Related Video: Despite new aid from West Virginia, problems with FAFSA persist
CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – West Virginia Governor Jim Justice is hosting a ceremonial bill signing this Friday to help bring funding to college students.
According to the governor, SB 1007, which passed in the special session, was created to supplement and amend appropriations to the Higher Education Policy Commission, Control Account, in response to issues with this year’s new FAFSA rollout. Justice says the bill allocates more than $80 million in funding for college students and higher education institutions.
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Justice said that money will be divided between:
- $40 million to the state’s needs-based higher education grant program to double the maximum award from $3,400 to $6,800 for eligible students
- $11.2 million to the newly established College Access Emergency Grant to provide up to $2,000 for eligible students.
- $32 million to support the operations of West Virginia’s public colleges and universities.
The goal of the legislation is to help solve issues with FAFSA delays impacting students in West Virginia. Justice declared a State of Emergency for Education in West Virginia in April due to the issue.
According to the governor, there is normally an October deadline to apply for the next year’s funding so they can plan for what federal and state dollars they will receive. However, the changes meant the application wasn’t available until December, but there were several issues with the revised form. Many colleges have already delayed their FAFSA deadlines, and the errors have caused many to receive incorrect data.