This week on "Off The Cuff" Tim is joined by Jill to dive into the latest developments concerning the Department of Education's (ED) proposed regulations for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. To kick things off, Jill provides a brief recap on the recent negotiated rulemaking (Neg Reg) committee that considered regulations concerning PSLF, as well as where things stand with that committee's timeline. Jill then details what implications these proposed regulatory changes could have on the program and explains recent comments that NASFAA submitted in response to ED's proposed rules.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie, Karen, and Hugh discuss several pertinent September deadlines impacting higher education. First, Hugh catches listeners up on where things stand with the annual appropriations cycle and how Congress is faring with the September 30 funding deadline. Then Karen explains how the upcoming negotiated rulemaking (NegReg) session could be impacted should there be a federal funding lapse, and goes on to talk about two institutional reporting deadlines for gainful employment (GE) and financial value transparency (FVT). Melanie then wraps things up, highlighting a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report with key takeaways concerning the FAFSA system.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie is joined by Karen to catch listeners up on identity verification news, FAFSA beta updates, and a roadmap to the upcoming Negotiated Rulemaking (NegReg) sessions. The team kicks things off with a discussion on the Department of Education's (ED) new initiative concerning identity verification, and highlights some transition issues raised by NASFAA communities. Melanie and Karen then catch listeners up on the beta testing period for the 2026-27 FAFSA and discuss where things stand ahead of the now certified October 1 launch date of the form. The team then wraps things up with a discussion on the upcoming NegReg committees as well as the department's unified agenda.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Hugh provides a brief catch-up of some summer headlines from Congress and the Department of Education (ED). First, Hugh highlights the latest developments in the annual appropriations process with the Senate releasing its spending plan for ED for fiscal year 2026, which mostly flat-funds programs for the upcoming year, and explains what work lies ahead when Congress returns in September. Then, Hugh discusses ED's negotiated rulemaking hearing, which focused on implementing several provisions of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," and highlights remarks made by NASFAA's president and CEO, Melanie Storey.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Hugh is joined by Karen, Megan and Sarah to catch listeners up on some of the biggest news impacting student financial aid policy. Hugh kicks things off with a quick update on the Department of Education's (ED) reduction in force (RIF) and how a recent order from the U.S. Supreme Court could impact the department's staffing levels, while Megan and Karen explain some concerns about processing backlogs. The team then turns to discussing how the reconciliation law will directly impact several programs housed within the Higher Education Act (HEA). Sarah walks listeners through the law and answers some questions members have had since its enactment. Karen then explains how reconciliation differs from the annual appropriations process. Finally, Megan catches listeners up on the department's most recent negotiated rulemaking (NegReg) process and its potential impact on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie is joined by Megan, Sarah, and Nalia to discuss the latest updates around the reconciliation process after the Senate HELP Committee released its own portion of the bill this week that could make significant changes to higher education policy. Nalia begins by explaining how the reconciliation process works and what's ahead for Congress. Megan and Sarah then debrief on what changes the Senate seeks to make to the House's bill, which was initially released in April. From there, Sarah walks listeners through the latest verification guidance from the Department of Education (ED), including the questions NASFAA has over the guidance. Lastly, Melanie explains why NASFAA signed onto an amicus brief in support of Harvard University.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie and Karen discuss the latest developments concerning the reconciliation process, which now moves over to the Senate. While the Senate continues to work through the text, Karen provides some background on the chamber's dynamics, and Melanie provides context as to the timeline under which the chamber is operating and the impact a final bill could have on student financial aid. The team also digs into the administration's budget request for the upcoming fiscal year and recaps Education Secretary Linda McMahon's visit to Capitol Hill, where she defended the administration's request to decrease the maximum Pell Grant award for fiscal year (FY) 2026. Finally, Melanie and Karen explain some new guidance from ED concerning updated verification requirements.

This week on "Off the Cuff," David and Hugh discuss summer aid processing, focusing on rules for crossover payment periods and school flexibilities. The conversation specifically walks through the flexibilities offered to schools when assigning a header or a trailer to the award year and provides examples of summer and crossover periods. David then explains some issues a school must be aware of for crossover payment periods and more.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Hugh, Jill, and Sarah discuss how the resumption of student loan repayments and the Department of Education's (ED) planned resumption of collections will impact cohort default rates (CDR). Sarah and Jill provide some important background information on CDR and how the payment pause has impacted the accountability metric. Jill then walks listeners through a recent electronic announcement from ED urging schools to share repayment information with student borrowers.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Melanie is joined by Rachel, Hugh, Sarah, and Nalia to dive into how the congressional budgeting process could impact student financial aid. To kick things off, Melanie and Hugh discuss the latest developments in the reconciliation process, where a House committee recently advanced portions of the package that would make some drastic changes to programs housed within the Department of Education (ED). Sarah then provides members with a recap of three deep dive explainers that the policy has been working on to fully analyze the proposal. Rachel and Nalia then walk through more of the dynamics of the reconciliation process and outline how NASFAA members can make their voices heard by contacting their members of Congress. Nalia then catches listeners up on the president's "skinny" budget request, and the team wraps things up with some additional news out of ED concerning staffing hours and the start of a new Negotiated Rulemaking (NegReg) session.