FAFSA says VA benefits shouldn't count for SAI, but school counting them against my Pell Grant eligibility

You're absolutely correct that VA education benefits should NOT be counted when calculating your SAI (Student Aid Index) or determining Pell Grant eligibility. This is clearly stated in the FAFSA guidelines for 2025-26. Regarding the bills - that's not standard procedure for a professional judgment appeal based on job loss. Typically, they should be asking for: 1. Documentation of your job loss (termination letter, etc.) 2. Your most recent pay stub showing decreased income 3. Documentation of unemployment benefits if applicable 4. A written statement explaining your change in circumstances They might be trying to establish your current cost of living, but asking for ALL your bills is excessive. I'd suggest reaching out to the main Federal Student Aid office directly for clarification on how your VA benefits should be treated.

same thing happened to my brother last yr. the school counted his gi bill and gave him like $600 in pell when he shouldve got full pell. he had to raise hell w the financial aid office and eventually they fixed it but took like 3 months

This happens ALL THE TIME with VA benefits. Schools misinterpret the rules constantly! I'm a School Certifying Official at a different college, and I can tell you with 100% certainty that Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits CANNOT be counted when determining your Pell Grant eligibility. The law is very clear on this. As for providing your bills - that's completely irrelevant to your appeal. The basis of your appeal should be: 1. Your change in income due to job loss 2. The school's incorrect treatment of your VA benefits What they SHOULD be doing is a professional judgment adjustment to your income based on your current situation, completely separate from your VA benefits. I would recommend putting your concerns in writing (email) and specifically citing the Higher Education Act section that exempts VA education benefits from financial aid calculations. Also ask them to provide their written policy on how they treat VA benefits in aid calculations - that often makes them double-check their procedures.

I experienced something similar! The financial aid office at my school initially counted my VA benefits incorrectly too. Here's what worked for me - I contacted Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to Federal Student Aid directly. They have a service that helps you skip the phone wait times when calling FSA, and I got through in minutes instead of hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Once I spoke with FSA, they confirmed in writing that VA education benefits cannot be counted against Pell eligibility. I forwarded that email to my school's financial aid office, and they corrected my package within a week. Sometimes schools need to hear it directly from the Department of Education before they'll fix their mistake.

honestly i think ur school is just trying to keep their pell grant budget down. they know most students don't know the rules well enough to challenge them. FIGHT THIS!! dont let them get away with it!

Not to confuse things, but are you sure they're not talking about your VA disability compensation rather than your GI Bill? Because those are treated differently sometimes. GI Bill definitely shouldn't count against you for Pell, but some schools get confused about how to treat different VA benefits. Just making sure we're all talking about the same thing!

After reading through all the responses, I want to add something important: get EVERYTHING in writing. When you email the financial aid office: 1. Clearly state that per the Higher Education Act, Section 480(c)(2), VA education benefits cannot be considered as income or financial aid when calculating Pell Grant eligibility 2. Ask them to provide written documentation of how they're calculating your SAI and Pell eligibility 3. Request a formal appeal based on special circumstances (job loss) without including your bills - those are irrelevant 4. Create a paper trail - BCC your personal email on all correspondence If they continue to insist on incorrect treatment of your VA benefits, escalate to the Dean of Students or even the school's President. Schools have been known to back down quickly when they realize a student knows their rights regarding VA benefits.

btw if ur school has a veterans office on campus talk to them!! thats how my brother got his pell grant fixed. the vet coordinator went with him to financial aid and backed him up

Just an update on the bills situation - some schools may ask for expense information if you're requesting additional aid beyond what a standard income adjustment would provide. However, for a straightforward income adjustment due to job loss, this shouldn't be necessary. Focus on these key points: 1. Your job loss means your 2023 tax return doesn't reflect your current income situation 2. VA education benefits cannot legally be counted against Pell eligibility This is a professional judgment issue that financial aid administrators should be familiar with. The fact that they're giving you conflicting information suggests someone in their office doesn't understand the regulations correctly. Be persistent but polite in your follow-ups.

I'm dealing with something similar right now! My school's financial aid office also seems confused about VA benefits and kept changing their story about my eligibility. What really helped me was printing out the actual FAFSA guidelines from studentaid.gov that specifically mention VA education benefits being excluded from aid calculations. I brought the printed pages with me to my meeting and highlighted the relevant sections. Sometimes seeing it in black and white from the official source makes them realize their mistake faster than just telling them verbally. Also, don't be afraid to ask to speak with a supervisor if the person you're talking to doesn't seem to understand the regulations - I had to do this twice before getting someone who knew the rules properly. Good luck with your appeal! You're definitely in the right here, so don't let them intimidate you into accepting less aid than you're entitled to.

This is such a frustrating situation, but you're absolutely right to fight this! As a veteran myself who went through similar issues, I can tell you that schools unfortunately make this mistake with VA benefits more often than they should. One thing that really helped me was contacting my state's veterans education coordinator - most states have someone who specifically handles veteran education issues and they often have direct relationships with financial aid offices at schools in their state. They can sometimes resolve these issues with just a phone call because they deal with this exact problem regularly. Also, document EVERYTHING - save all emails, write down dates and names of who you spoke with, and what they said. If this goes to an appeal or complaint process, having a clear timeline of their conflicting statements will be really helpful. You mentioned your AGI was $42,500 - with that income level as an independent student, you should definitely qualify for a substantial Pell Grant even without considering the job loss. The fact that they initially said you didn't qualify at all, then changed their story multiple times, really suggests they don't have their calculations right. Don't give up! You know your rights and you have the law on your side. Keep pushing until they get it right.

I went through this exact same situation last year! My school initially tried to count my Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits against my Pell Grant eligibility too. What finally resolved it was when I filed a formal complaint with the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group after the school wouldn't budge. Here's what I learned from that process: 1. The Ombudsman Group took my complaint seriously and contacted my school directly within a week 2. They provided the school with clear guidance on VA education benefit treatment 3. My school corrected my aid package and issued me a retroactive Pell Grant payment The complaint process is free and you can do it online at studentaid.gov/feedback-ombudsman. You'll need to document all your communications with the school first, but it sounds like you're already building that paper trail. Don't let them wear you down with all these runarounds and requests for irrelevant documentation. You know your rights, and there are federal resources specifically designed to help when schools get these regulations wrong. The Ombudsman Group exists exactly for situations like this where schools are misapplying federal aid rules. Keep fighting - you're 100% in the right here and you deserve every dollar of Pell Grant funding you're entitled to!

This thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I'm a financial aid officer at a community college, and I have to admit that we've probably made similar mistakes with VA benefits in the past. Reading through all these responses has made me realize we need to review our procedures immediately. For anyone dealing with this issue, here are a few additional tips from the administrative side: 1. Always ask for the specific policy or regulation they're citing when they make these determinations 2. Request to speak with the Financial Aid Director, not just a counselor - they should have deeper knowledge of federal regulations 3. If your school participates in Federal Work-Study, ask them why VA benefits would count against Pell but not against work-study eligibility (spoiler: they shouldn't count against either) The requesting of all your bills is definitely a red flag. For a professional judgment appeal based on job loss, they should only need documentation of the income change and current financial hardship - not a detailed breakdown of your personal expenses. I'm going to make sure our entire financial aid team gets retrained on VA benefit treatment. No student should have to fight this hard for aid they're legally entitled to receive.

This entire situation is a perfect example of why financial literacy and knowing your rights as a student is so important! I've been following this thread and wanted to add that you might also want to reach out to your school's Student Veterans Organization (SVO) or Veterans Club if they have one. Student veteran groups often have members who've dealt with similar issues and can provide peer support during these battles with administration. Also, if your school has an ombudsman or student advocate office (separate from financial aid), they can sometimes help mediate these disputes. They're usually more neutral than the financial aid office and can help ensure proper procedures are followed. One more thing - make sure you're checking your student portal regularly for any updates to your aid package. Sometimes schools will quietly fix these errors without telling you, and you don't want to miss any deadlines for accepting corrected aid offers. You're doing everything right by standing your ground and educating yourself on the regulations. Don't let them make you feel like you're being difficult - you're advocating for yourself and potentially helping future veterans avoid the same problem!

I'm a newer member here but wanted to share that I went through something very similar at my school last semester! The financial aid office kept giving me different answers about my VA disability benefits and whether they counted against my Pell eligibility. What finally worked for me was printing out the actual Federal Student Aid handbook pages that specifically list what income/benefits are excluded from aid calculations. I highlighted the VA education benefits section and brought it to my appointment. The counselor I was working with had to call their supervisor, and within 20 minutes they admitted they had been applying the wrong policy. The whole "show us all your bills" request sounds really suspicious to me. When I did my professional judgment appeal for a family emergency, they only asked for specific documentation related to that emergency - not my entire financial picture. That feels like they're either fishing for reasons to deny your appeal or they really don't understand the process. Don't give up! The regulations are clearly on your side here, and it sounds like you have great advice from the other members about escalation paths if your school continues to resist. Keep that paper trail going!

I'm new to this community but wanted to jump in because I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! My financial aid office initially told me I wasn't eligible for any Pell Grant, then when I questioned it (like you did), they suddenly said I could get a small amount. When I asked why the change, they mentioned my VA education benefits as a factor. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly educational - I had no idea that VA education benefits legally cannot be counted against Pell eligibility! I've been accepting what my financial aid office told me without questioning it, but now I realize I need to advocate for myself just like you're doing. The fact that multiple people here have gone through this exact same issue and successfully resolved it gives me hope. I'm going to print out those FAFSA guidelines everyone mentioned and schedule a meeting with my financial aid office next week. Thank you for posting about this - your situation has opened my eyes to the fact that I might be getting shortchanged on aid I'm legally entitled to. Sometimes it takes seeing someone else fight the good fight to realize you need to stand up for your own rights too!