Answer: No. Here is a quote from the current Application and Verification Guide, which is the Dept. of Education guidance that financial aid administrators must follow: “You are not required to confirm the answers to the homeless youth questions unless you have conflicting information. A documented phone call with, or a written statement from, one of the relevant authorities is sufficient verification when needed… It is not conflicting information if you disagree with an authority’s determination that a student is homeless.” This information is found on the very last page of this document. Since the liaison has provided appropriate verification of the student’s situation, the financial aid office should not request any additional information regarding his independent student status. Certainly, the office should not request anything that requires a parent’s signature, since the very nature of being an unaccompanied homeless youth means the youth does not have support from parents or access to parental information or signatures.
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