Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the administration of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
The PSLF program was designed to encourage college graduates to enter the public workforce by promising to forgive what was left of their student loan debt after they make qualifying payments for 10 years. Since the first cohorts of borrowers reached forgiveness eligibility in 2017, however, the failures of the PSLF program have been lamented by borrowers, advocates, lawmakers, and government officials alike. Congress and the U.S. Department of Education are overdue to make the improvements needed to deliver the debt forgiveness that was promised to thousands of American public sector workers.
In this letter, we identify PSLF’s chief problems and offer possible solutions. To do so, we draw on ideas from the Center for American Progress’ past work on this subject, as well as from the work of other policy experts, Congressional bills, and comments from members of the public made during the Department’s recent hearings on negotiated rulemaking. If Congress and the Department work together to make these legislative, regulatory, and administrative improvements, borrowers will be better positioned to pay off their debt, continue serving the public, and reap the benefits of a college education.
The above excerpt was originally published in Regulations.gov.
Click here to view the full article.