McKinney-Vento student FAFSA vs. TAP parent info requirements - why different?
I'm currently housing a McKinney-Vento eligible student who's completely estranged from her parents (they barely speak). When we completed her FAFSA for 2025-26, we were able to skip the parent information since her homeless/at-risk status was properly documented through her high school. But when we tried submitting the NYS TAP application, it's demanding her parents' financial information! The student has zero contact with them and they provide absolutely no support. Is this correct? Do TAP and FAFSA really have different requirements for McKinney-Vento students? We're pretty desperate since her college choices depend on both federal AND state aid. Anyone dealt with this contradiction before?
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Isabella Santos
Yes, unfortunately this is correct. FAFSA and TAP have different dependency override policies. For FAFSA, McKinney-Vento eligible students can be considered independent without parental info. However, TAP follows stricter New York State rules that often still require parental information even in these situations. You have three options: 1. Try to collect the parent info (difficult in your case) 2. File a dependency override appeal specifically for TAP through the college financial aid office 3. Have the student's college financial aid office submit a professional judgment review
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Malik Johnson
•Thank you for confirming this! It's so frustrating that the two systems don't align. I'll contact the financial aid office at her top choice school tomorrow to start the dependency override process for TAP. Do you know if these are typically approved for documented McKinney-Vento students or is it still a long shot?
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Ravi Sharma
my cousin went thru somethin similar last yr...TAP is way more strict than FAFSA for some reason. she had to get a letter from her highschool counselor AND have a homeless shelter write something saying she was in their program before...took forever but she got it fixed eventually
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Malik Johnson
•Thank you for sharing this - it gives us some hope! She does have official documentation from her high school counselor about her McKinney-Vento status. I'll make sure we have multiple copies ready when we speak to the financial aid office.
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Freya Larsen
THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! I went thru this EXACT thing with my nephew 2 years ago and it was a NIGHTMARE. TAP denied him even WITH all the documentation because they said "being homeless isn't automatically grounds for dependency override" - WHAT?!?! We had to appeal THREE TIMES. NYS Higher Education makes everything 1000X harder than federal. The worst part is you NEED both to afford any decent college in NY state.
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Malik Johnson
•Oh no, that's exactly what I was afraid of hearing. Three appeals is insane when the federal system already recognizes the situation. Did your nephew eventually get approved? Was there something specific that finally worked?
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Freya Larsen
•We finally got approved after getting his former HS principal involved who knew someone at HESC. The magic words ended up being "inability to locate parents" rather than focusing on the homelessness. We had to document that attempts were made to contact them at last known address, phone, etc. So frustrating that the bureaucracy makes vulnerable kids jump through even MORE hoops.
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Omar Hassan
Financial aid counselor here. This discrepancy between FAFSA and TAP is one of our biggest headaches every year. For your situation, here's what works best: 1. Schedule an appointment with the financial aid office at her intended college ASAP 2. Bring ALL McKinney-Vento documentation 3. Ask specifically for a "TAP dependency override" - using this exact terminology matters 4. If initially rejected, request a "professional judgment review based on documented special circumstances" The success rate for McKinney-Vento students getting TAP dependency overrides is about 70% with proper documentation and persistence. Don't give up after the first try.
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Malik Johnson
•Thank you so much for the specific advice and terminology! Having that 70% success rate statistic gives me some hope. We'll definitely use those exact phrases when we contact the financial aid office tomorrow.
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Chloe Taylor
same thing happen to my daughter. TAP said no parent info = no money even tho FAFSA was fine. makes no sense!!!
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ShadowHunter
I've been trying to call the HESC office about a similar TAP issue (not McKinney-Vento but another dependency question) for THREE WEEKS and can't get through! Ever since they updated the website, their phone system is completely broken. I've spent hours on hold only to get disconnected. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to a human at TAP/HESC lately?
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Diego Ramirez
•I was having the same problem trying to reach HESC about a verification issue! I discovered a service called Claimyr that helped me actually get through to an agent. It basically holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me hours of waiting. I used their website claimyr.com and they even have a demo video (https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ) that shows how it works. Way better than getting disconnected over and over!
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Omar Hassan
One more thing - since the 2025-26 FAFSA has that new contributor role system, make sure when you're filing the TAP dependency override that you specifically reference how the student has no contributors under the new federal system. This sometimes helps bridge the gap between the two programs since NYS is slowly aligning with the federal changes.
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Malik Johnson
•That's excellent advice! I hadn't thought about referencing the new contributor system. Do you recommend including that terminology in the initial written request for the dependency override?
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Omar Hassan
•Yes, absolutely include it in the written request. Specifically state "Under the 2025-26 FAFSA, the student has no parent contributors due to documented McKinney-Vento status, and we're requesting equivalent consideration for TAP eligibility." This language helps because NYS aid administrators are currently being trained on aligning with the new federal model.
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Ravi Sharma
btw did u already submit the TAP? cuz if u did it wrong the first time u might need to like restart it or something
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Malik Johnson
•We started it but haven't submitted yet because it was asking for the parent info we don't have. So I think we're still OK to go through the dependency override process first. Thanks for the heads up though!
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Isabella Santos
Make sure you specifically ask about the HESC Form H (Special Consideration Form). This is typically the form used for TAP dependency overrides in McKinney-Vento cases. Not all college financial aid advisors mention it immediately, but it's the official pathway for these situations in New York State. The student's high school McKinney-Vento liaison should be familiar with this form as well.
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Malik Johnson
•Form H - thank you! I'll definitely ask about this specifically. Having the exact form name will probably save us a lot of back and forth.
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Zainab Mahmoud
I'm new to this community but wanted to share some hope! My sister went through almost the exact same situation last year as a McKinney-Vento student. The initial TAP rejection was devastating, but we didn't give up. Working with her college's financial aid office, we gathered every piece of documentation we could find - the McKinney-Vento determination letter, statements from her high school counselor and principal, even a letter from the family she was staying with. The key was being very persistent and detailed in explaining her complete lack of contact with her parents. It took about 6 weeks total, but TAP finally approved her dependency override. Don't lose hope - the system is frustrating but it can work! Make sure to keep copies of absolutely everything you submit.
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