Mark Warner on Public Service Loan Forgiveness

From U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA):

"

Hey folks,

I wanted to reach out to provide an important and exciting update for joint consolidation student loan holders and a reminder for anyone eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness! Earlier this month, President Biden officially signed into law my bill allowing borrowers trapped in joint student loans with a former partner or spouse to sever their consolidated debt. 

Between 1993 and 2006, married couples could combine their individual student loan debt into a single joint Direct Consolidation Loan or joint Federal Consolidation Loan. But when this practice ended in 2006, there was no way for borrowers to sever the debt for any reason, including divorce, separation or abuse. 

But this process did not only impact separated couples. For years, borrowers who would individually qualify for student loan relief programs, such as the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program – which is available to those who have worked in public service, including teachers, state workers, and veterans – were ineligible due to the specific conditions of joint consolidation loans. 

My legislation provided a fix for this problem, allowing borrowers to not only sever their debt, but also take advantage of debt relief programs like PSLF. 

Now, it will take some time for the Department of Education (ED) to fully implement changes for borrowers to request separation of their joint consolidation loans, but with the limited PSLF waiver deadline approaching, the Education Department released a set of guidelines for those looking to apply for PSLF waivers.

By Oct. 31, 2022, public servants who currently hold consolidated loans will need to: 

1. Use the PSLF Help Tool to determine if your employer qualifies for this program. 
2. Print and sign a PSLF form, and then have your employer(s) sign it. 
3. Submit a Reconsideration Request by uploading a PDF of your PSLF form as an attachment to the reconsideration request submission with the description: “I am a borrower impacted by the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act."

Ultimately, I think public servants – especially those that have been trapped in consolidated loans – should have more time to apply, and that’s why I’m also publicly pushing to extend the waiver through next summer. For now, though, it is still looking like the expanded waiver will expire on Oct. 31, so I encourage all to look through this resource and learn more about your eligibility and options. You can get started on this process here.

If you ever want to share your thoughts about an issue that’s important to you, you can send me an email any time using the form on my Senate website. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

" [that signature graphic Google doesn't like: Mark Warner]

Virginia has had varying amounts of funding to allow varying amounts of help with student loans, for people who serve the Commonwealth, for a long time. Typically loan forgiveness/reduction for teachers has, for example, been offered to people who teach math at very rough urban high schools or very poor rural ones, but not usually for most teachers. This letter reflects some expansion of a traditional program; it is not, as readers outside Virginia may assume, a new unprecedented thing. President Biden may be encouraging over-expansion but, historically, Virginia has been able to afford a little investment in people who take the jobs other qualified people don't want.

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