have	changed	or	you	have	conflicting	information.	You	should	also	consider	documentation	from	an	FAA	at	another
institution	that	made	a	documented	determination	that	a	student	was	an	unaccompanied	homeless	youth	in	the	same	or
prior	award	year	to	be	adequate	documentation	to	make	such	a	determination	at	your	institution.
Homeless	Youth	Definitions
At	risk	of	being	homeless4when	a	student9s	housing	may	cease	to	be	fixed,	regular,	and	adequate,	for	example,
a	student	who	is	being	evicted	and	has	been	unable	to	find	fixed,	regular,	and	adequate	housing.
Homeless4lacking	fixed,	regular,	and	adequate	housing.
Self-supporting4when	a	student	pays	for	his	or	her	own	living	expenses,	including	fixed,	regular,	and	adequate
housing.
Unaccompanied4when	a	student	is	not	living	in	the	physical	custody	of	a	parent	or	guardian.
Housing	Status	Definitions
Fixed4stationary,	permanent,	and	not	subject	to	change.
Regular4used	on	a	predictable,	routine,	or	consistent	basis.
Adequate4sufficient	for	meeting	both	the	physical	and	psychological	needs	typically	met	in	the	home.
Timing	of	Determinations	of	Independence
The	FAFSA	Simplification	Act	provides	additional	guidance	on	the	timing	of	determinations	of	independence	for	certain
student	populations	(HEA	479D(c)).	These	include	unaccompanied	homeless	youth	or	at-risk	homeless	youth,	foster	care
youth,	orphans,	wards	of	the	court,	and	students	with	unusual	circumstances.
Institutions	must	review	all	requests	for	a	determination	of	independence	as	quickly	as	practicable,	but	no	later	than	60
days	after	the	student	enrolls.
Note	that	the	timeframe	in	the	law	is	intended	to	encourage	FAAs	to	make	determinations	as	quickly	as	practicable.	It	is
not	intended	to	inhibit	FAAs	from	making	such	a	determination	when	a	student	requests	one	later	in	an	award	year.	We
encourage	you	to	act	on	a	request	for	a	determination	of	independence	within	60	days	of	the	student	making	such	a
request.	Further,	you	may	deny	such	requests	if	a	student	does	not	provide	requested	documentation	within	the	60-day
timeframe.
Conflicting	Information
In	addition	to	reviewing	application	and	data	match	information	from	the	FPS,	a	school	must	have	an	adequate	internal
system	to	identify	conflicting	information4regardless	of	the	source	and	regardless	of	whether	the	student	is	selected	for
verification4that	would	affect	a	student9s	eligibility,	such	as	information	from	the	admissions	office	as	to	whether	the
student	has	a	high	school	diploma	or	information	from	other	offices	regarding	academic	progress	and	enrollment	status.
The	school	must	resolve	all	such	conflicting	information,	except	when	the	student	dies	during	the	award	year	or	when
they	are	no	longer	enrolled	and	will	not	re-enroll;	if	the	student	later	enrolls,	you	are	again	obligated	to	resolve	the
conflicting	information.
If	your	school	has	conflicting	information	concerning	a	student9s	eligibility	or	you	have	any	reason	to	believe	his	or	her
application	information	is	incorrect,	you	must	resolve	the	discrepancies	before	disbursing	
Title	IV	funds	and,	as	with
verification,	before	making	any	PJ	adjustment.	If	you	discover	discrepancies	after	disbursing	Title	IV	funds,	you	must	still
Requirement	to	Identify	and	Resolve	Discrepant	Info rmation
34	CFR	668.16(f)
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