Student loans

[sulphur kennel]

I have read on my loan information that if you become disabled you can be eligible for loan forgiveness. I have been paying on my loans and have actually paid some of them off. Now I am on SSDI and bring in the tiny amount of $716 a month. I was accustomed to bringing in over $2500 as a teacher.

I have had my Dr. fill out the paperwork several times and each time the paperwork is sent back with some little nit-picky thing marked as the wrong way to write the information. One time my Dr. wrote "info" instead of "information". I received a letter from the student loan organization stating that just because I am considered disabled by SS standards does not mean that they recognize the disability. There for, I am required to repay all of the loan amounts as well as interest.

This would not be a problem if I made more money, but I cannot work. Also all of my loans are federally subsidized and it really ****** me off that banks and big businesses can be given a pass on millions and peons like myself are hassled about a few thousands.

I guess this is my pity party because I want to scream "IT'S NOT FAIR!!!!!"

Thanks for reading.

[maitrimama]

I actually found it much easier to get my student loans forgiven than to get SSDI. I happened to get a great customer service rep who walked me through the process of getting my loans forgiven about 2 years before I received SSDI. I think it ended up being a letter from my GP and one from my Psychiatrist that said that in their oinions I couldn't and shouldn't work.

[mjan]

I dont get it. Once when I could not pay the amt, the school loan folks told ME to apply, which I didn't then. BUT when I was off of work due to a bad exacerbation, my short term disability automatically went to long term which meant I HAD to apply for SSDI. Hmm..

Well SSDI was approved in 4 months, bam, so the paperwork for my student loan went through as soon as my SSDI did. I just heard from them this week, and I have until 3 years or until 2013 to FINALLY have my student loans discharged due to permanent disability.

So.. I just dont get why you are not getting the same? The neuro at the time would NOT say my disability(ies) were permanent but my PCP had no problem recognizing that I had way too many diagnoses that caused me not to work permanently. However, they want met to document to them my employment income during this 3 year period.

Good luck .. let us know how it turns out.

Jan

[Imagine]

CONTACT YOUR SENATOR'S OFFICE

Ridiculous- and I am so sorry you're dealing with this... you know, on top of this minor inconvenience called ms.

My SSDI is 2,000 a month and my student loans were 100% discharged. I was financed through the infamous sallie mae-- what about you?

Call your Senator's office, and I believe that your SLs will suddenly be discharged. Good luck sweetie. Keep your head up and make sure that you have advocates to handle this **** for you. Be Well.
Shalom,
Suzanne

[kingrex]

My SSDI is 2,000 a month and my student loans were 100% discharged.

Are these college loans? I guess I'm in a curious mood tonight...I would think that you would have to work for a long time to receive $2000/mo. I'm 58 now, and if I were to become disabled today my SSDI would be approximately what you're getting. Of course, maybe you made a lot more money than I have - it's certainly possible


rex

[palmtree]

Don't give up. Fight it! I mean it. They have to honor their contract. Maybe a SSDI lawyer could help. I would make phone calls and phone calls until I found someone who could help. That's a great idea to write your senator.

You deserve a break.

[wrest53]

Student loans

Put those loans in defermant if they are not there yet. Default makes things harder, and almost impossible. You are unemployed and this is economic hardship--those are two of the criteria to defer. You said you were a teacher--see if you can get some of them forgiven because of that. It also helps if all of your loans are consolidated.

Even when you apply for forgiveness--it takes three years. Every year you will need to send them a letter stating that you had no income.

President Obama has signed into law a bill that eliminates the banks from the equation. The feds guarantee your loans and the banks were just making money for nothing. He stopped that.

Beginning Jan 2012--there is a special consolidation program, attached to that same law. They will contact people that are eligible. If you are not eligable through that program--you can consolidate through Direct Loans--the regular Federal site. But be sure not to try consolidation until you are sure you don't qualify for the special program.


Look at this announcemnt for new info.
http://loanconsolidation.ed.gov/help...ouncement.html
Go to whitehouse.gov and search for the Fact Sheet on student loans.

Direct loans is another site full of information. direct.ed.gov

Hope this helps--you are entitled to forgiveness--keep trying.

[Imagine]

Are these college loans? I guess I'm in a curious mood tonight...I would think that you would have to work for a long time to receive $2000/mo. I'm 58 now, and if I were to become disabled today my SSDI would be approximately what you're getting. Of course, maybe you made a lot more money than I have - it's certainly possible


rex

The loans were for graduate school- for 2 masters degrees. I did not have to borrow for my Bachelors Degree; but did for Graduate school. I completed Masters at age 23. Although I worked very little for the first 3 years of my daughters life, I worked full time the 5 years prior to her birth.

When my daughter was 7, I started my own practice (child and family therapist), which proved to be quite lucrative, and is what I was doing when I simply could not work anymore (January 2009).

I am 40 yrs old and realize that for SSDI, the ammount is high and for that I am grateful. I will add, that it doesn't come close to what I was making when I, physically, could no longer work.

I only had to apply once to have the balance of my loan discharged- and I was in default by that time.

PLEASE NOTE: IF ANYONE'S SL IS IN DEFAULT, AND HE/SHE IS APPROVED FOR SSDI- A PORTION OF THE DISABILITY CHECK IS DEDUCTED TO GO TOWARD THE BALANCE OF THE LOAN.

[jayjee]

How do you get started on applying for forgiveness? My son is also disabled; has been unable to work for three years.

[re_setting]

ducking collections agencies

SLM turned my account over to private collectors. UCSF ... my MS doc claims that she cannot refer me to a PCP/GP. Even if the form finally gets signed, I envision an uphill battle.

One creditor offered me a "buyout fee" of $5000.

The situation seems very cut-and-dry to me.

[sulphur kennel]

Wow, thanks for all the good info!

My loans are in deferment at this time. I am so glad that so many of you have responded to help me. I will definitely write my senator and representative.

Again, thanks for all the help!
KC

[kingrex]

I am 40 yrs old and realize that for SSDI, the ammount is high and for that I am grateful. I will add, that it doesn't come close to what I was making when I, physically, could no longer work.

Thanks for the reply - and you're right, it doesn't come close to what most people earned when they worked. My wife and I will be ok in retirement because she is the world's greatest saver and we have always lived below our means, in order to save for the proverbial rainy day.


rex

[Imagine]

How do you get started on applying for forgiveness? My son is also disabled; has been unable to work for three years.

1st- call the lender, and talk with someone there about the fact that your son is disabled, stressing that he has not worked for 3 years. You will be asked some questions (your son just has to give permission for them to talk to you).

The person you speak with will likely mail you forms to be filled out- by your son and a physician. Make sure that you request application to have loan discharged if not offered. My general practitioner, not my neurologist, filled out my paperwork.

Politely request the person's name with whom you are speaking; and put the request in writing to be on the safe side, "per our conversation on ___,"

Good Luck; it should not be a problem. I was fortunate to have my mother in-law do all of the leg work for me, as ms makes it nearly impossible to (for me) manage/organize the details and f/u required to complete tasks such as these. Please let us know how it works out. Be Well.
Shalom,
Suzanne

[jumpinjiminy]

SLM turned my account over to private collectors. UCSF ... my MS doc claims that she cannot refer me to a PCP/GP. Even if the form finally gets signed, I envision an uphill battle.

One creditor offered me a "buyout fee" of $5000.

The situation seems very cut-and-dry to me.

Are you 100% sure that SLM turned you over to creditors? This sounds fishy to me. I've never heard of such a thing in regard to student loans. Usually, if you go into default, they will garnish your wages, tax refunds and social security. They don't typically send a private credit agency after you. They're the government. They don't need one.

Be very careful with this. My daughter fell into default on her loans. Even though she made her six on-time payments to clear the default, someone messed up the paperwork and intercepted her tax return.

She had a heck of a time getting someone on the phone that could look at her payment history, see she had six on time payments, and they had no right to intercept her tax refund. The first person pulled out 'stupid' and 'delay' tactics instead of working to correct his own error.

But private creditors, I've never heard of that with student loans.

[freedom1]

For those of you who have attempted to have your student loans discharged how long did it take to get an answer either way?

I sent my forms in back in September to Direct Lending's Service Center and have yet to hear anything. About a week ago I called them and they said they were processing it.

I know the federal government is slow, but 3 months? I am cautiously optimistic that if the answer was no I would have received that by now.

Anyone else take this long?