CARES Emergency Aid

The original Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was a package of over $2 trillion intended to provide relief from the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19. The act contained provisions specifically intended to provide relief for higher education institutions and their students, beginning the Spring 2020 semester, and were awarded through Spring 2021.   

The second fund, Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, and third fund, American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act, were provided for subsequent academic years of 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, as the pandemic continued.   

See CARES awarding criteria.

Please see below for Frequently Asked Questions relating to CARES Act.

HEERF Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Public Posting

• October 2020
• December 2020
• March 2021
• June 2021
• September 2021
• December 2021
• March 2022
• June 2022
• December 2022
• March 2023

See Reporting G5 Email Blast.

FAQ

What can the CARES, CRRSA or ARP Emergency funds be used for?

Eligible expenses include expenses under a student’s cost of attendance, such as food, housing, course materials (including any required software), online expenses (internet, phone, other), technology (laptop, tablet), health care, and child care, related to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

 

How much was allocated to Chabot College for direct assistance to Chabot students?

• CARES - $2,078,420 
• CRRSA - $2,078,420 
• ARP      - $8,355,343 

 

How much will eligible Chabot College students receive?

• CARES - Eligible Chabot students received $500 grants. 
• CRRSA – Eligible Chabot students received awards based on their official Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) from the 2021-22 FAFSA or CADAA, and disbursed prorated amounts based on enrollment.
• ARP - Eligible Chabot students received awards based on their official Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) from the 2021-2022 or 2022-23 FAFSA or CADAA, and disbursed prorated amounts based on enrollment.

 

How are colleges awarding the CARES Act?

The CARES Act provides institutions with significant discretion on how to award this emergency assistance to students. Each institution may develop its own system and process for determining how to allocate these funds while recognizing the only statutory requirement, which is that the emergency student grants be used to cover student expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus.  

Consideration for awards include: 

• Need-based grants awarded according to institution-specific criteria that include Pell-eligibility and other factors as outlined by the Department of Education. 
• Students at risk of being unable to continue their education due to coronavirus-related disruptions.
• Enrollment history at Chabot College, or within the District

 

Are there students who are ineligible to receive funding under the CARES, CRRSA or ARP programs?

• CARES funds were only available to students who were U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens.
• For the CRRSA and ARP funds, students must have demonstrated successful completion of at least twelve (12) units at the College or District for consideration.

 

How will CARES Act, CRRSA and ARP funds be distributed to eligible students?

• CARES Act, CRRSA and ARP fund disbursements to students will be processed through the financial aid awards system.
• The funds must go from the school directly to the student, and the student can then use their grant to cover coronavirus-related expenses, including to pay outstanding institutional charges.
• Funds will be direct-deposited into student accounts for those eligible students with BankMobile account. 
• Eligible students without a BankMobile account will need to set up an electronic money transfer which will allow BankMobile to transfer funds to your designated bank automatically.
• See access instructions for set up  

 

Can the CARES Emergency funds pay my outstanding balance?

• In general, the funds must go from the school directly to the student, and the student can then use their grant to cover coronavirus-related expenses. 
• CARES funds specifically did not allow the college to pay outstanding charges on the student's account, even if school has the student's permission to do so. 
• CRRSA and ARP funds allow the college to pay outstanding charges with the student’s permission or authorization to do so. Eligible students were sent an email to their personal emails and ZoneMail with an invitation to participate in this program during the Spring 2022 semester. This program only will consider outstanding institutional charges from Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Summer 2021 and Fall 2021.  No funds from this program will be disbursed directly to students, but only will be applied to outstanding charges.

 

Why BankMobile?

• You may have received an email or two from BankMobile directing you to update your payment preferences regarding emergency financial aid grants as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. We want you to know that was a legitimate message and is not part of a phishing attempt by BankMobile.  
• Chabot partners with BankMobile as a safe, fast, reliable way for students to receive funds (i.e. financial aid disbursement). 
• The College will utilize BankMobile as the primary way to disburse CARES/ Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) funds to students. If you do not currently have an account, we encourage you to set one up in the event Chabot needs to transmit money to you. 
• Please check your refund preference by logging into refundselection.com and under Refunds, select Refund Preferences. 
• An email received from BankMobile does not imply a student will receive CARES/HEERF funds. BankMobile’s intentions are good, and was a suggestion for students to update their BankMobile account in the event that they were approved for CARES/HEERF funds. 

 

Are the CARES, CRRSA or ARP funds part of the financial aid package?

No, CARES, CRRSA or ARP funds are not calculated as part of a student's financial aid package.

 

Are the CARES, CRRSA or ARP Emergency grant taxable income?

• No, Emergency financial aid grants under CARES, CRRSA or ARP are for unexpected expenses, unmet financial need, or expenses related to the disruption of campus operations on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as unexpected expenses for food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, or childcare, and are qualified disaster relief payments under section 139 of the Internal Revenue Code. This grant is not included in your gross income. 
• See IRS regulations for additional information and tax guidance.

 

Will the CARES, CRRSA or ARP funds show up on my 1098 at the end of the year?

• Yes, schools are required to issue 1098-T forms to students receiving CARES, CRRSA or ARP Emergency grants, which should appear in Box 5. 
• See IRS regulations for additional information and tax guidance. 

 

I received an emergency financial aid grant under the CARES Act and used some of it to pay for course materials that are now required for online learning because my college or university campus is closed.  Can I claim a tuition and fees deduction for the cost of these materials, or treat the cost of these materials as a qualifying education expense for purposes of claiming the American Opportunity Credit or the Lifetime Learning Credit?

Because the emergency financial aid grant is not includible in your gross income, you cannot claim any deduction or credit for expenses paid with the grant including the tuition and fees deduction, the American Opportunity Credit, or the Lifetime Learning Credit. See section 139(h) of the Internal Revenue Code. 

 

 

Who can I contact with questions?

Students with questions related to the CARES Act funding can contact the Chabot Financial Aid Office by emailing cc-finaid@chabotcollege.edu from your secure ZoneMail email account or finding us working remotely here.