2014-002
U.S. student loan and U.S. veteran's benefits records - case files
Student Services
| Records | Active retention (in office) | Semi-active (records centre) | Total retention | Final disposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. loans and U.S. veteran's benefits case files | CY year in which the student last attended (registered or graduated) + 1 year | 2 years | CY year in which the student last attended (registered or graduated) + 3 years | Destruction |
CY = Current calendar year; CFY = Current fiscal year; CS = Current semester; S/O = Superseded or obsolete; OPR = Office of Primary Responsibility; Non-OPR = All other departments.
Records relating to the disbursement of undergraduate and graduate student aid through externally-administered U.S. aid programs, including the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Financial Aid and Awards confirms and monitors the eligibility of the student for a given aid program, administers the financial details of the loan or benefits, and liaises between the student and the aid program(s) to assist the student in providing the correct information to the aid authority. Financial Aid and Awards does not distribute loan or benefits money, and original records of the loan or benefit are kept with the aid originators/authority.
Records consist of the case files of all students receiving funding through a particular external aid program. The U.S. Department of Education administers loan programs to eligible U.S. citizens and permanent residents; the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs adminsters educational benefits that have been earned by service in the U.S. military.
U.S. loan case files, including loans administered through the Direct Loan programs (for both student and parent loans) of the U.S. Department of Education, may include, but are not limited to: credit reports; financial information of parents or guardians; financial aid history information for transfer students; assessment package and supporting documents; internal and externally-required checklists; cost of attendance information; confirmation of admission and enrolment; documentation of satisfactory academic progress; student certification statements; documents used to verify applicant data and resolve conflicting information; documentation of all professional judgment decisions; advising notes and instructions given to the student; and correspondence.
U.S. Veterans Affairs benefits case files may include, but are not limited to: confirmation of eligibility, admission and enrolment; documentation of satisfactory academic progress; forms documenting attendence; correspondence; etc.
Students must apply each term for U.S. loan funding. Students apply each year for U.S. veterans benefits.
U.S. student loan case files are no longer tracked in the student electronic information system (SIMS). Case file records related to U.S.-administered student financial aid exist outside of SIMS. Similarly, U.S. veteran's benefits information are not maintained in SIMS and are maintained only by the Financial Aid and Awards unit of Enrolment Services.
See also:
This series is a Personal Information Bank; click here for PIB description.
These records are created, used, retained and managed in accordance with the following authorities:
The FOI / POP Act (RSBC 1996, c. 165, s. 31) requires that personal information used to make a decision that directly affects an individual must be retained for at least one year.
Student case files must be retained for three years after the year in which the student last attended (registered or graduated) in compliance with 34 CFR (U.S) 668.24.
Case files are organized by last name of the student. Files are closed when a student graduates, or in the year the student last registered for classes.
ELECTRONIC RECORDS
Records creators should note that this RRSDA applies equally to paper and electronic records and that they are responsible for deleting any records maintained in electronic form at the expiration of the total retention period (e.g. PDF versions, spreadsheets, database records, e-mail correspondence, etc.). Maintaining electronic copies of records with personal information after the recommended retention period places an undue burden on the University to continue to guard against the unauthorized access, use and disclosure of that personal information in accordance with the FOI/ POP Act and the records series' status as a PIB.
TRANSFERRING RECORDS TO THE URC
At the end of the active retention period, box and transfer the paper files to the University Records Centre (URC). For each box prepare a box contents listing, itemizing all files contained in the box. Always include ONE copy of the file list inside the box sent to the URC taped to the underside of the lid; keep ONE copy for your own records; and send ONE copy (paper or electronic) to the Archives (see Procedures for Transferring Records to the University Records Centre).
RRSDA is in force.
Approved by the University Archivist: 28 Apr 2014