Coronavirus Response & Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA)

During the Spring 2020 semester the CARES Act was passed to assist degree seeking students with expenses related to the disruption of services offered by Institutes of Higher Education. The CARES Act funding received by FVTC to distribute to assist our students through this disruption of campus operations has been fully exhausted. The supplemental funding to Institutes of Higher Education through CRRSAA signed into law on December 27, 2020 is designed to assist degree seeking students enrolled in Spring 2021 classes who have “exceptional need” with their account balance or with emergency costs that fall within the categories of the Cost of Attendance that have directly resulted from the Coronavirus pandemic.  While FVTC distributed the CARES Act funding based on an application process to eligible students, the CRRSAA Grant Funding will be distributed through a two-phase system that includes an automatic distribution as well as an application process for qualifying students that will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Students who received CARES Act funding do not automatically qualify for the automatic disbursement from the CRRSAA Grant funding. The CARES Act funding was distributed to degree seeking, financial aid eligible students who were affected by the disruption of services provided by FVTC for specific qualifying expenses through the process of application for qualified eligible expenses. The funding provided through CRRSAA is intended for students with “exceptional need”. As such, FVTC will automatically be distributing CRRSAA funding to financial aid eligible, degree-seeking students who are enrolled and actively taking Spring 2021 semester classes at FVTC with an EFC (EFC = expected family contribution as determined on your 2020-2021 FAFSA) at or below 20000 a graduated matrix. 

If you have an emergency need as a direct result of the Coronavirus, you are a financial aid eligible, degree-seeking student who is enrolled and actively taking Spring 2021 semester classes at FVTC with an EFC (EFC = expected family contribution as determined on your 2020-2021 FAFSA) at or above 20001 and would like to be considered for a CRRSAA Grant, please complete this form: CRRSAA Grant Funding Request Form, so the FVTC CARES Team can review your request.

CARES Act funding was granted to students who met the eligibility requirements and provided requested documentation based on an application process beginning in the Spring 2020 and proceeded until the funding was exhausted. If you received an automatic distribution of funding or a paper check through the CRRSAA Grant, FVTC identified you as a degree-seeking financial aid eligible student who is enrolled and attending Spring 2021 classes with and eligible EFC (EFC = expected family contribution as determined on your 2020-2021 FAFSA) at or below 20000.  

If you feel that you meet these criteria, and you have not received an automatic distribution of CRRSAA Grant funding, please review the other FAQs or check your FVTC student email for additional information.

If you have further questions, please contact the FVTC CARES Team at fvtccares@fvtc.edu.

If you are identified as a financial aid eligible, degree-seeking student who is enrolled and attending Spring 2021 classes with an eligible EFC (EFC = expected family contribution as determined on your 2020-2021 FAFSA) at or below 20000 at the time that we receive the CRRSAA funding, you will receive a CRRSAA Grant. The mode of classes will not affect your eligibility criteria.

Institutes of Higher Education, including Fox Valley Technical College, are required to follow the guidelines set forth by the CRRSAA Grant and the U.S. Department of Education. One of the key criteria for the CRRSAA Grant funding is that funding is meant for students with “exceptional need”. As such, FVTC utilized information provided by students on the 2020-2021 FAFSA application to determine which degree-seeking students were financial aid eligible, enrolled and attending Spring 2021 classes with an EFC (EFC = expected family contribution) on the 2020-2021 FAFSA at or below 20000. CRRSAA Grants are being distributed by FVTC based on the matrix table below:

Following the Coronavirus Response & Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) being signed into law, legislators and the U.S. Department of Education began work on establishing and issuing guidance to Institutes of Higher Education regarding expectations for and application of the funding. FVTC, as an Institute of Higher Education then completed the application necessary to receive the grant funding. The funding was received by FVTC on January 17, 2021. FVTC was then able to begin the administrative work to distribute the CRRSAA Grant funding to eligible students. 

If you feel that you qualify for CRRSAA Grant funding, and you have an existing account balance, please check your FVTC student email for instructions on completing a CRRSAA Grant Funding Authorization form.  A delay may be experienced if the student has not returned a completed CRRSAA Grant Authorization Form telling FVTC how to process the grant. Students are able to choose to apply the CRRSAA Grant Funding to their account balance or receive the funding directly.  Only students with an existing balance on their account would have received the CRRSAA Authorization Form in their FVTC email. 

Fox Valley Technical College does not require students to report expenses or provide receipts for expenses that CRRSAA Grant funds are used for.  The expectation is that students will use grant funding for emergency expenses they have incurred that are a direct result of the Coronavirus pandemic that are considered within the parameters of the Cost of Attendance (tuition, books, room and board, transportation and/or personal expenses).  Students with a balance on their FVTC student account will have the option of completing a CRRSAA Grant Authorization Form to indicate if they would like the CRRSAA Grant Funding applied to their account balance, or distributed directly to them via eRefund on the eFAS Financial Account Suite or paper check (if eRefund is not set up).

If a student has a balance on their FVTC student account, it is an option to apply the CRRSAA Grant funding to their balance. However, they are not required to. CRRSAA Grant eligible students with a balance on their account will not receive an automatic distribution, rather they will receive an email explaining the CRRSAA Grant funding with a CRRSAA Grant Funding Authorization Form to complete so the student can indicate how they would like FVTC to distribute their CRRSAA Grant funding. The student may elect to apply the CRRSAA Grant funding to their account balance, or have it distributed directly to them via eRefund on the eFAS Financial Account Suite or by paper check if e-Refund is not set up.

If a FVTC student has an existing account balance at the time of distribution of CRRSAA Grant funds, they will receive an email with a CRRSAA Grant Authorization Form attached which will allow them to indicate to FVTC know how they would like to use their funds. Students have the option to apply the CRRSAA Grant to their existing account balance, or the student can elect to have the funds sent directly to them to be used toward emergency costs that have directly resulted from the Coronavirus pandemic. Students who do not have an account balance will not receive a CRRSAA Grant Authorization Form.  If you received the CRRSAA Grant Authorization Form this must be completed before the any disbursement will be made.

CRRSAA Grant Authorization Forms may be submitted in the following manner:

• Scan or take a picture of the completed form and save to your computer.
• Sign in to your MyFVTC account, select the Tasks tile.
  • Then select On-Demand Attachments
  • Department: Student Finance/3rd Party Bill
  • Option: Other Documents (non FinAid).
  • Click Add Attachment and attach the completed form and Upload.
• Or, send completed form via email to studentfinance@fvtc.edu.

As of May 21, 2021, Fox Valley Technical College has distributed all of the CRRSAA grant funding.  If you are experiencing an emergency need for financial assistance, you may apply for an emergency funding grant at www.fvtc.edu/support-services/emergency-resources/financial-challenges.  These grants will be reviewed for eligibility and you will be contacted for additional information or further steps that need to be taken. 
 
Fox Valley Technical College has compiled a list of college and community resources that may assist with emergency needs for our students. This list of resources can be found at www.fvtc.edu/emergency-resources or contact the FVTC CARES TEAM at fvtccares@fvtc.edu.

If you have received an automatic distribution of CRRSAA Grant Funding based the eligibility criteria, you are not eligible for additional CRRSAA Grant Funding. If you have additional emergency need, please review our list of college and community resources at www.fvtc.edu/emergency-resources or contact the FVTC CARES TEAM at fvtccares@fvtc.edu. 

On March 11, 2021 the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law. Currently, legislators and the U.S. Department of Education are working on establishing and issuing guidance to Institutes of Higher Education regarding expectations for and application of the funding. Fox Valley Technical College is committed to communicating updated information regarding funding available to higher education through the American Recovery Plan Act as a response to the Coronavirus pandemic via your FVTC email as it becomes available.

To receive CRRSAA Grant Funding you must be able to certify that you are a U.S. Citizen, U.S. National or Eligible Non-Citizen (U.S. permanent resident, with a Permanent Resident Card (formerly known as an Alien Registration Receipt Card or "Green Card”) Conditional permanent resident I-551C).