Public Service Loan Forgiveness program can help tackle student debt, borrower says

More than half a million public sector workers in the United States are expected to have settled their student debt under a renewed loan forgiveness program. But for people hoping to take advantage of the federal initiative, canceling these loans requires persistence, said one person who used the program successfully to eliminate tens of thousands of dollars in student debt.

“I spent hours on the phone with the loan service company I was using,” Karen Tongson, a professor of English, gender and sexuality studies at the University of Southern California, told CBS News that he had once owed $ 73,000 in school loans. . Even after making payments for 16 years, she was still hooked on $ 47,000 due to interest on the debt, she added.

Last year, however, the U.S. Department of Education eliminated Tongson’s remaining balance under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, or PSLF, which was launched in 2007 under then-President George W. Bush.

Initially, the effort seemed like a textbook case of poor public policy that undermined a potentially important goal. Although the program promised to wipe out student debt from government employees after a decade of payments, 99% of those who applied were told they were ineligible, according to a 2019 report by the government. Government Accountability Office. Many Americans, especially those who served in the armythey say the program never worked for them.

But after renewing the PSLF last year, the Biden administration said the effort will help more than 550,000 teachers, army members, first responders and government employees get out of student debt.

“First, don’t be intimidated and don’t be afraid to ask questions,” Tongson said to encourage eligible borrowers to seek help under the PSLF. It’s about being “very persistent when it comes to calling and insisting on talking to someone,” he added.

To qualify for PSLF loan forgiveness, an applicant must work full-time in a federal, state, local, or tribal government agency, or in a nonprofit organization. The applicant must have direct federal loans that are being repaid under an income-based repayment plan.

“The most important thing is to make sure you talk to your employer’s human resources department so you know how to make sure your forms of employment can be verified to repay the loan as soon as possible,” Tongson said.