Financial Aid Question?

[squirrel]

I'm considered independent bc I just turned 24 so I had to fill out independent Verification forms for school. This college is a nightmare!!! No one is helpful and everyone is rude. Anyways, I filled out a form for 2008 Monthly Resources. I was living on my own until May of that year then I got laid off so I had to move in with my mom. I put down my monthly expenses which was about 1,000 a month and I was making 1200 a month. Under a section of that form it says Are any of your expenses paid by another person(s) or business? I put YES and listed what my mom paid for rent and food at her house. Maybe it was my mistake bc those were HER expenses even before I moved in with her. So should I have put NO instead? Now bc of that, me being an Independent (my w2 had an income of 5,000 for 5 months I'm single and no kids) my EFC is 4813! The financial Aid advisor said that means I make around 20,000 a year which I do not! I got laid off once again in Nov. and as anyone knows its super hard getting a job right now :-( So bc of the EFC I'm not eligible for any grants. Is there a way to fix that? Bc I can't afford it and my parents can't either. But I tried doing the math and it doesn't add up to me. If I'm ineligible bc I make over "$20,000" everything I added up is $18,000 (Moms expense came out to 1600/mo x 8=$12,800 and even if I added my 5112.00 from W2 that's $17,912!) I'm getting so discouraged from getting a better education I'm beside myself right now! And they shouldn't have even multiplied 1600 by 8 it should have been 7 (months) Any advice please?