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Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services Energy Assistance Program Manual II. Most educational assistance programs are administered through the U.S. Office of Education under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. A few examples of the most common Title IV educational assistance grants include:
1. Pell grants; 2. Stafford Loan Program; 3. Parent Loans for Students (PLUS Loans); 4. Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG); 5. College Work Study; 6. Carl D. Perkins Loans (Title IV, Part E – formerly National Direct Student Loans). III. The National Community Services Act (NCSA) program also provides educational assistance. Clients are awarded from $1,000 - $4,000 per year to apply toward past or future educational expenses. Typically, educational awards are not counted as income because the award payment is made payable directly to the financial institution. However, the worker is required to review the award to ensure there are no monies being forwarded from the educational institution to the applicant student after tuition, books and other expenses are paid. The balance of any award, less books, tuitions and other educational expenses, is considered FAC countable income only. IV. The Veterans Administration provides educational assistance under a number of different programs. Payments are usually made monthly only for those months the veteran is in school. If school attendance is less than full time, the payments may be made less frequently. Dependents and survivors of veterans may also be eligible for educational benefits. Some VA educational benefits are based on contributions by the veteran. V. What is Not Income? 1. Vocational Rehabilitation – Payments made as part of a VA program of vocational rehabilitation are not income. This includes any augmentation for dependents. 2. Withdrawal of Contributions – Any portion of a VA educational benefit which is a withdrawal of the veteran’s own contribution of a resource and is not income. VI. What is Income? 1. VA educational benefits other than those in 1.a. and b. above are unearned income. However, any portion of a grant, scholarship or fellowship used for paying tuition, fees or other necessary educational expenses is excluded from income. VII. Students must provide proof of up to two semesters of educational assistance. If only one semester is available, the countable income is considered a lump-sum for the program year and is not annualized. If two semesters of educational assistance are available, they are added together to determine the annual amount. One of the two semesters must be the semester in which application for EAP benefits are made. The second semester must be the previous semester, if applicable. MTL 01/24 June 25, 2024 - 10 - Section 700 – Income