Happy Holidays from Impact Aid Director Faatimah Muhammad! Here is the first issue of the Director’s Quarterly Update (PDF file), a newsletter designed to keep you up-to-date on topics such as appropriations, payments, staffing, application review progress, and data trends.
New Videos: The Section 7003 Membership Table and Indian Policies and Procedures
We have posted two new training resources to help you learn about different aspects of the Section 7003 program, particularly if you are unable to attend a live webinar. The first video covers the membership table, with a focus on commonly asked questions, such as how to count children in grades lower than kindergarten, children with tuition agreements, children attending your district under an open enrollment policy, and homeschooled children. The second video gives a brief overview of Indian Policies and Procedures and waivers, which we hope will be helpful for local educational agencies with Indian lands as well as Tribal officials.
November 2023 – News You Can Use
This month we are highlighting tips to prepare you and your local educational agency (LEA) for our upcoming 2025 application season.
Surveying
Has your LEA conducted this year’s Impact Aid Survey? Whether using a parent pupil survey (PPS) form, source check, or Electronic Data Collection (EDC), choosing a survey date, and then conducting a survey is the beginning to your preparation for your Impact Aid application.
If you need help, check out our Section 7003 Overview and the How to Survey training videos, review the How to Conduct A Survey webinar slides, or contact your Impact Aid analyst directly! You can find all of our Impact Aid staff state assignments at this link.
Impact Aid Grant System (IAGS) System Updates
IAGS Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)
As of August 29, 2023, to meet current cybersecurity requirements, the IAGS requires school district and state users to access the IAGS through an identity verified Login.gov account. If you need help with your Login.gov account set-up, see this slide deck with detailed instructions and screenshots or our Frequently Asked Questions document for more information. Impact Aid staff are unable to assist you with Login.gov identity verification, password, or authentication issues. The Login.gov helpdesk is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can be reached through https://login.gov/help or by phone at (844) 875-6466.
Account Deactivation
If you have not logged in to IAGS within the last 120 days, your system account is deactivated. You can request that the system administrator reactivate your account by entering your email address in the green box on the Get Help page. Once reactivated, you will be able to gain entry to the system through Login.Gov.
IAGS User Changes
Do you need to make changes to your IAGS users? To remove a core user, submit your request to the analyst assigned to your state via email. Provide the new user’s name, title, email address and phone number. Once added, the core user will receive instructions for account setup by email. To add or edit secondary user privileges, contact your LEAs core user listed within your LEA record.
Upcoming Webinars
Does your LEA have staff who are new to Impact Aid or need a refresher?
Join the Impact Aid staff in an upcoming webinar. Our webinars are FREE and open to all. Click this link for a complete schedule through September 2024. Check out our offerings through December below.
Topic | Date | Eastern Time | Pacific Time | Link to Register |
The 7003 Payment Formula | 11/16/2023 | 3 PM | 12 PM | Register Here |
IAGS Navigation | 12/5/2023 | 2 PM | 11 AM | Register Here |
Section 7002 Overview | 12/7/2023 | 2 PM | 11 AM | Register Here |
October 2023 – News You Can Use
Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Initial Payments
The Federal government is operating under a Continuing Resolution for FY 2024, which provides a small percentage of Impact Aid funding appropriated for FY 2023, through November 17, 2023. The Impact Aid Program has begun releasing basic support payments for local educational agencies (LEAs) that have requested an early payment. We have released 767 basic support payments set at 50% proration and 106 payments for Children with Disabilities at a rate of $500 per weighted student unit.
If your LEA will require an FY 2024 initial Impact Aid payment before December 31, 2023 to meet operational expenses, you can request an expedited payment through the Impact Aid Grant System (IAGS). Go to this link for instructions for submitting the request through IAGS. We will release additional payments as we receive additional funds in the future.
FY 2022 Closeout
We have completely closed out FY 2022. The final 7003 (b) and (d) payments were made on September 11, 2023. Final 7002 payments were made on October 3, 2023, and final 7007(a) formula construction final payments were made on October 10, 2023. Please check IAGS for your vouchers. You will be able to dispose of your supporting documents for the FY 2022 application in October 2026.
IAGS Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)
As of August 29, 2023, to meet current cybersecurity requirements, the IAGS requires school district and state users to access the IAGS through an identity verified Login.gov account. If you need help with your Login.gov account set-up, see this slide deck with detailed instructions and screenshots or our Frequently Asked Questions document for more information. Impact Aid staff are unable to assist you with Login.gov identity verification, password, or authentication issues. The Login.gov helpdesk is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can be reached through https://login.gov/help or by phone at (844) 875-6466.
Upcoming Webinars – New Schedule
Does your LEA have staff who are new to Impact Aid or need a refresher?
Join the Impact Aid staff in an upcoming webinar. Our webinars are FREE and open to all. Click this link for a complete schedule through September 2024 or check out this month’s offerings below.
Topic | Date | Eastern Time | Pacific Time | Link to Register |
How To Conduct a Survey | 10/16/2023 | 2 PM | 11 AM | Register Here |
Section 7003 Overview | 11/7/2023 | 3 PM | 12 PM | Register Here |
The 7003 Payment Formula | 11/16/2023 | 3 PM | 12 PM | Register Here |
Webinar Schedule – October 2023 to September 2024
Sign in with Login.gov – Instructions and Troubleshooting
July 2023 – News You Can Use
Sample Source Check Form
Are you using our most recent sample source check form? We revised our sample source check form in 2019 to better align with how the Impact Aid Grant system (IAGS) application requests your child counts. A number of LEAs are still using an old source check template, which can make filling out your application and being monitored more difficult that it needs to be. If the source check template that you are using refers to “tables” or is in Microsoft Word format, it is not the most current version.
IAGS captures student counts based on federal connection by categories (A-G) and by Federal property, and no longer uses Tables 1-5. Our current sample source check form is a Microsoft Excel form, making it easier to add rows and count eligible children. The Excel worksheet has tabs at the bottom for each of the Federally connected categories and Federal property type. Each tab has the appropriate signature block(s) for your certifier(s). When doing your survey for the 2023-24 school year, use our revised source check form by downloading the Excel file here.
Records Retention Requirements
Do you have old Section 7003 Impact Aid forms piling up? The Impact Aid regulation specifies that all application documentation (including survey forms and source checks) must be retained for 3 years after receipt of the final payment for that application. This chart shows the final payment dates and retention schedule for recent fiscal years:
Application Fiscal Year | Final Payment Date | Retain Records Until | School Year of Records |
2021 | 5/8/2023 | 5/8/2026 | 2019-2020 |
2020 | 4/23/2021 | 4/23/2024 | 2018-2019 |
2019 | 3/6/2020 | 3/6/2023 | 2017-2018 |
2018 | 4/9/2019 | 4/9/2022 | 2016-2017 |
2017 | 8/19/2018 | 8/19/2021 | 2015-2016 |
Upcoming Impact Aid Webinar
Click here to view a complete webinar schedule. Our webinars are FREE and open to all.
Overview of Section 7003 (Payments for Federally Connected Children)
July 13, 2023
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST
FY 2023 Payments
To date, Impact Aid has released initial and interim payments at a 90% proration and $1,050 per weighted student unit for Children with Disabilities (CWD) to all eligible districts. Generally Comparable District and Heavily Impacted adjustments are complete.
Army Installation Name Changes
The Department of Defense is in the process of changing the name of nine Army installations that were named after Confederate leaders. Below is a list of the affected installations along with the effective date of the name change.
We are updating the property database in IAGS to reflect the new name. Please use this information to update your parent-pupil survey forms and source check forms for the upcoming school year if necessary.
Former Name | State | New Name |
Effective Date |
Fort Pickett | Virginia | Fort Barfoot |
March 24, 2023 |
Fort Rucker | Alabama | Fort Novosel |
April 10, 2023 |
Fort Lee | Virginia | Fort Gregg-Adams |
April 27, 2023 |
Fort Hood | Texas | Fort Cavazos |
May 9, 2023 |
Fort Benning | Georgia | Fort Moore |
May 11, 2023 |
Fort Bragg | North Carolina | Fort Liberty |
June 2, 2023 |
Fort Polk | Louisiana | Fort Johnson |
June 13, 2023 |
Fort A.P. Hill | Virginia | Fort Walker |
August 25, 2023 |
Fort Gordon | Georgia | Fort Eisenhower |
October 27, 2023 |
May 2023 – News You Can Use
Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Final Payments
We are very pleased to announce that we released final FY 2021 payments under Section 7003 yesterday. The final Basic Support proration was 100%, with a ratable increase of 1.51% added to each LEA’s Learning Opportunity Threshold (LOT). The final rate for CWD payments was $1,175.24 per weighted student unit. We will release FY 2021 remaining funds payments for Section 7002 in the coming weeks, and then will turn to closing FY 2022.
FY 2023 Interim Payments
To date, Impact Aid has released initial and interim payments at a 90% proration and $1,050 per weighted student unit for Children with Disabilities (CWD) to all eligible districts. Generally Comparable District adjustments are complete and most Heavily Impacted adjustments are finished.
Grantee Satisfaction Survey
The 2023 Grantee Satisfaction Survey launched on April 11th, and if you were selected, you should have received the survey from the “CFI Group on behalf of the Department of Education.” The email subject line is “Department of Education Grantee Satisfaction Survey 2023.” The survey is administered by an independent third-party research firm, so our staff will not receive individual survey responses and will have no way of knowing how individual grantees responded. While the survey is voluntary, we count on everyone’s participation to provide representative results and to help us identify how best to serve you. The survey should take about 15 minutes to complete, and our success depends on how many of you respond.
Amending FY 2024 Applications
Do you need to amend your original application submission? To start an amendment, log in to the Impact Aid Grant System, navigate to the local educational agency (LEA) summary page, and locate the section labeled “Applications.” Select the FY 2024 application submission and at the application summary page, click the button “Start a 7002 or 7003 Amendment.” For step-by-step instructions, watch our instructional video on Starting an Application Amendment. The deadline to submit an amendment is June 30, 2023.
March 2023 News You Can Use
FY 2024 Monitoring Notifications
Monitoring notifications for the fiscal year (FY) 2024 application have been emailed to certain grantees. If you have received one of these notifications and need assistance you should contact the Impact Aid analyst listed on your monitoring notification email. Our March webinars will specifically focus on providing monitoring assistance to districts that were selected for monitoring. Registration links for those webinars have been sent out in the monitoring notices.
IAGS Account Deactivation Warnings
This month, we are sending every active Impact Aid Grant System (IAGS) user an email reminder that their account will be deactivated if the password has not been changed in the last 120 days. Unfortunately, we are unable to send a targeted email to users who are in danger of being deactivated soon. You may have received this message twice this week, and we regret this error. It is a legitimate message, and you will not receive another reminder until June.
Late FY 2024 Applications
Did you miss the application deadline? There is still time to apply for Impact Aid! The FY 2024 late application deadline for Section 7002 and Section 7003 is April 3, 2023. Late applications are assessed a 10% payment penalty.
Amending FY 2024 Applications
Do you need to amend your original application submission? To start an amendment, log in to the Impact Aid Grant System, navigate to the local educational agency (LEA) summary page, and locate the section labeled “Applications.” Select the FY 2024 application submission and at the application summary page, click the button “Start a 7002 or 7003 Amendment”. For step-by-step instructions, watch our instructional video on Starting an Application Amendment. The deadline to submit an amendment is June 30, 2023.
FY 2021 Final Payments
In the coming weeks Impact Aid will provide an update regarding the status and timeline for final payments for FY 2021.
FY 2023 Initial Payments
To date, Impact Aid has released initial payments at a 50% proration and $500 per weighted student unit for Children with Disabilities (CWD) to all eligible districts. Next, we will begin processing interim payments at 90% proration and CWD at a weighted student unit rate of $1,050.
NEW RESOURCE: Section 7003 Videos
In case you are unable to join us for one of our free webinars, we have recorded six short presentations covering the important parts of our two most popular sessions: the Section 7003 Overview and How to Conduct a Survey. Check them out here. Each video has related resource links at the bottom and a transcript if you prefer to read the narration.
We will continue to offer webinars that will go into each topic in depth and answer your questions, however the videos are the next best thing if you can’t come or just need a high level overview.
School Year 2022-23 Impact Aid Training Webinars
Upcoming Payment Schedule
Local educational agencies (LEAs) eligible for a formula construction payment because they have at least 50% of their membership either living on Indian lands or with a parent in the uniformed services will receive an initial fiscal year (FY) 2022 formula construction payment in August at the latest, per the usual summer schedule.
Because of the Flexibility and Coronavirus Relief Acts allowing LEAs to use data from one survey on the FYs 2021-2023 applications, we need to finish the monitoring process for FY 2023 before we can safely say what the correct data is for FYs 2021 and 2022 applications. Thus, we need to calculate the final payments for those years later than usual, in Fall/Winter 2022.
Initial payments for FY 2023 will go out as usual after the Federal FY starts on October 1, contingent on the timing of appropriated funds. LEAs who rely heavily on Impact Aid funds to meet current expenditures can request an early payment in IAGS in case there’s a continuing resolution that delays the final appropriation.
Update: The current continuing resolution for FY 2023 expires December 16, 2022.
New Log In Screen
Soon, the Impact Aid Grant System will prompt users to chose their user type when logging in. Please choose the option for Local Educational Agency and State Users. This will allow you to log in with your username and password as usual. Once you make this selection, the system will remember your browser and device and you will not be prompted again.
If you make the wrong selection, you will need to clear your browser history and cache in order to see the prompt again and make the correct selection. In most browsers, holding down the CTRL + SHIFT + DEL keys at the same time will bring up the window that will allow you to clear your history and cache. After clearing, refresh your browser window and navigate to the log in screen to see the prompt.
FY 2023 Impact Aid Applications Now Available
The Impact Aid section 7002 and section 7003 applications for Fiscal Year 2023 are now available online in the Impact Aid Grant System (IAGS). The application submission deadline for the Section 7002 and Section 7003 applications is January 31, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. We urge you to begin working on your application well before the deadline. Do not wait until the last minute.
Section 7002 applicants receive grant funds based on the number of eligible Federal acres within their school district boundaries. Section 7003 applicants receive grant funds based on the number of Federally connected children they educate. If your local educational agency (LEA) receives Impact Aid funds under both sections of the law, you must complete and submit both applications. Unlike last year, LEAs must apply using current school year data. LEAs applying for Section 7003 must do a survey this year, and LEAs applying for Section 7002 must use their current year assessed value and tax rate information.
Log in to the Impact Aid Grant System to start your application. You will find the link to start your application on the Home page. Any user with application editor privileges can start and edit the application, and then submit it forward to those with signature privileges. Signatories will receive a task in the IAGS to review the application and assurances and submit. The application is not complete until the signature task is submitted.
We have a number of helpful tools available on our IAGS Training and Resources pages to help you submit your application. In particular, please review the Section 7002 Application Instructions and Section 7003 Application Instructions. If you need a refresher on IAGS account set up and how to complete an application, see our new slide deck, A Guide to Submitting a 7003 Application in the IAGS.
If you have not changed your IAGS password within the last 120 days, your system account is deactivated and you will not be able to reset your password. You can request that the system administrator reactivate your account by entering your email address in the green box on the Get Help page. Once reactivated, you will be able to use the “Forgot your password?” link to set up a new password and gain entry to the system. Each year, some applicants wait until the last minute to apply and find that they can’t log in due to a deactivated account. Applications submitted after the deadline, but before April 1, 2022 incur a 10 percent payment reduction penalty. Don’t let this happen to you!
Update on Supplemental Impact Aid Flexibility Act (S. 2959)
Proposed legislation that would permit LEAs to use certain information from their FY 2022 application on the FY 2023 application has passed the Senate and the House has not yet acted. Should this legislation be signed into law, the timing of the enactment will determine the logistics of its implementation. The application deadline remains January 31, 2022, and if they have not already completed a survey for this school year, Section 7003 LEAs should plan to do so as soon as possible to ensure they do not miss that deadline. We will provide more detailed information related to the pending legislation when we know it. Currently we plan that if enactment occurs before the deadline, we are prepared to act within days to update the application and application instructions. Any LEA may amend their application after submitted until June 30, 2022. This includes an LEA that timely submits its application before enactment, and an LEA that timely submits its application but enactment occurs after the January 31, 2022 deadline.
Initial Payments and Continuing Resolution for FY 2022
Many LEAs are asking when they can expect to receive an initial FY 2022 Impact Aid payment.
The Department of Education is operating under a continuing resolution for FY 2022. The current continuing resolution expires February 18, 2022.
A continuing resolution is legislation enacted by Congress to allow government operations to continue until the regular appropriations are enacted. The Department has received a small percentage of what it is likely to receive for FY 2022 in order to make initial payments.
Because the full appropriation is not available, we are currently making payments only to LEAs who need Impact Aid funds to meet operational expenses. If your LEA requires an initial payment before March 2022, please submit an Early Payment Request in the IAGS.
Discretionary Construction Grant Applications Now Available
Grant applications for FY 2021 Impact Aid Discretionary Construction awards are now published on Grants.gov. The application deadline is September 13, 2021 at 11:59:59 PM Eastern time. We have posted related forms and materials on our Resources page.
Discretionary Construction grant funding is available to LEAs who meet requirements related to bonding capacity and who have at least 50% of their membership either living on Indian lands or with a parent in the Uniformed Services. Eligible applicants must also have an educational facility with an emergency health and safety condition. Please review the Notice Inviting Applications for detailed eligibility information.
We encourage interested applicants to join us for a pre-application webinar on Thursday, August 19, 2021 at 1:00 Eastern time. Click here to join the meeting, or join by phone at 202-991-0393, conference code 968 040 340#. We will post the slides on the Resources page after the presentation.
FY 2022 Applications Open and Coronavirus Relief Act
The Impact Aid Program is pleased to announce that the Section 7002 and Section 7003 applications for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 are now available in the Impact Aid Grant System (IAGS). The deadline is Monday, February 1, 2021 at 11:59 P.M. Eastern time. Late applications will receive a ten percent penalty on all payments arising from the application, so please file early.
On Friday, December 4, 2020 the President signed H.R. 8472, the Impact Aid Coronavirus Relief Act (the Act). For FY 2022, the Act permits Section 7003 applicants the flexibility to use student count data from their reviewed prior year application, or apply as usual, using student count data from the 2020-2021 school year. Section 7002 LEAs may submit the same reviewed application data used on the FY 2021 application, or apply as usual.
Instructions for taking advantage of this new option, including how to find a copy of your LEA’s FY 2021 application, are available below:
- IAGS Sec. 7002 Application and Coronavirus Relief User Guide (MS Word)
- IAGS Sec. 7003 Application and Coronavirus Relief User Guide (MS Word)
The Sec. 7003 User Guide explains which portions of the application are subject to the new flexibility.
Training Reminder
We will be hosting several trainings in the coming weeks. The upcoming “Ask An Analyst” sessions provide an open opportunity for LEAs to ask questions and receive assistance on completing the application.
Surveys for the 2020-2021 School Year
Early Payment Requests
If your LEA will require an FY 2021 initial Impact Aid payment before December 30, 2020 in order to meet operational expenses, you can now request an expedited payment through the Impact Aid Grant System. Click this link for instructions.