HEA Aid Elimination Penalty

From SSDPedia

In 1998, Congress added a provision to the Higher Education Act (HEA) that rescinds federal student aid eligibility from people convicted of drug offenses. Since 2000, when the penalty was first enforced by the U.S. Department of Education, more than 200,000 college students with drug convictions have been blocked access to federal financial aid as a result of the penalty.

The aid elimination penalty, which affects eligibility for federal student loans, grants, and work-study programs, is enforced based on answers to a question on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that asks applicants if they have ever been convicted drug offenses.

In early 2006, SSDP and our allies forced Congress to scale back the aid elimination penalty, so that only people who are convicted while in college and receiving financial aid will have their eligibility taken away. Now, people who got convicted before they decided to go to college will be able to move on with their lives and earn an education.

Current college students who get convicted continue to lose their aid, many of them having to drop out of school as a result.

[edit] FAFSA Drug Question

"31. Do not leave this question blank. Have you been convicted for the possession or sale of illegal drugs for an offense that occurred while you were receiving federal student aid (such as grants, loans, or work-study)? If you have, answer “Yes,” complete and submit this application, and we will send you a worksheet in the mail for you to determine if your conviction affects your eligibility for aid. If you are unsure how to answer this question, call 1-800-433-3243 for help."

[edit] Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform

Under the banner of the Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform (CHEAR), more than 500 prominent health, education, addiction recovery, religious, civil rights, and criminal justice organizations have joined together in calling on Congress to repeal the Aid Elimination Penalty.[1]