CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Student Report – Emergency Financial Aid Grant to Students

 

On May 18th, The Center for Ultrasound Research & Education (CURE) received access to $64,747 in CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) earmarked for student aid. On May 15th students were notified by email of the availability of the grant and how to apply. A Google form was included in the email for students to complete the application.

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Eligible students received a $500 cash grant. $32,000 was distributed at that time to 64 students who met the government guidelines. More grants were distributed since then and will continue to be distributed as eligible students complete their required certification form.

In addition to the above distribution, we created a second, supplemental grant program to provide additional student aid to eligible students who experienced financial hardship not covered by the initial $500 grant. Students were awarded $500 for childcare expenses and $200 for transportation expenses. More funding will be made available to students for other approved expenses as eligible students complete their required certification form. To date we have disbursed a total of $38,800.

 

Disclosure Information

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This page is provided in an effort to comply with the 30- and 45-day reporting requirements issued by the Secretary of the United States Department of Education on May 6, 2020.

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1. The Center for Ultrasound Research & Education (CURE) acknowledges that a representative from CURE signed and filed with the U.S. Department of Education (ED) the Recipient’s Funding Certification and Agreement Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act on April 24, 2020 via grants.gov. CURE assures that the institution has used, no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students, under the name of CARES Act Student Emergency Aid Grant at CURE.

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2. On May 18, 2020, CURE received from ED the total amount of funds of $64,747 pursuant to the Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.

 

3. As of July 31, 2020, CURE has distributed $53,600 to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.

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4. The total number of students at the institution eligible to participate in the programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid grants to student under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act is 142.

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5. As of August 7, 2020, 95 students have applied for an Emergency Financial Aid Grant to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act, 86 of which has been awarded aid.

 

6. CURE used the following methods to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid grants and how much they would receive under Section 18004(a)(1):

 

Given the demographics of our student population and our location in close proximity to communities hardest hit by the pandemic in NY, CURE determined that all of our eligible students had significant need for financial relief. The amount each student received was based on how much we received. We decided to disburse 50% of the funds received in Phase 1 on a first come first come basis for the first 64 eligible students and the remaining 50% in Phase 2.

 

We created two internal funds to distribute the emergency grants to students. One fund is called the Phase 1 HEERF Grant funds and the second is called the Phase 2 HEERF Grant funds. The latter provides additional student aid to eligible students who experienced financial hardship not covered by the initial $500 through the Phase 1 HEERF Grant funds.

 

7. What information was provided to students about the availability of the Emergency Financial Aid Grants and the process to obtain one?

Eligible students learned about the Emergency Financial Aid Grants through an email that shared a link to complete the required Student Certification Form.

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Students who received funds in Phase 1 received the following:

 

Good Afternoon Students,

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The Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students under the CARES Act (The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act, which does not require repayment, is a grant funded by the federal government in response to the global pandemic COVID-19 to provide economic relief to students who incurred or will incur expenses related to disruptions due to coronavirus (including eligible expenses under a student's cost of attendance, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care).

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The recently enacted Federal CARES Act provided money to colleges and universities to distribute for emergency student grants. The purpose of the money is to provide financial assistance to students for specific expenses incurred or will incur that are a direct result of disruptions due to coronavirus. This funding is separate from additional financial aid you may receive from CURE.

 

CURE is required by Section 18004(e) of the CARES Act to report to the Secretary regarding how grants were distributed to students, the amount of each grant awarded to each student, and how the amount of each grant was calculated.

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IMPORTANT: The emergency grants cannot be used to replace a loss of income or to pay for student expenses that are not directly related to disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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What Does This Funding Cover?

 

The following is a list of expenses that can be considered for grant assistance if they are "related to the disruptions due to COVID-19.":

• Food

• Housing

• Course materials

• Technology (such as having to buy a computer when courses were moved online or

  Internet expenses)

• Health care

• Childcare

 

ELIGIBILITY

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Eligible​

Students who meet all criteria below are eligible to apply:

 

Based on the guidance provided by the Department of Education, students must meet the following eligibility parameters to qualify for CARES Act funds:

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• Be eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. (e.g., be eligible to receive federal financial aid funds such as the Pell Grant, TEACH Grant, Direct Loans, etc.).

• Students must complete 2019-2020 FAFSA and submit all required documentation.

 

Not Eligible

· Students on Leave of Absence (LOA) prior to the COVID-19 pandemic are not eligible to receive this grant.

· Students enrolled in the Medical Assisting (MA) program are not eligible to receive federal financial aid funds and as such are not eligible to receive this grant.

 

Phase 1

The Department of Education has made CARES Act funds available to students who incurred or will incur expenses as a result of COVID-19 related disruptions. In our initial round of funds distributions, in order to receive this grant, students must complete an online form, which will be made available on our website and sent by email. In Phase 1 of the distribution process, students will receive a $500 immediate assistance grant, when funds become available (continue reading for details on Phase 2 distributions).

Awards will be disbursed to students on a first come first served basis, until funding is exhausted.

 

Phase 2

Phase 2 of the CURE CARES Act distribution process will be an application-based funding request process. Starting on Monday, July 6th, 2020 eligible students will be able to request up to $1,000 in Phase 2 CARES Act funds using the application form available upon request from our Financial Aid Office.

 

Awards will be disbursed to students on a first come first served basis, until funding is exhausted.

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Students must also attest that they are experiencing hardships because of COVID19. To apply please complete the form below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSduGTF7sA2Uz5IhMqwr7566HEW32scaAUAlViP35weDyAz HzQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

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(FORM PROVIDED)

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Students who are ineligible because they have not yet filed a FAFSA, should
visit https://studentaid.gov/ and apply for the 2019-2020 FAFSA and contact the Financial Aid Office by emailing nicola@cure.edu or theresa@cure.edu for further assistance.

 

Thank you.

Best Regards. --

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Nicola Howard-Brown

Director of Financial Aid

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Students who received funds in Phase 2 received the following:

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Good Afternoon Students,

As was previously announced, there will be a second phase of funding for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). We had initially planned to start distribution in July. However, in light of our return to campus next week, there may be students with some urgent financial need that may hinder you from returning to campus.

 

If you are having financial difficulties that may affect your ability to return to campus or your externship, please let us know by completing the form below. Please note you will be asked to provide proof of your need.

As a reminder the grant is for the following expenses:

• Housing

• Course Material

• Technology

• Childcare

• Medical

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Funds will be disbursed on a first come first serve basis, until funding is exhausted.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdMDVznmFYLWun7RkzigwyQlYNp9j3tn1MTtsTLMV6R7eZ org/viewform?usp=sf_link

 

Best Regards. Nicola
--

Nicola Howard-Brown Director of Financial Aid

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