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Verification

Dodge City Community College (DC3) verifies FAFSA data in compliance with federal regulations. The college maintains a zero-tolerance, risk-averse compliance posture: all data is verified to the dollar, no tolerance levels are applied, and no aid is disbursed on an interim basis until verification is fully complete.

Verification is a process to confirm the information that you provided on the FAFSA. This process ensures that the information students and parents report is accurate. Verification prevents ineligible students from receiving aid by reporting false information and ensures that eligible students receive all of the aid for which they are qualified.

Reasons for Verification:

DC3’s financial aid office will verify any FAFSA that the U.S. Department of Education selects for verification. The office will also select FAFSA’s for verification if there appears to be discrepancies in the data provided.

These are the main reasons for being selected:

  • You were chosen randomly.
  • The FAFSA you submitted was incomplete.
  • Your FAFSA contains estimated information.
  • The data you provided on the FAFSA is inconsistent.

Documentation:

If you are selected for FAFSA verification, you must provide specific documentation. Not all students selected for verification have to submit the same documents. Save the records and materials that you used to complete the FAFSA.

Any required documents that our office needs from you will be communicated to you through an email from finaid@dc3.edu to your ConqMail. Some of the documents that you may be asked to provide include:

  • Independent or Dependent Verification Worksheet (V1 or V5)
  • Tax Return Transcripts (obtained from www.irs.gov) or signed 1040(s) for the tax year used on your FAFSA
  • W-2 forms (student, parent(s), and/or spouse)
  • Copy of student’s social security card
  • Documentation verifying student’s independent status
  • Cured Loan Default documentation
  • Bankruptcy Documentation
  • Copy of the student’s birth certificate
  • INS documentation
  • Proof of U.S. Citizenship
  • Professional Judgement application
  • Any other documentation deemed necessary by the financial aid office

Many of the forms requested can be found on the DC3 Financial Aid forms page.

Process & Conflicting Information:

If selected for verification, you are notified via email and your financial aid file is placed on hold. No federal aid will be sent to your student account until verification is complete in order to ensure the accuracy of the estimated award and the information submitted. Timely submission benefits you and our office. You may be asked to begin making payments on your student bill until you complete the verification process. If you wait until after the financial aid award year is closed (120 days following the end of the period of your enrollment), your student file will be closed and you will be responsible for your bill.

The DC3 Financial Aid office does NOT accept faxed or emailed citizenship documents or documents needed to prove identity. These must be notarized with a wet signature by a valid notary and mailed via USPS or presented in person in the DC3 Financial Aid Office.

Per 34 CFR §668.16(f), the Financial Aid Office is required to resolve any conflicting information for any student, regardless of verification selection. A hold will be placed on any file with conflicting data until resolution is complete.

Fraud Prevention

Financial aid fraud is the act of attempting to collect financial aid to which the applicant is not legally entitled. This can occur only once a college has allowed the student to register for classes (following enrollment fraud), and once relevant external agencies have accepted students’ financial aid application and colleges have begun the process of disbursing local, state and/or federal financial aid.

Any suspected fraudulent documentation identified at any time is escalated immediately. The case is referred to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).

When a student’s account is flagged due to suspicious activity, an identity verification hold may be placed on a student’s account. An identity verification hold prevents the student from registering and prevents financial aid from being disbursed. To lift the identity verification hold, students may be required to:

  • Verify their identity in person.
  • Provide additional information including but not limited to:
  • Bank Statements.
  • Tax Returns.
  • Official transcripts from other institutions of higher education that the student has previously attended.
  • Official High School Transcript or GED from the issuing entity.
  • Birth Certificate.
  • Social Security Card.
  • Proof of residency at the address listed on the student’s college records.
  • Valid Passport.
  • Unexpired State Issued Photo ID

The DC3 Financial Aid office does NOT accept faxed or emailed citizenship documents or documents needed to prove identity. These must be notarized with a wet signature by a valid notary and mailed via USPS or presented in person in the DC3 Financial Aid Office.

Reporting Suspected Fraud or Identity Theft

Confirmed cases of fraud or identity theft will be reported to relevant authorities, including the Office of Inspector General (OIG), local law enforcement, and applicable state agencies and the college’s auditors. If a student’s personal information is compromised, the college will notify the student promptly and provide guidance on steps they can take to protect themselves (i.e., filing a police report and contacting credit bureaus and their banking institutions).

Violations of this policy may result in severe consequences, including but not limited to:

  • Immediate suspension of financial aid awards and disbursements.
  • Recovery of any funds obtained through fraudulent means, including collection efforts or garnishment of future earnings.
  • A hold being placed on the student’s account.
  • Disciplinary action as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct
  • Civil or criminal sanctions