FAQs

Reminder – You should always read documents in their entirety before signing anything. If you do not understand something, ask someone you trust for clarification. Never sign a form you have not read or do not understand.

Forms you must complete:

• Application – You must complete an application every year to receive ETV funds.  Georgia ETV must have this an updated application in order for the student to receive funds.  On the application, you will provide demographic information, contact information, and school information
• Educational Agreement – This agreement outlines criteria you must follow to receive and keep ETV funding.  You must confirm your recognition and agreement to each statement and sign the bottom of the form
• FERPA – FERPA stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html). Signing this form may allow ETV to contact your school regarding: Academic information (i.e. grades/GPA, registration, academic progress, enrollment status), Financial Aid information (i.e. awards, application data, disbursements), and Student Account information (i.e. billing statements, charges, collection activity)
• Surveys – Surveys are used to collect information about how students are doing while in school as well as how ETV is doing.  There is a financial incentive to completing surveys. For more information on surveys view “Why do I need to Complete Surveys”

External information you must submit:

• FAFSA – At the beginning of each school year, you must submit your most current version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA; https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa).
• Transcripts and grades – At the end of every semester, you must submit your grades for that semester.  Georgia ETV must have all grades for each semester that you are enrolled in school so that your eligibility to receive ETV funds can be determined.  You must remain in good standing, or will be placed on probation or lose access to ETV completely.
• Schedule – You must be a full-or part-time student to receive ETV funds.  Georgia ETV uses your schedule to verify this information.
• Invoice – To receive funds from ETV, Georgia ETV must have an invoice from the school listing the amount you owe that reflects financial aid has been applied.

Your card must be activated before use. To activate your card, visit mydashcard.com or download the MyDashCard app to activate your card.  In order to complete activation, you will need an activation code.  We will email you this code when the card is mailed to you.

You must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) every year.  The FAFSA gives you access to grant and scholarship opportunities.  As a foster care youth, you are automatically eligible for the Pell Grant.  The FAFSA will also inform you of loan opportunities.  Remember, loans are money that must be repaid with interest, so it may be best not to take loans.  ETV will not repay loans.

You may first connect with the card company directly to stop any current and future transactions on the card and have a new card ordered and delivered to you. Visit mydashcard.com or the MyDashCard app to do this.

Georgia ETV may also be able to cancel your card and have a new card reissued for you, but that new card will first be mailed to Georgia ETV and then to you so that we may validate your address.  If you would like the card mailed to you directly from the card company, you will need to request that new card directly.

• Anyone seeking reimbursements must complete the vendor registration form through this link: https://suppliers.uga.edu​ 
• Keep in mind, you must receive prior approval from your ILS in order to be reimbursed for any expense.
• Reimbursements are not guaranteed.  ETV must provide funding directly to your school first.

Most often, Georgia ETV receives a notice from the card company of expiring cards and will request a new card on your behalf.  If you would like to ensure the reissue of your card, please do so visiting mydashcard.com or the MyDashCard app.

Remember, your card is good through the date listed.  For example, if the expiration date is 05/27, your card will continue to work through May and stop working June 2027.

On Campus/Student Housing: Eligible students living on-campus may be able to receive a $200 stipend every month they are enrolled in school full-time as defined by their financial aid department

DFCS/ILP Paid Placement: Eligible students living in an off-campus paid placement may be able to receive a $200 stipend every month they are enrolled in school full-time as defined by their financial aid department

Off Campus Non-Paid Placement: Eligible students living off campus in a non-paid placement may be able to receive a $400 stipend every month they are enrolled in school full-time as defined by their financial aid department

Georgia ETV makes payments in three ways:

Georgia ETV works closely with Dash to process your monthly stipends.  In order to do that, Georgia ETV is required to affirm that all students requesting stipends are eligible to receive a stipend and then must account for each student’s stipend individually.  After confirming eligibility for students statewide, Georgia ETV then works with multiple accounting systems to review and submit an order to Dash.  Dash then works to load funds onto the ETV Dash account. This process can take up to 10-15 business days.  Therefore, in order for Georgia ETV to make funds available to you by the 1^st day of the month, information must be correctly submitted by the 10^th day of the month prior.

Fortunately, you are able to request stipends by semester so you don’t have to take time every month to complete this request.

Should a student drop out or quit school in the middle of the semester, ETV funding is stopped. If the school issues a refund from ETV aid, that refund must go back to ETV; the student cannot keep refund money that was originally paid by ETV under any circumstances. If you are thinking about dropping out, contact your ILS immediately! Please note, as soon as you drop out of school stipends will be discontinued.

You are only able to request stipends for the current, applicable semester.

• From July 11th to December 10th, only August-December stipends can be requested.
• From December 11th to May 10th, only January-May stipends can be requested.
• From May 11th to July 10th, only June-July stipends can be requested.

The ETV program runs on the state fiscal year budget.  This means ETV operates their year from July 1st to June 30th.  If you are eligible and have your ETV application completed, more ETV funding may be available to you on July 1st.  In the meantime, make sure that you have submitted all needed paperwork to your online account and that you have submitted your previous semester grades.  Also, please complete your survey as they are available!

Unfortunately, Georgia ETV is unable to provide stipend payments retroactively.  If you miss the deadline for submitting a stipend request for the semester, you will not be able to do so after the deadline.

Applications for the ETV Program are accepted approximately one month prior to the beginning of each semester, meaning you must have that application (along with applicable documentation) submitted and accepted by your ILS in order to receive ETV support for that semester.  It is important to keep in mind that ETV funds are limited, so get started in the process as soon as possible. There are various eligibility requirements.  Students must confirm eligibility with their ILS.

No.  Stipends are only made available to students who are considered full-time by their school’s financial aid office.

• An ETV Student must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least a 2.0 to continue to be eligible for ETV funds.
• A probationary period will be permitted when an ETV student’s cumulative grade point average drops between a 1.5 and 2.0. Should an ETV Student’s GPA drop below a 1.5, they are immediately ineligible for ETV funding.  The probationary period will last until the ETV Student has increased their grade point average to at least a cumulative 2.0. An ETV Student can only receive funds without meeting the minimum grade point average (1.5 GPA) eligibility requirement for one semester. At the end of the probationary semester, the ETV Student will no longer be eligible for funds if their grade point average has not increased to a 2.0 or higher.
• An ETV Student who has become ineligible after a dropped grade point average and one probationary semester has the opportunity to bring their grade point average up to a 2.0 or higher without the assistance of ETV funds and then resubmit documentation of their grade point average to possibly become re-eligible for funding.

Make sure to first connect with your Independent Living Specialist.  Their contact information can be found our My Dashboard.  Then, connect with your student accounts office at your school and or your student advisor.  They may be able to direct you to resources on campus that can best support you.

If you are attending a public school in Georgia, your school may have a Designated Point of Contact that wants to connect with you.  Search for your school through the Embark program https://embarkgeorgia.org/campus-programs.

Lastly, make sure you have connected with other scholarship providers like NSORO (https://nsoro.foundation/) and support services like GAfutures (https://www.gafutures.org/federal-aid-scholarships/).

A student’s age in regards to eligibility will be determined by their age on the first day of the state fiscal year (July 1st). When a student’s age allows them to be eligible for a specific amount of funding on July 1st, they will remain eligible (as long as GPA is maintained and applicable forms are submitted) for that funding despite any change in age until the start of the next state fiscal year.

Students become permanently ineligible for funds when they reach 26 years of age on or before the first day of the state fiscal year (July 1st).

No, your eligibility for the ETV program and stipends are pre-determined and therefore you do not have to pay back stipends.

Feel free to connect with Georgia ETV through the request info link (https://embarkgeorgia.org/contact). There could be delays with the card company, mail delivery or address confirmation.  Georgia ETV should be able to provide the status of your new card within 2-3 business days of your request.

If you have a need, and your ILS determines that you have extra funds available there are several items that ETV may cover.  These include:

• Tutoring, Laptop, Personal Computer, or Printer (if ILP has not already provided you with one), Driver’s License, Diver’s Education Class, Testing and Test Prep, Uniforms and Supplies, or Transportation.

If you are requesting an Off Campus Non-Paid Placement stipend, you will need to receive approval through your Independent Living Specialist.  There may be other documentation aside from a lease that can be provided to affirm your living status for stipend purposes.  Connect with your ILS to learn more.

If your stipend card is lost or stolen, visit mydashcard.com or the MyDashCard app.  You be able to replace the card through your account. If your are not able to connect with the card company directly, contact your ILS immediately!  Neither the ETV program nor the ILS are responsible for replacing money lost from a card that is reported lost or stolen.  Please keep your card in a safe location and do not share your pin with anyone.

Your Independent Living Specialist will be the best contact to learn more about potential DCFS/ILP placement housing.   Opportunity and availability may vary by location and student but your ILS should be able to provide you the best resources to you make a best decision.

• ETV cannot provide funding to programs that are not accredited,
• ETV cannot repay loans,
• ETV cannot pay for gas for transportation or car repairs,
• ETV will not pay fines or fees associated with dorm or apartment damage.

Georgia ETV can only provide payments to schools for cost of attendance (COA) as determined by the student’s education institution.  Every school can define COA differently.

COA could include but is not always limited to tuition and fees, cost of on campus room and board (or living expenses), and cost of books and supplies.

Stipends are reloaded onto your Dash Prepaid Card on the 1st day of each month.  A request for a stipend must be submitted by the 15th of the prior month.  For example, ETV must receive the request for an April stipend by March 15th in order for it to be reloaded on April 1st.  If the request for a stipend is received after the 15th, it will not be reloaded on the 1st of the next month, but the month after that.  For example, if the request is received March 16th, the card will be reloaded on May 1st.

Typically, it takes 2-3 weeks from the time a request is submitted to the time that your school receives payment from the Georgia ETV program.  There are some things that can slow that process down.  If your application or grades report is not up to date or if Georgia ETV is missing forms from you, the process will be slowed while we wait for that information.  Also, keep in mind that Georgia ETV most often uses invoices directly from the school to pay against, so we may be awaiting an invoice from your student account’s office.

Surveys for the Georgia ETV program serve multiple purposes.  We would like to hear of your experience with the ETV program.  Additionally, we want to know about your unique journey through school.  We are interested in finding out if there are needs that you have that are not being met or barriers that could keep you from thriving in school.  It is our hope that we could use this information to help build the Georgia ETV Program so that you and future ETV students can succeed to your fullest potential.  Georgia ETV knows that students are busy, so there is some financial compensation for completing surveys.