PFC Payment Procedures

{ISAC Rules, Sections 2731.30 and 2732.30}

Payment
Disbursement
Offset and Reconciliation

Grant Programs for Dependents of Police, Fire, or Correctional Officers (PFC) funds are paid directly to the approved institution of record as indicated on the application. Payment of benefits is requested by the school through ISAC, prompting ISAC to authorize a voucher in the amount of the payment request (claim) and submit the voucher to the State Comptroller's Office. Funds are issued by the State Comptroller directly to the institution. Schools may submit claims beginning 10 days prior to the start of the term for which payment is being requested.

2025-26 PFC Priority Payment Request Deadline Dates

As part of our ongoing efforts to best leverage appropriated funds to award as many eligible students as possible, priority payment request deadline dates are established for each term.

  • Term 1 (fall for semester and quarter schools) priority payment request deadline date: January 23, 2026
  • Term 2 (spring for semester schools; winter for quarter schools) priority payment request deadline date: March 30, 2026
  • Term 3 (spring for quarter schools) priority payment request deadline date: May 8, 2026
  • Term 4 (summer for semester and quarter schools) priority payment request deadline date: July 1, 2026*

* ISAC anticipates accepting summer-term claims starting in mid-June.

Payment

Payment processing for this program is done using the PFC system, which is available through ISAC's GAP Access portal. School staff must have the appropriate level of access to submit payment requests in GAP Access. The school's primary administrator or a designated administrator is responsible for authorizing access levels.

Colleges can request payment for individual students via the PFC Student Detail: Payments screen. Submitting payment requests is a two-step process, which involves generating the request and then submitting the request. By submitting a payment request to ISAC via the PFC system, a college is certifying that the student meets all eligibility criteria. It is important to complete and submit payment requests on a timely basis so that ISAC can monitor the fund balance and, if able to do so, make awards to eligible unfunded students as early as possible in the academic year.

A Payment Result Summary and Invoice Detail Report can be viewed or printed by selecting the report tab in the PFC system the day after a payment request has been processed. The report includes Payment Results, Payment Exceptions and Invoice Detail about the payment claim. The Payment Results/Exceptions report should be reviewed the day after submitting payment requests to see which requests, if any, did not process as expected.

Refer to the payment section of the PFC User Guide for details about how to submit a payment request, use the sort and filter functions, and obtain payment reports. Refer to the PFC Electronic Processing page for details about accessing the PFC system and hours of operation.

A report for tracking payment vouchers and warrants is available via the PFC system. The report (which may be accessed via the Reports section) provides payment voucher and warrant information, dependent upon where the payment is in the process.

  • Once ISAC processes a payment request and sends it to the State Comptroller, the report will appear with the following title format: (Program) Voucher INV mm-dd-yyyy SCH xxx.
    • At this time, the "WARRANT NO." and "WARRANT DATE" fields on the report will be blank.
  • The last page of the report provides invoice information, including the amount due to the school and the invoice number.
    • This same invoice number also will be referenced on the voucher from the State Comptroller, authorizing payment.
  • The voucher number will be referenced on the check (payment).
  • The "WARRANT NO." and "WARRANT DATE" fields will populate on the report after the State Comptroller has authorized payment for the voucher.
    • Once this happens, the title format will be: (Program) Warrant INV mm-dd-yyyy SCH xxx.

Disbursement

Awards are made in multiple disbursements. For full-year awards (including the summer term), semester schools receive three disbursements; quarter schools receive four disbursements.

ISAC authorizes a voucher in the amount of the payment invoice and submits it to the State Comptroller's Office, which issues payment to the institution. Colleges can match the invoice number on the Payment Results/Exceptions report with the payment voucher.

Upon receipt of the grant funds from the Comptroller, the college should verify the student's enrollment status for the term for which the award was intended.

  • If the recipient is enrolled, the institution may credit the grant funds to the recipient's account for expenses due and payable. If appropriate, any balance is to be returned to the recipient.
  • If the recipient has withdrawn, or if the college has reduced the amount of the award so as not to exceed the cost of attendance, the college must indicate the reason on the PFC Student Detail: Payment screen. The PFC system will deobligate the award and the amount will offset a future payment to the college.

If a student fails to meet any of the eligibility requirements during the academic year, all undisbursed funds will be deobligated and awarded to the next eligible student.

If funds are insufficient to make awards to all eligible applicants, ISAC will make award determinations on the basis of the dates that the completed applications were received and the following:

  1. first semester and first quarter awards will be paid, or prorated if funding is insufficient to pay all grants in full;
  2. if funds remain after first semester and first quarter awards are paid, then second semester/second and third quarter awards will be paid, or prorated if funds remaining are insufficient to pay all grants in full;
  3. if funds remain after second semester/second and third quarter awards are paid, summer term awards will be paid, or prorated if funding insufficient to pay all grants in full; and
  4. if funds are still available when the preceding claims have been paid in full, awards for the difference between in-district/state and out-of-district/state tuition will be paid, or prorated if funds remaining are insufficient to pay all such grants in full.

If a recipient withdraws from enrollment after the expiration of the tuition refund/withdrawal adjustment period, the recipient shall receive a grant for costs incurred up to the term award provided that the institution's tuition refund policy indicates the recipient had incurred such charges. A recipient shall agree to notify ISAC, in writing, within 15 days of any change affecting their enrollment status, name or address.

Offset and Reconciliation

The Payment Offset and Reconciliation procedures apply to payment processing for these programs. Refund checks should not be sent for cancellations/adjustments made throughout the award year. Funds should only be returned to ISAC after a final reconciliation has been completed at the end of the regular school year.

Information about the payment offset and reconciliation process is located in the Refunds and Unpaid Claims section in the Processes area.