Access to the Cash Window is provided when you click on the CASH Tool Bar item which is located on the Primary window we reviewed last month. The body of the window contains four distinct areas.

• Student - ECSI has provided the capability to send an invoice statement to any address that exists in the Windows version of SAL. This area identifies demographic information pertaining to a borrower and all addresses that have been flagged to receive a bill. Examples of the above are parents, business organizations, etc. The prior or next record will display when you click on the left and right arrow keys.
• References - All loan cosigners, employers and references will display in this area.
• Input Area - This area allows you to input the deposit date, check number and check amount. There is also a check box for an advance payment. If you want to apply any extra money to suspense, all you have to do is click the mouse in the check box area for an advance payment. The right side of the input area contains three information fields which or display only. The first displaying field will let you know what sequence number you are currently using. This number will increase by one after every accepted payment. The next display field is payment type. If the user is entering a regular payment, then the field shows "regular". If the user clicks on the advance payment check box, the payment type field will change to "adv pay". This field will always let you know the payment mode you are currently using. The last display field is suspense. This field will notify the user if there are suspense monies on the borrower's's account that have not yet been used. If $30 is still in suspense, then you will see 30.00 in this field.
• Loan Summary - This area contains specific detail for each loan and a "total" line at the bottom which summarizes all dollar fields. The loan status, payment distribution priority code, special code, collector code, amount now due, loan balance, current principal due, current interest due, past principle due, past interest due, and every fee due are displayed in this area. The scroll bar at the bottom of the screen allows you to move left or right to see all of these fields.
  
  The scroll bar located on right side of the window issues to display additional loans.If the borrower has more than nine loans, the remaining loans can be viewed by using the scroll bar.
  
  The third line on the screen, which is called the Tool Bar, contains push buttons which allow you to access other windows while you are in the Cash Window. The push buttons you can access are:
• Left Arrow - Displays the account that is prior to the one which is currently being displayed in the window.
• Srch - Allows you to locate a borrower by name, maiden name, social security number, student ID number and prior student ID number. You may also find a cosigner by name or ID number and identify accounts that have been archived.
• Right Arrow - Displays the next account number.
• N/A - Is the button you will push to perform name and address changes. This button also displays all previous address changes, references, cosigners and employers.
• History - Provides a summary of all payments that were posted in date order. When you access History from the Primary window, you can see the amount of the total payments as well as the amount of a payment that was applied to each individual loan. This window contains a Scroll Bar which allows you to identify the amount of the check that was applied to principal, interest and each fee field in summary form for all loans.
• Memo - allows you to input and display memos while entering cash in the Cash window.
• Collector - This function will provide the user with two capabilities. First, the user can view all inside or outside collectors to see if the collectors are charging any fees that might currently be due. Second, it allows the user to change a borrower's collector code. For an example, suppose the user is entering a collection agency payment and a message is displayed indicating that the borrower's account is not coded to a collection agency. In the DOS system, you would have to exit the cash screen, proceeding into the Account Information screen and then add the collection agency code to his/her account. Now you don't have to leave the cash screen. All the outside collector codes will be available for the user to find the correct code to place that code on the borrowers account.
• Edit - edit any payment already accepted but not yet applied.
• Delete - delete any payment already accepted but not yet applied.
• Edit listing - print an edit listing of all the payments entered so you can check for input errors before applying.
• Apply listing - apply the payments to the borrowers account and print and applied listing showing all payments entered.
  
  the greatest enhancement to this window issue will not have to "kick" everyone off SAL just to apply payments. It payments are being applied and a user is (working on an account that needs a payment applied to it), a message will display on the screen notifying the user that this particular account is being locked by another user. The cash program will continually check the borrower's account to see if the user is still locking the record. The cash program will be on "pause" until the borrower's account is unlocked and the program will then proceed to applying the remaining payments.

1998 Amendments to the Higher Education Act

listed below are the 1998 Amendments to the Higher Education Act (HEA) which relate to the Federal Perkins Loan Program.

1. Voluntarily makes six consecutive payments
2. Voluntary may all payments currently due (bring the loan current)
3. Pay the loan in full
4. Receive a deferment or forbearance which precedes the default date (240 days -- monthly or 270 days -- quarterly)
5. Any loan that has been rehabilitated or canceled.