As a fellow service member who navigated this maze a few years back, I'd highly recommend creating a spreadsheet to track all your different benefits and deadlines. The military education office, loan servicer, and FAFSA all have different timelines and requirements that can easily get mixed up. Also, don't forget about state-specific veterans education benefits - many states offer additional tuition assistance or loan repayment programs that stack with federal benefits. I saved about $8K by applying for my state's veterans scholarship program that I almost missed because I was so focused on federal options. The key is applying for everything you're eligible for and then choosing the best combination once you see what gets approved.

Dylan, you're asking all the right questions! As someone who went through a similar process, I'd recommend starting with the basics: make sure you understand exactly what type of loans you have (federal vs private) since military benefits and FAFSA programs treat them differently. For your pre-service federal loans, you should definitely look into the military service deferment option while on active duty - this can pause your payments without interest accrual on subsidized loans. The PSLF program is worth pursuing, but make sure you get on an income-driven repayment plan ASAP and submit that employment certification form annually. Don't let anyone discourage you from filing FAFSA - even with military benefits, you might qualify for grants or work-study that don't need to be repaid. I'd also suggest talking to a financial counselor on base who specializes in education benefits - they can help you create a timeline for using TA now vs saving your GI Bill for later. The key is having multiple options so you can choose what works best for your career goals.

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter's sophomore year, I wanted to add that it's also worth checking if your loan servicer offers any autopay discounts. Mine gives a 0.25% interest rate reduction if I set up automatic payments, which helps offset some of the interest accumulation. Even if you're just making interest-only payments during school, that small discount can add up over time. Also, keep good records of all your payments - you'll need them for tax purposes when claiming that student loan interest deduction!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who's currently in my third year of Parent PLUS loans! I was in the exact same boat as you freshman year - so worried about messing something up. Here's what I've learned: the approval process really is separate each year, and as long as you don't have major credit issues, you'll be fine. I've been making small interest payments (about $60/month) just to keep the principal from growing, and it's been manageable. One thing that helped me was calling my loan servicer early in the process to understand all my options - they were actually pretty helpful once I got through to someone. You're asking all the right questions, so you're already ahead of where I was! Your son is lucky to have a parent who's being so thoughtful about this process.

I'm going through this exact same situation right now with my twin daughters' applications! It's such a relief to find this thread because I was convinced we had somehow broken the system. We consented to the IRS data retrieval back in February before getting locked out, and when we finally got back in last week, it went straight to asking about investments and completely skipped all the income questions I remember from my older son's FAFSA two years ago. Reading everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful - it sounds like this is actually how the new system is supposed to work, even though it feels completely wrong as a parent. I think I'm going to follow the advice here and call the helpline to confirm they have our tax information before submitting, just for my own peace of mind. Has anyone had issues with the Direct Data Exchange not working properly, or does it seem pretty reliable once you get past the initial technical problems?

As someone who just completed this process with my daughter last month, I can confirm this is exactly how the new 2025-2026 FAFSA is supposed to work! The Direct Data Exchange (DDX) automatically pulls your tax information from the IRS once you provide consent, which is why you're only seeing questions about investments and assets that aren't on your tax return. I was equally confused when it happened to us - after years of manually entering every line from our tax forms, it felt wrong to skip that entire section. But our SAI came back correctly with all our 2023 tax data included in the calculation. The new system has eliminated about 26 questions from previous years, and most of those were the detailed tax questions we used to have to answer manually. If you already consented to IRS data retrieval before getting kicked out, you should be good to submit. The lack of transparency is definitely unsettling, but the technology actually works pretty well once you get past the learning curve!

I'm new to this community but wanted to share what happened with my daughter this past fall semester. She also had a negative SAI (-1650) and we received her initial aid package from her state school with no Pell Grant listed anywhere. After reading through all the excellent advice in this thread, I called the financial aid office and it turned out to be a combination of two issues: they were waiting for tax transcript verification AND there was a mismatch between her legal name on the FAFSA and what was in their enrollment system (she goes by her middle name but her legal first name was on the FAFSA). Once we cleared up both issues, her full Pell Grant appeared within a week. The key was being persistent and asking very specific questions like everyone here has suggested. One additional tip - when you call Monday, ask them to walk you through exactly what they see in their system for your nephew's federal aid processing status. Don't just ask "where's the Pell Grant" but ask them to actually look at his file and tell you what stage of processing it's in. Sometimes the front desk staff will just give you a generic answer, but if you ask them to pull up his specific record, they'll find the real issue. You're being such an incredible advocate for your nephew during this difficult time. With that -1500 SAI, there's absolutely no reason he shouldn't get the maximum Pell Grant. Don't let them brush you off - keep pushing until you get a clear answer and timeline. This community is here to support you both!

I'm new to this community but wanted to share a quick tip that helped us when my stepson had a similar issue last year. His negative SAI should have qualified him for maximum Pell, but it wasn't showing up in his aid package either. When I called the school, I learned that their financial aid system processes federal aid in batches, and they only run those batch updates twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays in his case). So even if all his paperwork was complete, we had to wait for the next batch processing date for the Pell Grant to actually appear in his online portal. The financial aid counselor was able to confirm that his Pell Grant was approved and would appear after the next batch run, which gave us peace of mind while we waited. Maybe ask Virginia State about their batch processing schedule when you call Monday - it could explain the timing delay even if everything else is in order. With everything your family has been through losing his mom, you're doing such an important thing advocating for him. That -1500 SAI definitely means he should get the full $7,395, so don't give up until you see it reflected in his aid package. Wishing you both the best!

I'm actually going through the exact same situation right now! My SAP appeal for 150% PACE was approved last Thursday, so I'm about a week into this waiting game. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both incredibly helpful and nerve-wracking - it sounds like the timeline can vary so dramatically between different schools. The breakdown about the three separate steps (manual coding, applying to account, then refund processing) really opened my eyes to why this process is so unpredictable. I had been getting frustrated with my financial aid office for giving vague timelines, but now I understand they're probably waiting on multiple departments to coordinate. I'm definitely going to use the strategic questions people have shared here - asking specifically which step my aid is currently in and whether it's been "released for disbursement" rather than just the generic "when will I get my money" question that hasn't been getting me anywhere. The emergency aid suggestion is something I never would have thought to ask about, but it could be a real lifesaver while waiting for the full refund. Even a small advance would help cover essentials during this stressful waiting period. Emma, I hope you've gotten some concrete answers by now! Please keep us all posted - it's really helping to see everyone's different experiences and timelines. This whole process shouldn't be so anxiety-inducing when we've already been approved for the aid we desperately need.

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! My SAP appeal for 150% PACE was just approved yesterday, so I'm literally at the very beginning of this waiting process. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both reassuring and anxiety-inducing - it's clear that timelines can vary wildly depending on the school. The three-step breakdown that several people mentioned (manual coding, applying aid to account, then refund processing) is incredibly helpful. I had no idea there were multiple departments involved after the initial approval, which explains why financial aid offices give such vague timelines when we ask. I'm definitely going to use all the strategic advice from this thread - asking specifically which step my aid is in, whether it's been "released for disbursement," and contacting both financial aid AND the bursar's office. Getting everything documented in emails instead of phone calls is brilliant too. The emergency aid suggestion is something I never would have known to ask about, but even a small advance would help cover rent and groceries while waiting for the full refund. Emma, I really hope you've gotten some concrete answers by now! Please keep us posted on what works - those of us just starting this process are learning so much from everyone sharing their experiences and timelines.