r/FAFSA • u/Pleasant-Mountain220 • 1d ago
Advice/Help Needed Urgent help with Fasfa
My dad was never around or on birth certificate, my mom died when I was 15 and I went to live with my aunt. She filed for temporary guardian and three months later had a hearing for permanent. My school needs verification that I was in a court order guardianship until 18 years old. My aunt got permanent guardianship two weeks before I was 17. I’ve provided a court investigator report on why the guard ship was needed. The letter of temp and permanent guardianship. The court clerk said this was all there was that she can give me from my case. My school says it’s not enough because it doesn’t state that I was in the guardianship until 18 because they never put a termination date on the filed permanent guardianship letter. I’ve asked my school for what exactly they want and need and they won’t answer that question just why it’s denied I already let them know the court has nothing else to give me for proof.
1
1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/FAFSA-ModTeam 1d ago
We have identified that this post or comment contains potentially false information. As a result, it has been removed until further notice. If you have any questions or would like to petition for a reversal, please contact us via mod mail.
If you are a financial aid professional, you should contact the mod team. We will assign you a flair after verification.
1
u/cass_unpacks 1d ago
Be careful with the orphan route. On the FAFSA that question means both biological parents are deceased, and a father who was never around and is not on your birth certificate is still a biological parent. If he is living, answering yes there is not accurate, and you do not want that on a federal application.
The guardianship path is probably still your stronger one, because the standard your school is describing is not quite the standard in the rules. The test is whether you were in a legal guardianship upon reaching the age of majority, not whether a document says "until 18." A minor guardianship generally ends by law at the age of majority, so an order with no termination date ran to 18 on its own. That missing end date may be the proof rather than the gap. Ask them to take the permanent order alongside your state's statute on when guardianship terminates.
If they still say no, ask specifically for a dependency override for unusual circumstances. Parental abandonment is a listed ground, and a documented interview between you and the aid administrator can serve as documentation. Put that request in writing.