FAFSA processing delay for CDL school - do they really need doctor's form for ADHD disability?

thats definitely not a fafsa thing. fafsa doesnt care about medical conditions or what ur studying. sounds like the school is confused about something

You're right to question this. FAFSA (Federal Student Aid) doesn't require medical documentation for disability - that's completely separate from financial aid eligibility. The school might be confusing a few different things: 1. DOT regulations for CDL licensing (which your brother already passed) 2. Disability documentation for academic accommodations (which would go through the school's disability services, not FAFSA) 3. FAFSA processing requirements (which have nothing to do with medical conditions) The processing delay is likely just the normal FAFSA timeline right now - lots of applications are taking 3-4 weeks to process for the 2025-2026 cycle. I'd recommend having your brother contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center directly to check his application status rather than relying on the school's interpretation.

The school is TOTALLY confused. I have ADHD too and got financial aid for my vocational program last year with zero issues. FAFSA never asked about my medical history - it's about financial need, not health status. The DOT physical is the only medical clearance needed for CDL training. The school might be mixing up their own enrollment requirements with federal aid requirements.

There are a couple things happening here that might be causing confusion: 1. The FAFSA processing time (2-3 weeks is normal right now for the 2025-2026 cycle) 2. School-specific requirements for program eligibility (which are separate from FAFSA eligibility) 3. Possible confusion about disability accommodations vs. program requirements Here's what your brother should do: - Contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center directly at 1-800-433-3243 to check his application status - Ask the school to provide the specific form name/number they're requesting and which department requires it - Get clarification in writing about whether this is a financial aid requirement or a program admission requirement Be aware that vocational programs sometimes have different eligibility requirements for certain types of Title IV aid, but medical documentation should only be relevant for accommodation requests, not for financial aid eligibility.

This exact thing happened to my cousin!!! The CDL school kept giving him different excuses about why his financial aid wasn't going through. First it was "missing documents" then it was "medical clearance" then something else... Turns out the school was just stalling because they were having accreditation issues that would affect their ability to accept federal aid!! Might want to check if the school has had any recent issues with their accreditation or federal aid eligibility...

I've been dealing with FAFSA for vocational training for years, and what you're describing doesn't sound right. FAFSA has nothing to do with medical qualifications - their concern is purely financial eligibility. Your brother already passed his DOT physical, which is the legally required medical clearance for CDL training. One possibility: the school might be talking about requirements for a particular SCHOLARSHIP program that has additional eligibility criteria, not the federal loans/grants themselves. Some vocational rehabilitation programs that help with funding do require additional documentation. I'd recommend calling FAFSA directly to verify your brother's application status instead of relying on what the school is telling you. Try calling early in the morning to avoid long wait times - or use Claimyr (claimyr.com) to skip the long hold times. They've got a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ showing how they can get you connected to a FAFSA agent quickly. I used it last month when my application was stuck in verification and it saved me hours of frustration.

I work in financial aid at a technical college (not in Arizona though), and I can tell you with 100% certainty that FAFSA does NOT require ANY medical documentation regarding disabilities for financial aid processing. The school may have its own requirements for program admission, but they shouldn't be presenting it as a FAFSA requirement - that's misleading. The processing time (3 weeks) is actually pretty normal right now. The 2025-2026 FAFSA rollout has had some delays. Here's what I suspect is happening: The school probably has an internal process for students with disabilities who want to enter their CDL program, and someone is incorrectly linking this to the FAFSA process. These should be completely separate processes. I would recommend: 1. Getting clarification IN WRITING from the financial aid office about this requirement 2. Asking specifically which federal regulation they're citing that requires this documentation 3. Speaking with the school's disability services office directly If they can't provide clear documentation of this requirement, I'd be very suspicious.

Their probably just confusing their own internal policies with FAFSA requirements. I mean the financial aid office and admissions don't always talk to each other that well lol. Your brother passed the DOT physical so he's cleared to drive according to federal transportation guidelines. FAFSA only cares about $$$$ not medical stuff. The delay in processing is normal this time of year - my SAI score took almost a month to come through and I applied in February too.

UPDATE: Thank you everyone for your help! My brother called the Federal Student Aid Information Center directly and they confirmed his FAFSA application is processing normally with no issues or missing documentation. When he asked about any medical forms being required, the rep was confused and said they don't request that kind of documentation. He then went back to the school with this information, and after some back and forth, found out they were actually talking about a school-specific scholarship program for students with disabilities that requires additional documentation - NOT a FAFSA requirement! Just like some of you suggested! The miscommunication happened because he was talking to an admissions person who didn't understand financial aid very well. When he spoke with the actual financial aid office, they cleared everything up. His federal aid is processing normally and should be available soon. Such a relief!