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crickets

(25,896 posts)
3. Because of course she did.
Mon Nov 16, 2020, 08:20 PM
Nov 2020

Linked at the end of above article:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/public-servants-student-loan-forgiveness-program-151843090.html

Congress created the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) in 2007 to help various kinds of public service workers erase their student debt after ten years of loan payments.

But management of the program is widely considered to be a failure as more than 98% of applications from teachers, firefighters, police, and other public servants are rejected.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has been sued multiple times over her department’s high denial rate, while Education Department (ED) officials contend that Congress designed the rules to be too restrictive. [snip]

In early 2020, amid lawsuits against the department and lawmakers decrying that 99% rejection rate, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos agreed to simplify part of the paperwork process.


And linked from a Twitter thread in that article:

https://www.npr.org/2020/01/31/801367031/education-dept-unveils-fix-for-student-loan-programs-bureaucratic-nightmare

The change — which the department posted to the Federal Register without a news release or other public announcement — will address one of the most alarming revelations in the GAO's review: 71% of denials were essentially due to a paperwork technicality. According to the GAO, more than 38,000 applicants were denied relief under the expansion — known as Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness (TEPSLF) — simply because they hadn't first applied for and been denied PSLF.

The department's fix is to consolidate the two programs into one application form so that borrowers applying for TEPSLF will no longer have to first file a separate application for PSLF.[snip]

"The department's lack of urgency in helping borrowers navigate the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program has left applicants confused, panicked and rightfully frustrated," said Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat and chairman of the House education committee. "I am relieved that — in response to intense public pressure — the department is finally taking a step toward fixing the PSLF application process. However, this change alone does not satisfy the department's responsibility to faithfully implement the law."


That 'paperwork technicality' had to be deliberate. Wow, what a nightmare for people just trying to apply, much less the rejection rate to this point. Typically unhelpful is the lack of public information provided after a change was forced. It's a good thing this is getting some media coverage to mitigate that. Hopefully, the latest 'fix' will actually help.
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