CARES ACT – Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) 

CARES Act – GENERAL INFORMATION

CARES Act – GENERAL INFORMATION 

In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the government of the United States has enacted the CARES Act to provide, among other things, financial support to students to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus.  

This assistance will cover costs such as: food, housing, course materials, technology, healthcare, and childcare. 

 The Secretary of the Federal Department of Education, Dr. Betsy DeVos, in her statement of April 9, 2020, announced to the nation’s higher education institutions that in order to access these funds, agreements must be signed with the Department to recognize the terms and conditions applicable to these funds. Similarly, in her statement of April 21, 2020, she established the necessary instructions for accessing the remaining fifty percent of the CARES Act funds for the use of the Institution (Recipient’s Institutional Costs). 

 The Federal Department of Education established the methodology for determining the allocation of funds corresponding to each of the higher education institutions. In the case of the University of Puerto Rico in Arecibo, the methodology used reflected an allocation of funds amounting to $7,684,736, of which $3,842,368, equivalent to fifty percent, will be distributed in financial aid to eligible students. 

CARES Act at UPR-Arecibo

CARES Act at UPR-Arecibo

Eligibility 

The Department of Education has established as eligibility criteria that the student to be a recipient of emergency assistance under the CARES Act must be eligible for funds under Section 484 of Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA). The quickest way to document this eligibility is by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the 2019-2020 academic year (FAFSA). 

Also, as a requirement for eligibility for Title IV funds, the student must complete and certify a document justifying their need for this emergency assistance regarding expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to Covid-19 (eligible expenses related to the cost of attending classes, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, healthcare, and childcare). All eligible students enrolled in the second academic semester of the 2019-2020 fiscal year, both full-time and part-time, can use the portal https://portal.upr.edu/ to complete the document evidencing their need as part of the process to access these funds, subject to the conditions established by the regulations. 

For a complete list of eligibility criteria for Title IV funds, you can refer to the statement dated April 29, 2020, sent by Dr. José L. Perdomo, Vice President for Student Affairs of University of Puerto Rico, Central Administration. Students who complete the FAFSA for the 2019-2020 academic year essentially provide their information to determine their eligibility for Title IV funds. Those students who do not complete the FAFSA for 2019-2020 must submit to the Office of Programmatic Financial Aid the documentation specified in the Vice President for Student Affairs’ statement. The Office of Financial Aid will determine eligibility for these funds once the corresponding documentation or certification has been submitted. 

Documents: 

 

Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) GENERAL INFORMATION

Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) GENERAL INFORMATION

The government of the United States has enacted the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA), Pub. L. 116-260 (Dec. 27, 2020), which provides an allocation of emergency funds known as the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). These funds are primarily intended to provide support to students to address various needs and expenses related to the COVID-19 emergency, as well as the impact of the disruption of regular operations at institutions. 

The Acting Sub-secretary of the Federal Department of Education, Dr. Christopher J. McCaghren, in a communication dated January 14, 2021, announced that those higher education institutions that already had an allocation under the student and institutional portions of the CARES Act would not need to submit additional applications to access these funds. Instead, they would automatically process the additional funds as supplements to existing grants. The terms and conditions applied in the new supplemental agreement will be considered accepted upon withdrawing any amount of these funds. 

The Federal Department of Education established the methodology for determining the allocation of funds corresponding to each of the higher education institutions. The variables considered included Pell grant eligibility and whether students were enrolled in distance courses prior to the coronavirus emergency. The factor with the greatest weight was that of Pell-eligible students who were not exclusively enrolled in distance courses prior to the coronavirus pandemic. In the case of the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo, the methodology used reflected an allocation of funds amounting to $11,195,711 (page 63), of which $3,842,368 (equal to the funds granted under the CARES Act) must be assigned as the minimum amount to be awarded in emergency aid to eligible students. 

Chancellor’s Statement 

American Rescue Plan Act, 2021 (ARP) GENERAL INFORMATION

American Rescue Plan Act, 2021 (ARP) GENERAL INFORMATION 

Initial Report 

The government of the United States has enacted the American Rescue Plan Act, 2021 (ARP), Pub. L. 117-2 (March 11, 2021), which provides an allocation of emergency funds known as the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF III) to support higher education institutions and ensure the continuity of learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Acting Sub-Secretary for Postsecondary Education of the Federal Department of Education, Dr. Michelle Aspa Cooper, in a statement dated May 11, 2021. Institutions that received allocations under CRRSAA do not need to apply for these funds, as these institutions will receive their ARP grant as supplements to existing grants. The terms and conditions applied in the new supplemental agreement will be considered accepted upon withdrawing any amount of these funds. 

The Federal Department of Education established the methodology for determining the allocation of funds corresponding to each of the higher education institutions. The variables considered included Pell grant eligibility and whether or not students were enrolled in distance courses prior to the coronavirus emergency. The factor with the greatest weight was that of Pell-eligible students who were not exclusively enrolled in distance courses prior to the coronavirus pandemic. In the case of the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo, the methodology used reflected an allocation of funds amounting to $19,538,227 (page 69), of which $9,769,114 must be allocated as the minimum amount to be awarded in emergency aid to eligible students. 

These funds have mandatory items: 

  1. Implementation of a monitoring, tracking, and prevention system to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 
  1. Conduct orientations for scholarship recipients about the opportunity to receive an adjustment in student financial aid in case of unemployment of the recipient or a family member or other circumstances that have affected their economic situation. 

For more information, you can access the following link: ARP: American Rescue Plan (HEERF III) (ed.gov) 

Submitted: June 12, 2021 

BUDGET AND EXPENDITURE REQUESTED REPORTS

BUDGET AND EXPENDITURE REQUESTED REPORTS

 

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020