When Do I Tell The School My New Gender, Post-Op...?

[Guest OneSmallStep]

Note to mods: I'm not really sure where to put this post, so please redistribute it to where ever is correct. Thanks

I had top surgery back on June 30th, about a week and a half later I got my drivers license changed to male, couple days ago I made it to the social security office to chance that to male, and now I've also mailed off my info for my birth certificate to be changed.

Here's my question, I'm currently working on my A.A. (and subsequently my Bachelors begining Jan 2011.) I receive financial aid, pell grants and sub/unsub'd loans. Over the summer I've been taking online courses with my school, covered by financial aid. I'm wondering, if when I change my info to male with the school will I have to re-apply for Financial Aid for the new school year? I assume since I've already received my financial aid for the summer I am covered, but I'm not sure if being male will change the amount I receive money wise from financial aid? I'm also worried about having to re-apply for the FAFSA for this semester because I had done it so early in the year that I actually ended up getting an extra amount because I was one of the first to apply for it at my school. I'm afaid of losing that. And then since I'm starting at the University in January, I know I'll have to have the info changed, and that'll use the same FAFSA information as I did at the Community College, so how will that effect that if I have to reapply? Or if I wait until after they disburse the money in September? Or will it cause any sort of a hiccup for me on receiving financial aid because my social security number now has male on it? Has anyone dealt with this? I'm sure some of y'all have, lol I guess I mean more so how'd it work out for ya?

Thanks

[Guest Natalie92]

Ok, you're legally male now because your DL and SSN says so. Look up the forms you need to fill out for your school to have your name changed in their records (they all have some form, as most women change their name when they get married). Tell them when you fill out your name change paperwork that you are now male. That's about it on that front.

As far as financial aid goes, you're fine. That's based off of your SSN, not your name or gender. Because your SSN now your name and gender you'll be fine. However you will, of course, need to fill out the FAFSA in Jan-Mar of next year anyway.

Natalie

[Drea]

I would think gender change would not be relevent to most of that. Gender may be recorded as most ask (though they shouldn't) and keep for statistic.

Realistically however, the key would be your name. If your name has been legally changed, at the time of the legal name change is approved that you should update.

In any case, name, or even gender change, are administrative issues that only affect paperwork. Such does not affect who you are so can be done at any time. I would think it would be best done at a time when you are not appling. So you may want to wait for fall seminster aid to be issued and then change during the seminster. The risk here is that if you changed info with social security and FAFSA shars info, there could be prolbems. So if you gone that far, you might have to make sure all updated.

What you can run into however is change in eligibility due to gender. Just like changing from F to M may see your auto insurance jump in cost, you could find yourself ineligible for certain aid/scholarships or considered less desireable admission candidate cause of being male.

[Guest Evan_J]

If you are under 25, make sure you register for selective service. Yes FtMs have to if they are of applicable age and want federal financial assistance. HOWEVER because of the ban on transsexuals in the military, after registering submit a medical waiver.

You have to register though, cuz at the point you changed your stuff at ss the computers list you as male and kick you out the same as all the others. Not registering will mess up your fin aid and potentially get you a "nice" letter from sel service.

[Guest OneSmallStep]

Ok, you're legally male now because your DL and SSN says so. Look up the forms you need to fill out for your school to have your name changed in their records (they all have some form, as most women change their name when they get married). Tell them when you fill out your name change paperwork that you are now male. That's about it on that front.

As far as financial aid goes, you're fine. That's based off of your SSN, not your name or gender. Because your SSN now your name and gender you'll be fine. However you will, of course, need to fill out the FAFSA in Jan-Mar of next year anyway.

Luckily, I did my name change in December of last year, and was able to get the name switched over in the system before classes fully started at this school. So unfortunately I can't use that to help me this time, I just hope I get the nice lady who always seems to have the good answers and who was really nice about when I brought my name change info in.

Also, as a side note, I was trying to do the multiquote thing, but can't seem to get that, I pressed the multiquote buttons, but wasn't sure where to go from there?

In any case, name, or even gender change, are administrative issues that only affect paperwork. Such does not affect who you are so can be done at any time. I would think it would be best done at a time when you are not appling. So you may want to wait for fall seminster aid to be issued and then change during the seminster. The risk here is that if you changed info with social security and FAFSA shars info, there could be prolbems. So if you gone that far, you might have to make sure all updated.

What you can run into however is change in eligibility due to gender. Just like changing from F to M may see your auto insurance jump in cost, you could find yourself ineligible for certain aid/scholarships or considered less desireable admission candidate cause of being male.

Ya I changed the info with SS the other day, and then thought about it after the fact, but I wasn't sure if I had to have that changed right away, and didn't want to find out that since I waited I was somehow stuck under some new law (not that there is a new law, but just you never know) and then not be able to get it changed since I've only had top surgery so far, ya know? That's why I wasn't sure if I need to tell the school right away, or if just waiting would be okay. And I'm afraid to ask them at the school because the only way to ask them anything is to physically go into the school and ask them, and at that point they would kind of know who I am and would have me change it, even if it did cause me more issues finance wise.

Ya I was wondering about that too, I think since I've only got the Pell Grants and everything else is just loans that I won't be effected, but I wasn't sure how much the Pell Grants go by gender? It's a Community College if that makes a difference, I mean since it's government/state run. I was just talking about that with my MTF friend... how if that's the case she's gonna get more money after her surgery and I'm gonna get less (we go to the same school) ... lol

If you are under 25, make sure you register for selective service. Yes FtMs have to if they are of applicable age and want federal financial assistance. HOWEVER because of the ban on transsexuals in the military, after registering submit a medical waiver.

You have to register though, cuz at the point you changed your stuff at ss the computers list you as male and kick you out the same as all the others. Not registering will mess up your fin aid and potentially get you a "nice" letter from sel service.

LOL, ya I've heard about that before! That would definitely be annoying! I was wondering if since I'm over 25, and they will still ask if I have, do I still need to? Or since I'm over 25 (I'm 28) will that question never pop up again for me?

Here I thought once I got to post-op I'd be done needing questions answered about being trans, and it seems I've had more questions come up in the last couple weeks than I think I even had when I first started this whole journey!

Edited July 31, 2010 by Evan_J
Posts merged on behalf of user.

[Guest Evan_J]

I was wondering if since I'm over 25, and they will still ask if I have, do I still need to?

The "they'll still ask" makes it complicated lol . I don't know but check.

[Drea]

good point on the selective service issue. I hadn't thought about that.

If SS has accepted your gender change document, and you have drivers license your 90% home free. The rules on birth certificates vary by state so can't comment. If you get yourself a passport with correct gender (and new rules on that don't require surgery) you are golden. Passport will serve in leiu of birth certificate if you can't get that changed. It could be tricky gettting inital passport without a corrected birth certificate but given what I read about the new policy, it should be possible to get the correct gender on passport.

Sorry I can't offer anything on the other issues.

[Guest AndrewK]

"LOL, ya I've heard about that before! That would definitely be annoying! I was wondering if since I'm over 25, and they will still ask if I have, do I still need to? Or since I'm over 25 (I'm 28) will that question never pop up again for me? "

Yes. You will have to fill out this form:

http://www.sss.gov/PDFs/PrinterFriendly/status.pdf