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What Disabilities Qualify for Student Loan Forgiveness US

Borrowers of federal student loans may be eligible for loan forgiveness if they have been diagnosed with a severe and permanent mental or physical impairment that prevents them from engaging in meaningful work. A doctor, the Social Security Administration (SSA), or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can all be reliable sources for disability records.

 

The Department of Education accepts medical, Social Security Administration, or Department of Veterans Affairs records as proof of disability, and some private lenders may use the same information. Those diagnosed with a medical condition barring them from permanently returning to the workforce may be eligible to have their outstanding student loan debt forgiven.

Under a federal law known as borrower defense, students who attend schools involved in fraudulent or illegal activity or that have been abruptly closed are entitled to repay some or all of their federal student loans. The Obama administration, which aimed to protect student loans from deceptive student loan programs, was the impetus behind the initiation of these reliefs.

Biden not only provided relief to these defrauded borrowers but also to students with total disabilities. For some time now, the federal government has required these disabled students to submit documentation during a three-year probationary period. Many students need help maintaining their credit forgiveness status due to the need to submit paperwork.

 

Biden has now eliminated the requirement for these students to verify annual income and allowed them to avoid filing. Providing documents is much more difficult due to the Covid pandemic and people with disabilities. Students whose status was revoked for lack of documentation have now been reinstated by the federal government. At that time, they were restored to good standing through the loan program that was superseded.

You can prove that you meet the requirements for total and permanent disability release by providing evidence from one of three sources: the Social Security Administration (SSA), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), or a physician. Several criteria must be met before submitting any evidence of your eligibility.

Nearly 115,000 people who owe student loans have benefited from Biden's decision to forgive $2.3 billion in debt. On the other hand, that's a paltry 1 percent of total outstanding student loan debt in the United States.

As a student loan borrower, you may find it easier to claim damages from your student loan servicer or lender or at least win a bankruptcy lawsuit against them. "Student loan servicers could also come under greater scrutiny under a Biden administration," Forbes reports. More debt relief may be on the horizon for those who took out loans from government or commercial lenders to pay off their student loans.

There's already a 2021 stimulus package that says there won't be a tax on student debt relief until 2025. But if you weren't one of the lucky ones who had a zero balance at that time, there's more good news for you. There is a growing realization that student loans are not the only reason for our country's high levels of student debt.

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