How Does an Incarcerated Student Recover a Disabled StudentAid.gov Account?

NASFAA has received the following guidance from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) related to the StudentAid.gov account (FSA ID) for individuals who are confined or incarcerated:

"StudentAid.gov Account Recovery Update

We updated the instructions for helping an incarcerated individual reset a disabled StudentAid.gov account (Prison Education Programs Questions and Answers, SE-Q11). In these situations, email [email protected] for assistance in activating a confined or incarcerated individual’s StudentAid.gov account. Note the change to the email address for this process. This new email address should be used exclusively for requesting help reenabling a StudentAid.gov account for incarcerated applicants. Emails to this address that are unrelated to the account reset process may not be answered or acted on.

As a reminder, you need to send the following to request an account reset for an incarcerated applicant:

1. Collect a copy of the student’s prison ID.
2. Collect the following signed statement (noted below) from the student.
3. Send both documents to [email protected]. Password protect the file, as it will contain PII [personally identifiable information], and send the password as a separate email.

Signed Statement (StudentAid.gov Account Reset)

This statement certifies that I __________________________________________ (Enter Name), __________________ (Enter Social Security Number), ___________________ (Enter Date of Birth) am incarcerated and applying for a Pell Grant. I am requesting that my StudentAid.gov account be re-set using the following email:

Student email: ________________________________________________________________________

This is my unique, personal email that I can access while incarcerated. I have also provided a copy of my prison ID. I require this specialized process because I am not permitted to have other forms of identification while incarcerated.

Student Signature: ________________________________________ Date: ______________________"

Identity Validation Error 800-001 (StudentAid.gov Mismatch): Different guidance applies, so see AskRegs Knowledgebase Q&A, How Does an Incarcerated Paper FAFSA Filer Correct Identity Validation Error 800-001 For Their Preexisting StudentAid.gov Account?