Common Origination and Disbursement

COD Processing Update

November 3, 2006

Direct Loan Program

COD News

NEW! Some GAPS Transactions for ACG, National SMART Grant, Pell Grant, and Direct
Loan Programs Inaccurately or Not Reflected in COD System (11/03/06)
COD has discovered that some Grant Administration and Payment System (GAPS)
transactions performed by schools since September 29, 2006 are not accurately reflected in
the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System. The transactions affect multiple
programs—Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), National Science and Mathematics
Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant), Federal Pell Grant (Pell Grant),
and William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan)—and multiple award years. In
some cases, GAPS refund, return, drawdown, and drawdown adjustment transaction
amounts have been doubled in the COD System. In other cases, GAPS transactions are not
yet reflected in the COD System.
COD has identified the issues that sporadically caused the reflection of inaccurate GAPS
transactions in the COD System and is working to correct the inaccurate data in the COD
System as expeditiously as possible. COD will keep schools informed of our work via the
“COD Processing Update” and messages on the COD Web site.
In the meantime, an affected school can refer to the GAPS Activity Report on the GAPS e-
Payments Web site for an accurate reflection of all GAPS transactions it has performed
since September 29, 2006. If the school has any questions or concerns, it can contact the
COD School Relations Center by phone or e-mail.
Note to Direct Loan Schools: If this issue has affected a Direct Loan school, its October
2006 month-end School Account Statement (SAS) will also be impacted.
Federal Student Aid apologizes for the inconvenience caused by this issue and assures
schools that it is working to correct the inaccurate data in the COD System as expeditiously
as possible.
An Electronic Announcement with this same information will be posted on the IFAP Web
site

NEW! COD System Services For Friday, November 10, 2006 through Sunday, November 12,
2006 (11/03/06)
The Federal observance of Veterans Day on November 10, 2006 as well as maintenance
activities on both the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System and the
Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG) on November 11 and 12, 2006 will have the
following impact:

• Friday, November 10th

o The COD School Relations Center will be open.
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o Users will be able to submit and retrieve data via the COD Web site.
o The COD System will accept and process data from schools and send back
responses/acknowledgments.
o Schools will not be able to receive any Federal funds on November 10th.
Requests for changes in funding levels and for funds will not be processed
until Monday, November 13, 2006.

• Saturday, November 11th

o Users will be able to submit or retrieve data via the COD Web site.
o Schools attempting to transmit batches via the SAIG between 12:01 A.M.
(ET), Saturday, November 11th and 2:00 P.M. (ET) on Sunday, November
12th will receive an error message informing them that the SAIG is
unavailable and that the data must be transmitted at a later time.

• Sunday, November 12th

o Users will not be able to submit or retrieve data via the COD Web site
between 2:00 A.M. and 8:00 A.M. (ET).
o Schools attempting to transmit batches via the SAIG between 12:01 A.M.
(ET) on Saturday, November 11th and 2:00 P.M. (ET) on Sunday,
November 12th will receive an error message informing them that the SAIG
is unavailable and that the data must be transmitted at a later time.

Additional information about Veterans Day processing and customer service hours for COD
and other Federal Student Aid/Department of Education call centers will be available in an
Electronic Announcement on the IFAP Web site. An Electronic Announcement about the
SAIG outage is available on the IFAP Web site.

Federal Student Aid apologizes for any inconvenience these outages may cause. If you
have any questions about the COD System, contact the COD School Relations Center. If
you have any questions about the SAIG, contact CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 800/330-
5947 or e-mail [email protected].

NEW! Extended Direct Loan Electronic MPN Web Site Outage For Sunday, November 12,
2006 (11/03/06)
As a reminder, the Direct Loan Electronic Master Promissory Note (MPN) Web site is
unavailable every Sunday morning from 5:00 A.M. until 11:00 A.M. (ET) while routine
maintenance is performed. During this period, individuals are not able to complete new
MPNs electronically or retrieve existing MPNs that were completed electronically.

Due to the need for additional maintenance on Sunday, November 12, 2006, the Direct
Loan Electronic MPN Web site will be unavailable for an extended period of time from
2:00 A.M. until 11:00 A.M. (ET). Individuals attempting to access the Web site after the
cutoff time will see a Web site maintenance message and will not be able to start the
process or retrieve an existing MPN.

COD apologizes for any inconvenience this outage may cause. If you have any questions,
contact the COD School Relations Center.

COD Processing Update

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Updated COD Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Available (11/02/06)

COD has updated the FAQs on the COD Web site. The FAQs are available on the COD
Web site by clicking on the “Click here if you are looking for more information on
Common Origination and Disbursement” link at the bottom of the page. The updated FAQs
are also available on the IFAP Web site.

If you have any questions about the document, or would like to see anything added, please
contact the COD School Relations Center at [email protected] with the subject
line of "FAQ".

Unlocking and Resetting COD Web Site Passwords (11/03/06)

NEW! COD would like to remind COD Web site users that Security Administrators (COD Web
site User Level 5) are able to unlock and reset passwords for the users (User Level 1-4) they
established at their school or organization. However, if the Security Administrator needs
his or her password unlocked or reset, the Security Administrator must contact the COD
School Relations Center.

In order to unlock users, a Security Administrator should log in to the COD Web site,
www.cod.ed.gov, and complete the following steps:

Step 1: From the Welcome to Common Origination & Disbursement Web Site screen, click
on the User tab on the blue bar at the top of the screen. The User Search screen
displays.
Step 2: Enter the search criteria for the user and click on the submit button at the bottom of
the User Search screen. The Search Results screen displays and lists users that
match the search criteria.
Step 3: On the Search Results screen, select the name of the user that needs to be unlocked.
The User Information screen displays.
Step 4: Click on the Modify button at the bottom of the User Information screen. The
Update User Profile screen displays.
Step 5: The Locked Out box on the Update User Profile screen contains a checkmark.
Click on the Locked Out box to remove the checkmark.
Step 6: If a new temporary password is not needed, skip this item and go to Step 7. If a
new temporary password is needed, enter the new temporary password in the New
Password field. Then re-enter the new password in the Re-enter New Password
field to confirm. The user will need to change this password to one of his or her
choosing.
Step 7: Click on the submit button at the bottom of the Update User Profile screen. The
Update Your Profile screen displays.
Step 8: On the Update Your Profile screen, click on the Submit button to confirm the
updates made to the user’s profile.

This information is also posted on the COD Web site in a document entitled “Unlocking
And Resetting COD Web Site Passwords.” To access the document before you log in to the
Web site, click on the “Click here if you are looking for more information on Common
Origination and Disbursement” Link. To access the document after you log in to the Web
site, click on the “Today’s Updates” link at the bottom of the page.

COD Processing Update

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 Common Origination and Disbursement
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Schools can refer to the Electronic Announcement on the IFAP Web site,
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/0201UpdatedCODWebsiteSchools.html, for
information regarding COD Web site access. Third party servicers can refer to the
Electronic Announcement on the IFAP Web site at
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/UpdatedCODWebsiteThirdPartyServ.html.

2006 Las Vegas Federal Student Aid Conference (10/30/06)

As a reminder, the second 2006 Federal Student Aid Conference will be held November 28,
2006 through December 1, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event was formerly known as
the Electronic Access Conference (EAC). The registration deadline for the Las Vegas
conference is November 11, 2006. This year’s agenda will feature a Direct Loan Track
with a series of sessions focused on Direct Loan topics. Detailed information about this
Federal Student Aid conference is available in a Dear Colleague Letter and on Federal
Student Aid’s conference Web site.

Direct Loan Bulletin 06-11 Released (10/27/06)

Direct Loan Bulletin 06-11 was released to schools from the COD School Relations Center
on October 26, 2006 and is posted on the IFAP Web site. This bulletin provides guidance
about keeping updated and accurate contact information for Federal Student Aid resources
on school Web sites. If you would like to be added to or removed from the Direct Loan
Bulletin distribution list, please submit an e-mail to [email protected] with the
subject line of “DLB Distribution”.

HERA Operational Implementation Guidance—Two EDExpress 2006-2007, Release

3.0 Software Issues Impacting Direct PLUS Loans for Graduate or Professional
Students Identified for Resolution in Release 4.0 (10/26/06)
Federal Student Aid has posted operational guidance alerting all users of the EDExpress for
Windows 2006-2007, Release 3.0 software of two Direct Loan module issues it has
identified, both of which will be resolved in Release 4.0 (available December 2006). The
Electronic Announcement is available on the IFAP Web site.

Reports and Data Requests

This section contains important notices regarding reports and/or data requests. While we
NOTICES encourage you to review this section, note that some schools may not be impacted by the
information presented below.

• Direct Loan Rebuild File— Schools in need of this file should contact the
COD School Relations Center. (10/03/05)

COD Processing Update

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 Common Origination and Disbursement
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ACG, National SMART Grant, and

Pell Grant Programs
COD News

NEW!
Some GAPS Transactions for ACG, National SMART Grant, Pell Grant, and Direct
Loan Programs Inaccurately or Not Reflected in COD System (11/03/06)
COD has discovered that some Grant Administration and Payment System (GAPS)
transactions performed by schools since September 29, 2006 are not accurately reflected in
the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System. The transactions affect multiple
programs—Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), National Science and Mathematics
Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant), Federal Pell Grant (Pell Grant),
and William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan)—and multiple award years. In
some cases, GAPS refund, return, drawdown, and drawdown adjustment transaction
amounts have been doubled in the COD System. In other cases, GAPS transactions are not
yet reflected in the COD System.
COD has identified the issues that sporadically caused the reflection of inaccurate GAPS
transactions in the COD System and is working to correct the inaccurate data in the COD
System as expeditiously as possible. COD will keep schools informed of our work via the
“COD Processing Update” and messages on the COD Web site.
In the meantime, an affected school can refer to the GAPS Activity Report on the GAPS e-
Payments Web site for an accurate reflection of all GAPS transactions it has performed
since September 29, 2006. If the school has any questions or concerns, it can contact the
COD School Relations Center by phone or e-mail.
Federal Student Aid apologizes for the inconvenience caused by this issue and assures
schools that it is working to correct the inaccurate data in the COD System as expeditiously
as possible.
An Electronic Announcement with this same information will be posted on the IFAP Web
site.

COD System Services For Friday, November 10, 2006 through Sunday, November 12,
2006 (11/03/06)
NEW!
The Federal observance of Veterans Day on November 10, 2006 as well as maintenance
activities on both the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System and the
Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG) on November 11 and 12, 2006 will have the
following impact:

• Friday, November 10th

o The COD School Relations Center will be open.
o Users will be able to submit and retrieve data via the COD Web site.
COD Processing Update
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 Common Origination and Disbursement
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o The COD System will accept and process data from schools and send back
responses/acknowledgments.
o Schools will not be able to receive any Federal funds on November 10th.
Requests for changes in funding levels and for funds will not be processed
until Monday, November 13, 2006.

• Saturday, November 11th

o Users will be able to submit or retrieve data via the COD Web site.
o Schools attempting to transmit batches via the SAIG between 12:01 A.M.
(ET), Saturday, November 11th and 2:00 P.M. (ET) on Sunday, November
12th will receive an error message informing them that the SAIG is
unavailable and that the data must be transmitted at a later time.

• Sunday, November 12th

o Users will not be able to submit or retrieve data via the COD Web site
between 2:00 A.M. and 8:00 A.M. (ET).
o Schools attempting to transmit batches via the SAIG between 12:01 A.M.
(ET) on Saturday, November 11th and 2:00 P.M. (ET) on Sunday,
November 12th will receive an error message informing them that the SAIG
is unavailable and that the data must be transmitted at a later time.

Additional information about Veterans Day processing and customer service hours for COD
and other Federal Student Aid/Department of Education call centers will be available in an
Electronic Announcement on the IFAP Web site. An Electronic Announcement about the
SAIG outage is available on the IFAP Web site.

Federal Student Aid apologizes for any inconvenience these outages may cause. If you
have any questions about the COD System, contact the COD School Relations Center. If
you have any questions about the SAIG, contact CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 800/330-
5947 or e-mail [email protected].

Updated COD Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Available (11/02/06)

COD has updated the FAQs on the COD Web site. The FAQs are available on the COD
Web site by clicking on the “Click here if you are looking for more information on
Common Origination and Disbursement” link at the bottom of the page. The updated FAQs
are also available on the IFAP Web site.

If you have any questions about the document, or would like to see anything added, please
contact the COD School Relations Center at [email protected] with the subject
line of "FAQ".

Unlocking and Resetting COD Web Site Passwords (11/03/06)

NEW! COD would like to remind COD Web site users that Security Administrators (COD Web
site User Level 5) are able to unlock and reset passwords for the users (User Level 1-4) they
established at their school or organization. However, if the Security Administrator needs
his or her password unlocked or reset, the Security Administrator must contact the COD
School Relations Center.

COD Processing Update

www.cod.ed.gov Page 6 of 9
 Common Origination and Disbursement
COD Processing Update

In order to unlock users, a Security Administrator should log in to the COD Web site,
www.cod.ed.gov, and complete the following steps:

Step 1: From the Welcome to Common Origination & Disbursement Web Site screen, click
on the User tab on the blue bar at the top of the screen. The User Search screen
displays.
Step 2: Enter the search criteria for the user and click on the submit button at the bottom of
the User Search screen. The Search Results screen displays and lists users that
match the search criteria.
Step 3: On the Search Results screen, select the name of the user that needs to be unlocked.
The User Information screen displays.
Step 4: Click on the Modify button at the bottom of the User Information screen. The
Update User Profile screen displays.
Step 5: The Locked Out box on the Update User Profile screen contains a checkmark.
Click on the Locked Out box to remove the checkmark.
Step 6: If a new temporary password is not needed, skip this item and go to Step 7. If a
new temporary password is needed, enter the new temporary password in the New
Password field. Then re-enter the new password in the Re-enter New Password
field to confirm. The user will need to change this password to one of his or her
choosing.
Step 7: Click on the submit button at the bottom of the Update User Profile screen. The
Update Your Profile screen displays.
Step 8: On the Update Your Profile screen, click on the Submit button to confirm the
updates made to the user’s profile.

This information is also posted on the COD Web site in a document entitled “Unlocking
And Resetting COD Web Site Passwords.” To access the document before you log in to the
Web site, click on the “Click here if you are looking for more information on Common
Origination and Disbursement” Link. To access the document after you log in to the Web
site, click on the “Today’s Updates” link at the bottom of the page.

Schools can refer to the Electronic Announcement on the IFAP Web site,
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/0201UpdatedCODWebsiteSchools.html, for
information regarding COD Web site access. Third party servicers can refer to the
Electronic Announcement on the IFAP Web site at
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/UpdatedCODWebsiteThirdPartyServ.html.

2006 Las Vegas Federal Student Aid Conference (10/30/06)

As a reminder, the second 2006 Federal Student Aid Conference will be held November 28,
2006 through December 1, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event was formerly known as
the Electronic Access Conference (EAC). The registration deadline for the Las Vegas
conference is November 11, 2006. Detailed information about this Federal Student Aid
conference is available in a Dear Colleague Letter and on Federal Student Aid’s conference
Web site.

COD Processing Update

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Incorrect ACG, National SMART Grant, and Pell Grant ESOAs Sent to Schools on
October 19, 20, 21, and 26, 2006 (10/27/2006)
On October 19, 20, 21, and 26, 2006, COD sent schools incorrect Electronic Statement of
Account (ESOA) reports for the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), National Science
and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant), and Federal Pell
Grant (Pell Grant) programs. These ESOAs reflect a school’s correct Current Funding
Level (CFL) for the applicable program and award year identified in the ESOA; however,
they include initial authorization and/or adjustment transaction activity that occurred on
earlier dates over the past several months. Please disregard all ESOAs dated October 19,
20, 21, and 26, 2006.
COD has identified and corrected the issue in the COD System that caused the generation of
the erroneous ESOAs. On October 28, 2006, we will send accurate ESOAs to all schools
that performed ACG, National SMART Grant, and/or Pell Grant adjustment activity on
October 18, 19, 20, and/or 25, 2006.
Each school that performed ACG, National SMART Grant, and/or Pell Grant adjustment
activity on October 18, 19, 20, and/or 25, 2006 will receive an accurate ESOA dated
October 28, 2006 for each applicable program and award year. COD will send each ESOA
to the school’s Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG) mailbox as follows:
• The ESOA for the ACG Program will be sent in the message class AGAS07OP.
• The ESOA for the National SMART Grant Program will be sent in the message class
SGAS07OP.
• The ESOA for the Pell Grant Program will be sent in the message class PGASxxOP
(for award years 2001-2002 through 2006-2007).
Note: All adjustment activity performed on October 18, 19, 20, and/or 25, 2006 is
accurately reflected in the GAPS Activity Report on the Grant Administration and Payment
System (GAPS) e-Payments Web site. Likewise, all adjustment activity is reflected on the
COD Web site.
Federal Student Aid apologizes for the inconvenience caused by the erroneous generation of
the incorrect ESOAs. Again, please disregard all ESOAs dated October 19, 20, 21, and
26, 2006. COD will send correct ESOAs to the applicable schools on October 28, 2006.
An Electronic Announcement with this same information is posted on the IFAP Web site.

HERA Operational Implementation Guidance- Clarification of ACG Data Review by

Schools (10/25/06)
Federal Student Aid has posted operational guidance that summarizes and clarifies school
review of Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) self-identification information that it
collects from students and provides to schools. The Electronic Announcement is available
on the IFAP Web site.

COD Processing Update

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Reports And Data Requests

This section contains important notices regarding reports and/or data requests. While we
NOTICES encourage you to review this section, note that some schools may not be impacted by the
information presented below.

• Pell Year-to-Date (YTD) Records— The YTD Record can be used to assist a school with
its year-end and ongoing reconciliation processes.
Schools also use the YTD Record for the purpose of
rebuilding a complete student record or Pell Grant
database.
• For rebuilds for the 2005-2006 and 2006-
2007 Award Year, the school can submit the
data request via the COD Web site or batch.
• For rebuilds for the 2004-2005 and earlier
award years, the school must contact the
COD School Relations Center by e-mail to
[email protected]. The school
should include "Pell YTD" in the subject
line. If a school is unable to e-mail its
request, it can contact the COD School
Relations Center by phone. [10/03/05
(Updated 10/27/05)]

COD Processing Update

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