Congress Promised Student Borrowers A Break. Education Dept. Rejected 99% Of Them
NPRCongress Promised Student Borrowers A Break. Ninety-nine percent of loan-forgiveness requests under that new Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness were rejected during the program's first year, from May 2018 to May 2019. In its rush to implement this expansion of Public Service Loan Forgiveness, the Education Department decided to require borrowers who believe they qualify for TEPSLF to first apply for, and be denied, PSLF. In return for 10 years of government or not-for-profit work and 120 qualified student loan payments, borrowers were told the U.S. Department of Education would forgive whatever remained of their federal student loans. As of March 2019, 99% of Public Service Loan Forgiveness requests have been rejected, and applicants remain deeply confused about the program's rules.