Notice:
As a result of Congress passing the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, JMU has been allocated emergency student aid funds to assist eligible students who incurred “expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child-care expenses.”

You meet the Title IV financial aid eligibility, as outlined in guidance provided by the Department of Education (ED), to be considered for assistance with these funds. As such, you can log into the 2019-20 financial aid section of your MyMadison Account and see an award offer for $1,000.

Your next steps are:
• You have the opportunity to accept or decline the award in MyMadison.
• You are expected to decline the award in MyMadison if you do not have qualifying expenses, as those funds can be used for other eligible students.
• You have the opportunity in MyMadison to accept less than the full award offered if your qualifying expenses are not at that level. Reducing the award will make funds available to other students who otherwise might not receive assistance due to funding limitations.
• The offer will remain available for to you accept in MyMadison for seven calendar days after the day it was awarded.
• Awards not accepted by the deadline will be canceled.

By accepting this award, you are acknowledging that you have incurred “expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child-care expenses.” To provide more detail, school related technology and course materials include items such as internet, tutoring, school supplies, and computer issues. Additionally, healthcare needs include items such as medication, counseling, and other healthcare expenses associated with the campus disruption due to COVID-19.

Students accepting these funds will receive their disbursement through the refund process established in the University Business Office. If you have questions about setting up the refund process, please review the website at www.jmu.edu/ubo. These funds will not be held and applied to any JMU charges. Once received, students may use the funds to assist with the designated expenses. These are grant awards, with no expectation of being repaid.

For additional information about this award and CARES Act funding, please visit the JMU Cares Act Student Emergency Aid website.

Appeal Information Reviewed Before Access the Appeal Form

This appeal can be submitted when qualifying students have incurred expenses due to disruptions in JMU campus operations as a result of COVID-19. Appeals will be accepted as long as funds remain available.

Who is eligible to submit an appeal?

Students must have a 2019-20 FAFSA on file in order to apply for assistance from these funds. Per the Department of Education, students must meet the eligibility criteria is Section 484 of the Title IV Higher Education Act. This includes, but is not limited to, the demonstration of the following: U.S. citizenship or eligible noncitizen; a valid Social Security number; registration with Selective Service (if the student is male); a high school diploma, GED, or completion of high school in an approved homeschool setting. While the CARES Act does not specify students must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the only way to determine if a student meets the Section 484 requirements is for a FAFSA to be filed.

Award amounts

Qualifying students with an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the FAFSA less than 21,500 will be offered a $1,000 award through the CARES Act. Students will be able to accept or decline these awards in the financial aid section of their MyMadision account.

Title IV (FAFSA) eligible students who did not receive the $1,000 offer in MyMadison may submit an appeal.

Due to the limited funding we received and the desire to assist as many students as possible, the maximum amount any student can receive is $1,000. Please check your MyMadison account before submitting an appeal.

Receiving funds

If the appeal is approved, students will receive these funds through the refund process established in the University Business Office. If you have questions about setting up the refund process, please review the website at www.jmu.edu/ubo. These funds will not be held and applied to your JMU charges. Once received, students may use the funds to assist with the designated expenses. If you wish to use some of these funds to pay your JMU charges, then you may do so after receiving the refund. These are grant awards, with no expectation of being repaid.

Appeals for non-CARES Act assistance

If you would also like to submit an Professional Judgment request for your FAFSA to be reviewed based on changes to income in your household, then please follow the instructions in the Financial Aid Appeals (Professional Judgment) section of our website, as that is a separate process from this CARES Act Emergency Aid request. At this point of the year it is too late to submit a Professional Judgment appeal for 2019-20, but appeals can be submitted for the 2020-21 award year. Unlike funds from the CARES Act, financial aid based on the FAFSA will be applied to the student’s JMU account and applicable charges.

Appeal Form                  

1. Student Name: __________________

2. Student ID: ____________________

3. Student JMU E-mail Address: ___________________

4. Have you already received an emergency aid award from CARES Act funds?
o Yes
o No

If “Yes” was selected, please stop here as you are not eligible to submit an appeal as you have already received funds.

5. Have you completed a 2019-20 FAFSA, as this is required to be considered for these funds?
o Yes
o No

If “No” was selected, please stop here as you are not eligible to submit this appeal at this time. You can go to www.studentaid.gov and complete the 2019-20 FAFSA. It must be done before June 30, 2020 to be valid. Once the FAFSA is received by JMU you may submit an appeal.

6. Academic Standing (Select one):
o Freshmen
o Sophomore
o Junior
o Senior
o Graduate Student
o Doctoral Student

7. I am requesting funding from the CARES Act to help cover the following expenses that were created as a result of a disruption to JMU campus operations (Check applicable boxes):
o Housing/rent
o Food
o Utilities
o School related technology and/or supplies (e.g., internet, tutoring, computer issues, etc.)
o Healthcare needs (e.g., medication, counseling, etc.)
o Other (list reason): ________________________

8. Narrative:
• Explain how this request is related to JMU campus disruptions from COVID-19, and provide any other explanation you feel is warranted for review.
• CARES Act funds CANNOT be awarded based on lost income, so please do not submit an appeal based on this reason.
• CARES Act funds CANNOT be awarded to pay JMU tuition or repay loan debt, so please do not submit an appeal based on these reasons.
• The appeal can only be submitted for expenses incurred as a result of the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child-care expenses.

9. Requested Amount:

10. Requested Amount Detail:
• Requests that do not provide a specific dollar amount will not be considered.
• Requests must explain how the dollar amount was calculated, or they will not be considered.
• The maximum amount that can be requested is $1,000.

By submitting this appeal, I understand and agree to the following:
• The information reported on this form is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge.
• These funds do not need to be repaid.
• The submission of this request does not guarantee that I will receive funding.
• A limited amount of funding exists and the full amount requested may not be awarded.
• These funds will not be held and applied to your JMU charges.
• If the appeal is approved, students will receive these funds through the refund process established in the University Business Office.

If you have questions about setting up the refund process, please review the website at www.jmu.edu/ubo.