OSAP Appeal Information

A student may request that their OSAP assessment or bursary eligibility be reviewed because they have a special situation which is not recognized in the standard OSAP or bursary assessment of financial need.

The following appeal outlines and forms will assist you in determining if your situation falls within an allowable review. If you have determined that your situation falls within one or more of the allowable reviews below, print off the cover page, attach all letters and supporting documentation and submit your package to the Student Awards & Financial Aid Office for review.

Please be sure that all letters are legible, signed and dated and that your identifying information, such as your student number is clearly noted. Letters form third parties must include contact information for the person who is corroborating the situation and making a recommendation. Requests for an OSAP Review must be received BEFORE the final 8 weeks of your study period in order to be eligible for review. Appeal decision generally take 4 weeks (8 weeks if the appeal must be forwarded to the Ministry for a decision).

Available OSAP Reviews are as follows:

Academic Progress
Additional Local Travel/Commuting
Asset Contribution - Savings
Asset Contribution - Vehicle
Bankruptcy Related Events
Credit Check
Exceptional Expenses
Exemptions for Non-Employment Income/Assets
Income Contribution Adjustments
Joint Custody & Kinship Service
Legal Guardianship
Living Allowance
Loan Overpayments
Lower Estimate Income for the Current Year
ODSP Recipients
Family Relationship Issues (Parental Contribution)
Residency
Other Restriction Issues

Review/Appeal Outline	Summary
Academic Progress Review	This review is used by students who: have been notified that they have been restricted from receiving OSAP funding for a period of 12 months and wish to appeal based on extenuating circumstances; wish to be reinstated after having served their restriction period; wish to have the conditions of OSAP probation removed from their OSAP file as they have met the terms of OSAP probation; have received an OSAP Probation notification requiring an explanation of the reasons why they did not successfully complete a minimum of 60% of a full course load.
Additional Local Travel/Commuting Costs Request for Review - Adjust Local Travel Form (MTCU Form) - Mandatory Please also include one of the following forms in addition to the required form above: - Commuting Costs for Single Students or - Commuting Costs for Married/Sole-Support Parents	Additional local travel costs may be considered in the following situations: student is living at home/receiving an at home living allowance in the OSAP assessment and the parental home is more than 40 kilometers from the University of Windsor OR more than 1 hour by public transportation OR there is no public transportation available AND expenses exceed $73/month; student is required to travel to obtain/maintain employment during the pre-study period and costs exceeded $73/month; sole-support parent or married student maintains a residence in their home community and commutes; parent of student with a disability driving student to school
Asset Contribution - Assets DO NOT include the value of personal items such as the student's primary residence, computers, OSAP received in the previous academic year, private student loans, jewellery, RESPs, etc.	A student can request a review of their asset contribution according to the following: RRSP loans taken out to purchase an RRSP Taxes on RRSP Withdrawals Pain & Suffering Awards (WSIB) Life Insurance Beneficiary Funding from In-Trust Accounts Registered Disability Savings Plans (RDSP) held by Student or Spouse Savings Held by New Immigrants Asset Exemption for Students With a Disability Adjustment to the Asset Valuation Date
Asset Contributions - Vehicle - Adjustment to Vehicles Current Gross Market Value - Motor Vehicle Appraisal Form (MTCU Form) - Vehicle Has Been Modified to Accommodate a Disability - Adjustment to the Vehicles Ownership Vehicle has been sold Termination of a lease Vehicle listed twice in error MTO Error	The standard vehicle exemption levels for OSAP purposes is $5000. In the Ontario student loan assessment for married and sole-support students with children, the vehicle exemption is $10000. Students may request a review to increase the asset exemption to $10000 or $15000 in the Ontario Student Loan assessment under the following situations: Public transportation is not available to the institution or is more than one hour by public transportation - Sole-Support or Married Students - Single Students Travel is required for students program and public transportation not available or is more than one hour by public transportation The vehicle is owned or leased by a student or spouse with a disability Public transportation is not available or is more than 1 hour by public transportation for the employed spouse from their home to their place of employment Spouses employment requires access to a vehicle Sole-support parent or married student requires vehicle to transport child to and from day care provider
Bankruptcy Related Events	If a student files for bankruptcy, makes a consumer proposal, obtains a consolidation order or seeks relief for the orderly payments of debts, then under review, a student may be eligible for further financial assistance through OSAP if all eligibility requirements are met. This document outlines the specific criteria that must be met for further consideration to take place.
Credit Check Reviews	OSAP eligible applicants will be subject to a credit history check if they meet the following criteria: they are 22 years of age or older at the time that they apply for OSAP AND they have never been eligible to receive student loans under OSAP in the past OSAP applicants who are subject to a credit check must not have been deliquent for more than 90 days on 3 or more credit accounts/loans, each with a value of $1000 or more within the past 3 years.
Exceptional Expenses - Married - Single/Sole-Support Students - Parents	The following exceptional expenses may be used to decrease the amount of an expected contribution from student, parental or spousal income: Child/Spousal Support Payments Essential House Repairs Funeral Costs Legal Fees Unisured Medical/Dental/Optical Educational Costs Full/Part-time Student Loan Payments Loan/Grant/Bursary Overaward Repayments Child Care for Dependent Children with Disabilities 12 & Older Maintaining Two Residences Care of Dependent Relatives Contributions to a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) Parent/Spouse Working in US & Filing/Paying Taxes in Canada & US OSAP Applicant/Parent Has Dependent(s) in Post-Secondary
Exemptions for Non-Employment Income/Assets	The following non-employment income sources and assets can be exempt from the OSAP assessment: Indian Residential School (IRS) Payments Hepatitis C Compensation Payments Pain and Suffering Awards (WSIB) Locked-In Retirement Savings (LIRA, LIF, LRIF) Pension Splitting Adjustments Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) Withdrawals Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) Withdrawals for Crown Wards
Income Contribution Adjustments Pre-study Period Each student is expected to make a financial contribution or save money from their pre-study period (summer). You can contact the Student Awards & Financial Aid Office to obtain the information on how much you were expected to save as it depends on a number of things. Sample Job Search Form that you can use with this appeal to document your job search efforts. Did you have exceptional expenses in your pre-study period that affected how much you were able to save? Exeptional Expenses Additional Living Costs Study Period Each student is expected to make a financial contribution from their study period income if they are working or have awards and scholarships during their study period. Partners of married students are expected to make a financial contribution towards their living expenses during the study period. Outlined on the right are situations which can be reviewed to reduce the expected savings or contributions from the pre-study or study period.	The following situations can be reviewed for the purposes of adjusting a student/spousal expected financial contribution: Student/Spouse Only Able to Obtain Part-time Employment Adjusting Number of Weeks Student/Spouse Available for Employment Student/Spouse Unable to Find Employment Student/Spouse Unable or Unavailable to Work because they were: Temporarily Ill Incarcerated Sponsored by Sports Canada Disabled Caring for their Children 12 Months of age or younger Caring for their child(ren) with Disabilities or Chronic/Life-threatening Illness Caring for an Elderly Parent English/French Second Language Program Spouse Not Legally Entitled to Work in Canada Spouse Attending Highschool or Academic Upgrading Full-time
Joint Custody & Kinship Service	Single independent students can be assessed as sole-support parents for the entire study period if they have joint custody of their child(ren) with their former partner and the children reside with the applicant for a minimum of 50% of the study period. Single independent students may be assessed as sole support parents if one or more child(ren) under the age of 18, who is not their own child, has been placed in their care through a Kinship Service arrangement with the Childrens Aid Society.
Legal Guardianship Reviews	For OSAP purposes, a Legal Guardian means a person with whom a dependent student resides or who is financially supporting the student in a parent-like relationship, but where the individual is not the students parent, step-parent or sponsor.
Living Allowance - Single Students Request for a Review - Adjust Living Allow. Form Review Outline Specific for Students Experiencing Problems in the Parental Home.	Independent Students (students who have been out of highschool for 4 years or have been in the workforce for 2 periods of 12 consecutive months) who live at home but pay room and board to their parents, can request a review for additional living costs. Dependent Students whose parents reside within 40 kilometers of UWindsor BUT more than 1 hour by public transportation OR there is no public transportation available. Dependent Students who have been approved under family relationship issues can request to have their pre-study period living allowance adjusted to the higher away-from-home allowance if they were not residing at home during the pre-study period. Dependent Students who reside in a overcrowded parental home environment or who are experiencing problems in the parental home environment.
Loan Overpayments	When a student has negotiated loans in excess of their OSAP entitlement in 2 or more years, he or she is ineligible for further funding until the overpayment(s) is paid in full or repayment of the overaward is waived for one or more years due to financial hardship. This review outline will provide you with the information needed to repay your overpayment or to request a deferral for one academic year due to harship. NOTE: Hardship reviews cannot be considered in cased where overpayments (first or second) were a resulf of the income verification process.
Lower Estimated Income: 2012 - Parental Contribution - Spousal Contribution	A student may request to have their financial need reassessed using parental or spousal estimated 2012 income rather than the actual 2011 income when the estimated 2012 income would be a better indicator of the family's current financial situation because of a non-recurring situation.
ODSP Recipients	This form is used to request to be assessed only for direct educational costs from OSAP so that your OWSP benefits are not affected. This form is sent to your caseworker and faxed to the Student Awards & Financial Aid Office by your caseworker.
Parental Contribution: Family Relationship Issues	A student may request a review to waive reference to one or both parents in situations where there is a serious family rift and the student is estranged from one or both parents due to documented mental, physical, sexual and/or emotional abuse or drug or alchohol addiction.
Parental Contribution: Step Parent Issues	A student may request a review to waive reference to a step-parents information in situations where the natural parent had remarried after the student attained the age of 16 or where a serious rift exists. In either case, it must be demonstrated that the step-parent has not supported the student either directly or indirectly.
Parental Contribution: Switching Contributing Parent	A student can change the parent who completes the application from year to year provided that their actual residence changes.
Parental Contribution: Separated/Divorced/Deceased	If a student's parents separate/divorce or if one parent passes away before the halfway point of the student's study period, then the student's financial need may be recalculated based on the income of the remaining custodial parent.
Provincial Residency: - Student - Student/Parent - Student/Spouse/Partner	This review is for situations where the applicant and his or her supporting individuals have never lived in a Canadian province or territory for 12 consecutive months.
Restrictions - Other Student Restrictions	This review outline contains procedural issues and documentation requirements for other restriction issues that might be preventing a students OSAP application from processing.

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