Did you submit some type of appeal for your financial aid office for your 2007-08 financial aid? If so, you most likely will be required to submit a new appeal for 2008-09 if your special consideration still applies.  

What are appeals? In a blog several months ago I wrote about special circumstances such as daycare costs, loss of employment or income, medical expenses, etc. These are all special circumstances that are not reported on the FAFSA. Schools cannot automatically carry appeals forward since information may have changed from academic year to academic year and calendar year to calendar year.

Let's take a look at a few special circumstances and why you would have to appeal again, even if nothing's changed:

• Loss of employment. If you lost your job in 2006 and requested an appeal of special circumstance for 2007-08, the school could have looked at your estimated 2007 income. You may have reported unemployment compensation as estimated income in 2007, but at some point in the same year you ran out of eligibility. On the 2008-09 FAFSA you have to report the 2007 unemployment compensation as income, but since you're still out of work and no longer getting unemployment income in 2008, you can request another appeal based on your loss of unemployment benefits.  
• Medical costs: Your school looked at your 2006 federal tax return Schedule A, which itemized medical expenses in 2006. The school cannot assume you had these same expenses in 2007, and will not automatically consider medical expenses as a special circumstance for 2008-09. If you did still have medical expenses that you paid in 2007, you will need to contact your school's financial aid office to request a special review.
• Daycare expenses: Your school has the option to use actual daycare expenses that you paid, or use a standard rate determined by reviewing child care expenses in your area. While you probably will still pay for daycare expenses in 2008-09, your costs could increase. Or, on the other hand, your child may be of age where daycare is no longer needed.

These are only a few examples of special considerations. If you submitted an appeal for 2007-08 and your situation still applies, do not assume the school will change your financial aid eligibility automatically for 2008-09. You will need to contact your school for assistance. Remember, the school has the right to approve or deny all special circumstance requests.

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