broken version of the application! It's honestly been such a relief reading through this entire thread and seeing that so many people, both newcomers and experienced filers, had the exact same confusion. I spent hours thinking I was missing something obvious, but it really is just poor interface design on the new FAFSA. The community here has been incredibly patient in helping all of us newcomers understand where everything moved to. The explanations about COA vs SAI have been particularly helpful - definitely not something I would have figured out on my own! Thanks for sharing your experience and adding to this supportive discussion.
As a newcomer to the FAFSA process, I'm so grateful I stumbled upon this thread! I was having the exact same panic about the missing housing question and spent hours thinking I had somehow broken the application or skipped a crucial section. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly reassuring - it's clear that the new FAFSA interface has genuinely confused a lot of people, not just those of us filling it out for the first time. I just went back and found all my housing selections under each school in the School Selection section. You're all absolutely right that it's easy to miss if you're not expecting it there! The detailed explanations about how housing selection affects Cost of Attendance calculations versus SAI have also been super educational. Thank you to this supportive community for helping newcomers like me navigate these interface changes - this discussion has been more helpful than any official guide I've found!
Welcome to the community, Debra! Your experience perfectly captures what so many of us newcomers have gone through with this redesign. I'm also new to the FAFSA process and had that same panic feeling when I couldn't find the housing question - I was convinced I had somehow missed an entire section or that my browser was malfunctioning! It's been such a relief reading through this thread and realizing that the confusion is widespread, affecting both first-time filers like us and people who've used the old FAFSA before. The community explanations about COA vs SAI have been incredibly helpful for understanding how the whole financial aid system works. I'm so glad you found your housing selections too! This thread has honestly become my go-to resource for navigating the new FAFSA - way more useful than trying to decode the official documentation on my own.
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I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! My daughter's deadline is next week and I've been locked out of my parent FSA ID for 5 days straight. I've tried every browser, cleared cookies, reset passwords multiple times - nothing works. The most frustrating part is that I can see my FSA ID exists when I try to create a new one, but it won't let me access it. I'm definitely going to try the 5am login suggestion and having my daughter re-send the parent invitation. Has anyone had luck with contacting their child's college directly? I'm starting to wonder if I should reach out to her financial aid office proactively to explain the situation before the deadline hits. This whole system overhaul has been an absolute disaster for parents!
I'm so sorry you're dealing with this too! Yes, definitely contact your daughter's college financial aid office right away - don't wait until after the deadline. Most schools are very understanding about these FAFSA technical issues this year since they're so widespread. When I called my son's college last week, they immediately offered a 2-week extension and said they could work with tax documents and a parent statement in the meantime. The financial aid counselor told me they've been getting calls about parent login issues daily. Also, try the early morning login (around 5-6am EST) - that seems to be when the system has the least traffic and glitches. The re-sending parent invitation trick is worth trying too. Don't lose hope - there are definitely workarounds even if the system is being horrible!
I'm dealing with this exact same issue! My daughter's FAFSA deadline is coming up fast and I've been locked out for almost a week. Reading through all these responses gives me some hope though. I'm definitely going to try the early morning login (5-6am) with Chrome browser and the "Forgot Username" option instead of password reset. The tip about making sure my daughter isn't logged in at the same time is something I hadn't considered - she's been checking her application status daily so that could be causing conflicts. I'm also going to have her re-send the parent invitation from her dashboard since that seems to have helped others. If all else fails, I'll contact her college's financial aid office for an extension. It's reassuring to know that schools are understanding about these technical issues since they're so widespread this year. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions - this thread has been more helpful than hours of trying to reach FSA support!
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Thank you all for the helpful responses! This clarified a lot. Just to summarize what I've learned: - Pell Grant eligibility follows my daughter to any participating school - The amount can change based on enrollment status (full-time vs part-time) - Verification could potentially change our eligibility if selected - Schools must award the Pell if we're eligible - they can't withhold it This is all really reassuring. I've been stressing about college costs so knowing that at least this piece is guaranteed helps a lot with our planning.
That's a perfect summary! And congratulations on qualifying for the Pell Grant - it's one of the best forms of financial aid since it's free money that doesn't need to be repaid. Make sure your daughter also applies for institutional scholarships at each school she's considering, as those can stack on top of her federal aid.
Just wanted to add one more thing that might be helpful - make sure to check if your daughter's schools participate in the Year-Round Pell Grant program. This allows students to receive up to 150% of their scheduled Pell Grant award in a single award year if they're enrolled in additional coursework during summer terms. Not all schools participate, but if she's planning to take summer classes to graduate early or catch up on credits, this could be a significant benefit. You can usually find this information on the school's financial aid website or by calling their financial aid office directly.
Ben Cooper
As a newcomer to this community, I just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! @9f241d062528 your persistence through that month-long SSA verification nightmare is truly admirable, and I'm so glad you finally got it resolved. Thank you for taking the time to update everyone with your solution - it's going to help so many people facing the same issue. The Claimyr service that @c0a759d0a949 mentioned is a complete revelation to me. I had no idea there were third-party services that could help navigate those endless government hold times. It's honestly ridiculous that students need these workarounds just to reach actual humans, but I'm definitely saving this resource! @8505111f7185 and @083be97810bd - your technical expertise throughout this discussion has been invaluable. The detailed troubleshooting steps, insights about manual overrides, and tips like trying during off-peak hours are exactly the kind of insider knowledge that makes all the difference. It's amazing how much you both know about navigating these systems. This thread is going straight into my FAFSA reference collection. Between all the troubleshooting advice, the Claimyr discovery, and learning that manual overrides exist (seriously, why isn't this more widely known?), I feel so much better prepared for my own financial aid journey. This community's willingness to share knowledge and support each other through these bureaucratic challenges is exactly what makes forums like this so valuable. Thank you everyone for creating such a comprehensive resource!
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Aidan Percy
•Welcome to the community, Ben! As another newcomer who's been following this amazing thread, I couldn't agree more with everything you've said. @9f241d062528's journey really shows how frustrating these verification loops can be, but also demonstrates that there are actual solutions if you know where to look and who to ask. The month of persistence really paid off! The Claimyr service from @c0a759d0a949 is definitely going on my must-have list - it's crazy that we need third-party tools just to talk to government agencies, but I'm so grateful to know it exists. And the expertise from @8505111f7185 and @083be97810bd has been absolutely incredible throughout this whole discussion. Their knowledge about manual overrides, timing strategies, and all those technical details really shows the value of having experienced people in this community. I'm also bookmarking this entire thread as my go-to FAFSA troubleshooting guide. It's so reassuring to know that even when the automated systems fail completely, there are real people and proven solutions that can help break through the bureaucracy. Thanks to everyone for making this such a valuable learning experience!
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Yuki Ito
As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how incredible this thread has been to read through! @9f241d062528 congratulations on finally getting your SSA verification issue resolved - what a journey you went through! Your persistence over that entire month and willingness to share the complete solution is exactly what makes communities like this so valuable. The Claimyr service that @c0a759d0a949 recommended is something I had never heard of before, but it sounds like an absolute lifesaver for dealing with those impossible government hold times. It's honestly frustrating that students need to resort to third-party services just to reach actual humans who can help, but I'm definitely bookmarking this for future reference. @8505111f7185 and @083be97810bd - your detailed technical advice throughout this entire discussion has been amazing! The insights about FSA ID timing, name formatting variations, manual overrides, and even trying during off-peak hours are invaluable tips that I never would have known otherwise. Your expertise really shows through and will help so many students. I'm saving this entire thread as my FAFSA emergency reference guide. Between all the troubleshooting steps, the Claimyr discovery, and learning that manual overrides are actually possible (why don't they advertise this option more widely?), I feel so much more prepared to handle any verification issues that might come up during my own financial aid process. This community's willingness to share knowledge and support each other through these bureaucratic nightmares is exactly what makes forums like this so valuable. Thank you all for creating such a comprehensive resource for current and future students dealing with FAFSA challenges!
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Lara Woods
•Welcome to the community, Yuki! As another newcomer, I'm completely blown away by how helpful and comprehensive this thread has been. @9f241d062528's month-long battle with the SSA verification system really highlights just how broken the communication between these government agencies can be, but it's so inspiring to see their persistence finally pay off! The fact that they took the time to come back and share the exact solution that worked is what makes this community so special. The Claimyr service from @c0a759d0a949 is definitely a game-changer - I had no idea these services existed to help cut through government bureaucracy, but it makes total sense given how impossible it can be to reach actual humans. And wow, the technical expertise from @8505111f7185 and @083be97810bd throughout this discussion has been incredible - their knowledge about manual overrides, system timing, and all those formatting nuances shows just how valuable experienced voices are in navigating these complex processes. I'm also saving this entire thread as my FAFSA survival guide! It's amazing how one student's frustrating experience turned into such a comprehensive troubleshooting resource for everyone else. Thanks to this whole community for showing how we can support each other through these stressful financial aid challenges!
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