FAFSA helpline constantly busy - seeking parent advocate for appeal guidance

Same boat here. Been trying to call about my sons verification issues for a week. The schools financial aid office is useless, they just keep saying to check the portal which shows nothing helpful. Following to see if anyone has solutions

You need to file what's called a "Professional Judgment" request with your specific school's financial aid office. Despite what they told you, they actually DO have the authority to adjust the SAI based on unusual circumstances like medical expenses. The catch is that each school has their own forms and documentation requirements for these requests. Look on your college's financial aid website for "professional judgment," "special circumstances review," or "financial aid appeal" forms. You'll need to document those medical expenses thoroughly - EOBs, bills, proof of payment, etc.

i used to work financial aid office (3yrs). they totally CAN help with appeals!! they are just being lazy tbh. ask specifically for a "professional judgment review" and request to speak to a senior financial aid officer not just the front desk person. be polite but firm about needing this reviewed. if they refuse, go up the chain to dean of enrollment.

When I had a similar issue last year with my FAFSA (job loss not medical expenses), I used Claimyr to actually get through to a human at Federal Student Aid after trying for weeks. It's a service that basically holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video demo you can check out here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ I was skeptical at first but it actually worked and saved me hours of frustration. The agent I spoke with walked me through exactly what documentation I needed for the special circumstances review at my daughter's school. Worth it when thousands in aid are on the line.

FAFSA IS THE WORST!!!! Been dealing with them for 3 kids now and every single year there's some new problem. Last year they LOST my oldest son's verification documents TWICE and we almost missed the deadline for his housing contract because of it. This year they randomly selected my daughter for verification even though we used the IRS data retrieval tool!!! The whole system is designed to make it as difficult as possible to get aid. My blood pressure literally goes up every time I see an email from studentaid.gov in my inbox.

has anyone had luck with hiring a financial aid consultant? i saw some advertised online but they're expensive and idk if they're worth it

UPDATE ON MEDICAL EXPENSE APPEALS: For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, the Department of Education recently updated their guidance to financial aid administrators about medical expense considerations. They're now recommending schools consider medical expenses exceeding 7.5% of AGI (down from 11% previously) when making professional judgment adjustments. So your chances of a successful appeal may actually be better now! Make sure to specifically reference this updated guidance when you submit your appeal.

one more thing - when u submit ur appeal make copeis of EVERYTHING and send by certified mail or delivry confirmation if not submitting online. cant tell u how many times schools "lost" paperwork conveniently close to deadlines.

Thank you all SO MUCH for the helpful advice! I just wanted to update that I was able to get through to FSA using that Claimyr service (which worked exactly as described), and they confirmed I can submit a Professional Judgment request. I've already downloaded the special circumstances form from our school's website and am gathering all our medical documentation. The agent even put notes in our file about our conversation! I'm also going to request a meeting with the senior financial aid officer tomorrow as suggested. Feeling much more hopeful now that we can get this resolved before the deadline. Will update when I hear back about the appeal!