Tennessee Republican Lamar Alexander and Washington Democrat Patty Murray, the chairman and ranking member of the Senate education committee, wrote to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Monday seeking additional updates on the reinstatement of the IRS data retrieval tool.
The tool, which was abruptly taken off-line in March, allows students submitting for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to automatically import family income data already filed with the government. The suspension of the tool after a cybersecurity breach has created concerns that more low-income students would be flagged for income verification checks, slowing the award process for financial aid and keeping some from finishing the process entirely. Reports from financial aid advocates indicate that, so far, those concerns about additional burdens have been correct.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/05/02/senators-seek-briefings-devos-irs-tool