Major Updates

• Congressional Members Request Information from Department on OPM Revenue Sharing
  Following previous congressional outreach on the matter, a new letter to Secretary Cardona from Senators Murray, Warren, Smith, and House members Scott and DeLauro as been issued. It highlighted again the increased pressure from congress since the Government Accountability Office (GAO) earlier this year issued a report on the “incentive compensation ban” as well as the “bundled services exception” relating to third party servicers working with institutions. The higher education community and UPCEA are awaiting a new Dear Colleague letter or further clarification from the Department on these matters after the suggestions issued in the GAO report. Read the letter from congressional members to Secretary Cardona.
• Department of Veterans Affairs Delays New Enrollment Management System for GI Benefits Implementation to Mid-March
  Following outreach from UPCEA among many other organizations and institutions to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) regarding its’ plans to transition to a new enrollment management system for certifying GI bill benefits in January 2023, the VA has decided to delay the implementation from mid-January 2023 to the early March 2023 timeframe. As a result of the postponement, institutions will be able to submit enrollment certifications during the peak Spring semester enrollment period using the current VA-ONCE system. Read more.
• NC-SARA to Open Policy Modifications for Public Comment – Submission Deadline February 3, 2023
  The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) the body which coordinates reciprocity for state authorization between more than 2,200 institutions in 49 member states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, recently approved a process for policy modification, which will open January 3, 2023 and allow for one month of comments, through February 3. The schedule NC-SARA outlines that there will be two public forums, for those who submitted comments for the initial proposal deadline, to allow for parties to make their case for their proposed modifications. The changes would then go to a vote before NC-SARA’s board in the fall, with proposed changes and the revised SARA Policy Manual published in December of 2023. SARA recently held a webinar on the changes, and the slides and recording can be found here for more details. To take part in the SARA Policy Modification process, stay tuned to this page on the NC-SARA site. 

Other News

• Biden administration extends student loan payment freeze as courts weigh debt relief (Washington Post)
• Congress on track for largest increase to maximum Pell Grant award in more than a decade (The Hill)
• US Department of Education names the Federal education assistance funds that proprietary institutions of higher education must include as Federal revenue in 90/10 calculation (US Dept of Education)
• New State Privacy Laws to Go into Effect in 2023 (Reuters)