FAFSA missing parent asset questions after selecting Medicaid - did I mess up?

You didn't do anything wrong! This is actually how the new 2024-2025 FAFSA is designed to work. If someone in your household received qualifying federal benefits like Medicaid, SNAP, or free/reduced lunch during 2023, you may qualify for the automatic zero EFC (now called minimum SAI). The system intentionally skips asking about assets in this case because they're not considered in your aid calculation. The fact that your kids were only on Medicaid due to COVID rules doesn't matter - they were still legitimately enrolled in the program during the tax year in question. You answered correctly.

wait are you sure they were legally on medicaid? if you didnt qualify based on income but were kept on bc of covid rules that sounds like maybe you shouldnt put yes? just my thought, might wanna call and ask

This is actually a feature of the new "streamlined" FAFSA process. For the 2024-2025 FAFSA, if you answer yes to any of the federal means-tested benefits programs AND your income falls below certain thresholds, you may qualify for what's called "auto-zero EFC" (now renamed to minimum SAI). However, I'm a bit concerned about your situation because auto-zero typically only applies to families with income below $29,000. At $120K AGI, I would have expected you to still see the asset questions. It's possible there's a glitch in the system, as the new FAFSA has been having numerous technical issues. I would recommend taking a few steps: 1. Make sure you've fully completed every page of the parent section 2. Try logging out completely and logging back in 3. If the asset questions still don't appear, consider contacting Federal Student Aid directly

OMG the same thing happened to me last week! I put yes for SNAP because my youngest got free lunch at school and then it never asked about our house or savings accounts. I just submitted it anyway and figured they'd contact me if there was a problem. The whole new FAFSA is so confusing compared to previous years.

If you're trying to reach Federal Student Aid about this issue, don't waste hours on hold. I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) last week when I had a similar problem with missing questions on my FAFSA submission. They got me connected to an actual FSA agent in about 15 minutes instead of the 2+ hours I spent trying on my own. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent confirmed for me that the system was working as designed in my case, and explained exactly why certain questions were skipped based on my answers. Definitely worth getting an official answer directly from FSA.

This is EXACTLY why I hate the "simplified" FAFSA!! They claim to make it easier but actually just confuse everyone. Last year's form was much clearer about who qualified for simplified needs assessment. My daughter almost lost $5000 in aid because of a similar misunderstanding with the new form.

**Update on our situation:** I finally got through to a FAFSA representative this morning. They confirmed that answering YES to the federal benefits question AND having an AGI below $60,000 made us eligible for the Simplified Needs Test (SNT), which is why I didn't get asked about assets. Even though our income is $120K, apparently the system only looked at MY income as the contributing parent, not our combined household income (we file separately). The rep said this was working as intended and that I should submit as-is. Hope this helps anyone else in a similar situation!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm a newcomer here and currently going through the FAFSA process with my oldest. We had a similar situation where we received WIC benefits for part of 2023, and I was worried about answering "yes" to that question. Reading through everyone's experiences here really clarifies how the new system works with the Simplified Needs Test. It sounds like the key takeaway is that if you legitimately received any qualifying federal benefits during 2023 (regardless of the reason) AND meet the income thresholds, the system will automatically skip asset questions. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and especially to those who followed up with official answers from FSA! One question for the group - has anyone had experience with the verification process after submitting a FAFSA that qualified for SNT? I'm wondering if they ask for additional documentation about the benefit programs during verification.

As someone new to this community and currently navigating the FAFSA maze myself, this entire thread has been incredibly enlightening! I'm dealing with a similar situation where my family received pandemic-era benefits, and I was second-guessing every answer. What strikes me most is how the "simplified" FAFSA has actually created more confusion in some ways. The automatic qualification for SNT based on benefit receipt is clearly working as designed, but it's so different from previous years that it catches everyone off guard. For anyone else reading this who might be in a similar boat: it seems the key points are: 1. Answer honestly about benefits received during 2023 - even if it was due to COVID policies 2. The system will automatically determine if you qualify for SNT based on benefits + income thresholds 3. If you qualify, asset questions get skipped entirely - this is intentional, not a glitch 4. When in doubt, contact FSA directly (or use services like the one Caleb mentioned to get through faster) I'm feeling much more confident about submitting our FAFSA now. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is such a valuable resource for navigating this process!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for this incredibly detailed and helpful discussion! I'm currently helping my daughter with her FAFSA and we're in almost the exact same situation - we received Medicaid benefits during 2023 due to the COVID continuous enrollment policy, even though our income would normally disqualify us. Reading through this thread has been such a relief. I was panicking when the asset questions disappeared after I answered "yes" to the benefits question, thinking I had somehow broken the system or answered incorrectly. It's reassuring to see that multiple families have experienced this same scenario and that it's actually the intended functionality of the new FAFSA. The clarification about the Simplified Needs Test and how it works with the contributing parent's individual income (for those filing separately) is particularly valuable. I think many families don't realize that the system looks at individual rather than combined household income in those cases. One thing I'd add for other newcomers who might be reading this: don't let the anxiety about "doing it wrong" paralyze you. As this thread shows, answering honestly about benefits received in 2023 is the right approach, regardless of the circumstances that led to those benefits. The system is designed to handle these situations automatically. Thanks again to everyone who shared their experiences and especially to those who took the time to contact FSA for official clarification!

As another newcomer to this community, I can't tell you how valuable this entire discussion has been! I'm currently going through the FAFSA process with my twins who are heading to college next year, and we had the exact same panic when the asset questions vanished after answering "yes" about receiving free/reduced lunch benefits in 2023. Like many of you, we were only eligible due to the expanded COVID policies, but reading through everyone's experiences - especially @Hunter Edmunds' follow-up with the official FSA confirmation - has been incredibly reassuring. It's clear that the system is working as intended when it skips asset questions for families who qualify for the Simplified Needs Test. What I find most helpful about this thread is how it demonstrates the importance of this community in navigating these confusing processes. The FAFSA instructions themselves don't really explain WHY certain questions get skipped, which naturally makes families worry they've made an error. Having real families share their experiences and official confirmations makes all the difference. For other newcomers who might be reading this: trust the process, answer honestly about any benefits received in 2023, and don't second-guess the system when it skips questions you were expecting to see. This thread is proof that you're not alone in this experience!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to echo what everyone else has said about how incredibly helpful this thread has been! I'm currently in the middle of completing my FAFSA and found myself in almost the exact same situation - we received SNAP benefits for part of 2023 due to expanded COVID eligibility, and when I answered "yes" to the benefits question, all the asset questions disappeared. Like so many others here, my first instinct was panic - thinking I had somehow broken the application or answered incorrectly. But reading through all these experiences, especially the official confirmations from FSA that @Hunter Edmunds shared, has been tremendously reassuring. What really stands out to me is how this "simplified" process, while ultimately working as designed, creates so much initial confusion because it's such a departure from what families expect based on previous FAFSA versions. The automatic qualification for SNT based on benefit receipt is clearly a feature, not a bug, but without clear explanation in the interface, it feels like an error. I'm planning to submit our FAFSA as-is, trusting that the system correctly identified our eligibility for the Simplified Needs Test. This community discussion has given me the confidence to move forward without second-guessing every answer. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and took the time to get official clarification - you've made this stressful process much more manageable for families like mine!

As a newcomer to this community, I can't express how timely and helpful this entire discussion has been! I'm currently working through my FAFSA for my daughter's college applications, and we had the exact same experience - we received Medicaid benefits during part of 2023 under the COVID continuous enrollment policy, and when I answered "yes" to the federal benefits question, the asset questions completely disappeared. Like everyone else here, my immediate reaction was panic. I thought I had somehow broken the system or misunderstood the question. It's such a relief to read through all these similar experiences and see that this is actually how the new FAFSA is designed to work with the Simplified Needs Test. The key insight from @Hunter Edmunds about the contributing parent's individual income versus household income for SNT qualification is particularly valuable - that detail isn't explained anywhere in the FAFSA interface itself. And the broader point that several people have made about answering honestly regarding benefits received in 2023, regardless of the underlying circumstances, really helps clarify the right approach. This thread is a perfect example of why online communities like this are so essential for navigating complex processes. The official FAFSA guidance doesn't adequately explain why certain questions get skipped, leaving families to wonder if they've made errors. Having real people share their experiences and official confirmations makes all the difference. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this discussion - you've probably saved countless families from unnecessary stress and potentially incorrect submissions!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to add my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences in this thread! I'm currently navigating the FAFSA process for my son's college applications, and we found ourselves in the exact same situation - we received WIC and Medicaid benefits during 2023 due to extended COVID eligibility policies, even though our income would normally disqualify us. When I answered "yes" to the federal benefits question and watched all the asset questions completely disappear, I was convinced I had somehow broken the system. The relief I felt reading through everyone's nearly identical experiences cannot be overstated! What's been most valuable to me is seeing the pattern emerge across so many families: pandemic-era benefits → honest "yes" answer → missing asset questions → initial panic → eventual confirmation that this is correct. It really demonstrates how the new FAFSA system was designed to handle the unique circumstances that many families faced during 2023. The official FSA confirmation that @Hunter Edmunds shared about the Simplified Needs Test and contributing parent income thresholds was the final piece I needed to feel confident about submitting. It's clear that the system is working as intended, even if it feels completely different from what we expected based on previous years. This community has provided exactly the kind of real-world guidance that the official FAFSA documentation lacks. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and especially to those who went the extra mile to get official clarification!