<p>I have legal guardianship of my grandson. It was awarded in TX. We live in NC now. He is a senior in high school and just turned 18. I didn’t realize I needed to transfer the guardianship to the new state. Is he independent? If he is dependent, who’s information does he use (he is not in touch with his parents.) Do I have him fill out the FAFSA as independent and then provide the school with the information that it was never transferred? I don’t know if I can transfer it now that he is 18. Thank you.</p>
<p>If he was previously under a guardianship and has now turned 18, he’s independent. And don’t worry at this point about transferring the guardianship, it would have ended when he turned 18 anyway.</p>
<p>If the school requests proof of the prior guardianship, just provide a copy of the Texas order.</p>
<p>He has to be able to prove that he was in guardianship up to the time he turned 18 in order to be considered independent … and the guardianship has to be court-ordered. It would have not have had an expiration date. If he cannot be considered independent, he would need to include parent info (not yours). If you are unable to include parent info, he can ask his school for a dependency override (if he can prove that the relationship with his parents is irretrievably broken).</p>
<p>I would think that the Texas order would have remained valid until he turned 18.</p>
<p>It may have. However, some guardianship orders are not actually “court ordered,” and do not have the expiration at age 18. These are not considered acceptable for purposes of being considered independent for financial aid.</p>
<p>Thank you all. kelsmom - what I have is the papers from the court (family law judge) in Texas. The mother (my daughter) signed over the child to my husband (deceased) and me as guardians because she was unable to care for him. In fact, she was supposed to pay “child support” for assistance in raising him, but never has. We were to keep her apprised of school grades, medical care, etc but the decisions were ours to make. That never happened; she has never been involved in his life or care.</p>
<p>You have (or had until he turned 18) a court-ordered legal guardianship. I don’t know the requirements for registering that in another state, but I would be surprised if you had to. The Texas order would be no less valid in North Carolina. (Imagine if it weren’t . . . Would you no longer be the kid’s legal guardian every time you went on vacation to another state?)</p>
<p>Provide the school with the Texas guardianship order. That should be sufficient.</p>
<p>And you are under no obligation to provide any information regarding his parents or their situation. The guardianship order makes it clear that they are no longer legally responsible for him. Nothing further need be said.</p>
<p>Thank you dodgersmom. Is that information kept confidential in the financial aid office? He’s talked to a therapist in the past about this, but he doesn’t go around telling people he was raised by his grandparents. Will teachers or coaches be told?</p>
<p>Yes, the the financial aid office will keep the information confidential (they will eventually ask for a copy of the court order in order to grant him status as an independent student).</p>
<p>Since he is attending a new school, I would recommend that you make an appointment with the guidance counselor (who will also keep any information that you tell him/her confidential) and talk to them about the situation. They will be useful in the even that you will ever need a third party letter corroborating the situation. Your name will be on his schools records as guardian and you will be the person that teachers and coaches contact as long as he is still attending high school (turning 18 does not necessarily make you an adult if you are attending high school because if something happens they are still mandated to contact the partent/guardian of record).</p>
<p>And you are under no obligation to provide any information regarding his parents or their situation. The guardianship order makes it clear that they are no longer legally responsible for him. Nothing further need be said. </p>
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<p>Not necessarily true. Schools usually require proof of guardianship, and if it is not the type of guardianship required to be considered independent, more information will be required if the student wants a dependency override.</p>
<p>In this case, it sounds like the guardianship is the type that will qualify the student to be considered independent. Sometimes, families decide the child will be better off staying with a relative for some reason or another … and they give temporary guardianship to that person. THIS is not the type of guardianship that allows a student to be considered independent. OP’s situation is one where the student is in guardianship because of parental inability to parent. If the guardianship was in effect up to the age of 18, the paperwork from that court-ordered guardianship will be acceptable</p>
<p>Financial aid offices will keep all information confidential. We had students who worked in our finaid office, but they did not have access to view this type of information.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your help and I hope you have a had a nice Thanksgiving. I just unboxed the papers and this is the wording of the State of Texas. It is called an Order Appointing Managing Conservators. It further states that, "shall have primary custody and control of the minor child and have all the rights, privileges, duties, and powers of a parent as set forth in Chapter 153, Subchapter G of the Texas Family Code.</p>
<p>When I read the list of things that I am responsible for, it sounds like what I would call Guardianship. </p>
<p>Any thoughts? Are Managing Conservators the same as Guardianship?</p>
<p>A quick internet search revealed that “managing conservatorship” is the Texas terminology for “custody.” You were awarded custody of your grandson. Since you’re not a parent, but have all custodial rights, that makes you a guardian.</p>
<p>Even if the terminology is something that the financial aid office hasn’t seen before, the description makes it clear: you were awarded “all the rights, privileges, duties, and powers of a parent.” They’ll understand that.</p>
<p>Now this is what the internet should be about. Knowledgable people sharing their expertise and support. Not cat videos. I can’t thank you all enough. God bless the kindness of strangers.</p>