State of Emergency declared by Governor Justice due to FAFSA issues

CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) — Governor Justice declared a State of Emergency and suspended FAFSA requirements for students applying for state financial aid programs in West Virginia.

The FAFSA requirement suspension is temporary so that students can qualify for financial aid programs in the state by filling out FAFSA.

I don’t believe any other state in the nation has gone this far, but I simply cannot and will not stand by as money sits on the table that could be helping our students continue their education. Our state higher education office has been on top of this problem from the beginning. They’ve done more than 200 FAFSA workshops across the state and ramped up their outreach in every way imaginable. But there’s only so much outreach you can do when students can’t complete the form due to issues only the federal government can control. We have been left with no choice but to suspend the FAFSA requirement for our state financial aid programs, including the Promise Scholarship and the Higher Education Grant Program.”

Governor Justice

FAFSA allows students to receive financial aid for college because it helps determine how much financial assistance students need. Although the beginning of 2024 brought a new version of FAFSA, it posed a challenge for students and families not only in the Mountain State, but also in the U.S. Some challenges that students faced involved being unable to apply for financial aid, resulting in around a 40% decrease of high school FAFSA completion in the state.

The State of Emergency declaration means that, for the 2024-2025 academic year, eligible students who apply for the Promise Scholarship before September 1, 2024 could get a maximum of $5,500.

For the Fall 2024 semester, students who completed FAFSA for 2023-2024 and are eligible for the need-based Higher Education Grant could get a maximum of $3,400.

Students can also show their department eligibility letter to the financial aid office to get the higher education grant if they are eligible for SNAP, TANF, CHIP, Medicaid, and/or Child Care Subsidy Program through the West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS), or WIC through the West Virginia Department of Health (DH) if they do not have a previously filed FAFSA.

We know that the cost of going to college is one of the biggest hurdles West Virginia students already face when planning for education after high school, especially our low-income students. That’s why our state has invested so strongly in our own financial aid programs – which, combined, total more than $100 million each year for West Virginia students. I thank Governor Justice for his strong leadership and allowing students to access these funds this year despite their FAFSA status. And I encourage students to continue working to complete the FAFSA so that they can get as much money from other sources, including the federal government, as possible.”

Sarah Armstrong Tucker | West Virginia’s Chancellor of Higher Education

Students can call the Office of Constituent Services’ customer service hotline at 877-716-1212 to get a new DH or DOHS eligibility letter. They can also go here to apply for state aid programs, to find additional information, or they can call 877-987-7664 for the West Virginia financial aid hotline.

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