5 minute read
Hey Veterans, Did You Know?
... Some student loans can be forgiven?
Veterans and active duty service members with student loans may be eligible for forgiveness through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.
The Department of Education will allow months spent on active duty to count toward PSLF, even if the service member’s loans were on a deferment or forbearance rather than in active repayment.
This change addresses a major challenge service members have faced in accessing PSLF. Service members on active duty can qualify for student loan deferments and forbearances that help them through periods in which service inhibits their ability to make payments. Sometimes, members of the military find out that those deferments or forbearances granted while they served did not count toward PSLF.
By cancelling loans after 10 years of public service, PSLF removes the burden of student debt on public servants, makes it possible for many borrowers to stay in their jobs, and entices others to work in highneed fields.
This change ensures that members of the military will not need to focus on their student loans while serving. Federal Student Aid will develop and implement a process to address periods of student loan deferments and forbearance for active-duty service members and will update affected borrowers to let them know what they need to do to take advantage of this change.
The Department of Education will begin automatically giving federal employees credit for PSLF by matching Department of Education data with information held by other federal agencies about service members and the federal workforce. These matches will help the Department of Education identify others who may be eligible but cannot benefit automatically, like those with FFEL loans.
Any U.S. federal, state, local or tribal government agency is considered a government employer for the PSLF Program. This includes employers such as the U.S. military, public elementary and secondary schools, public colleges and universities, public child and family service agencies, and special governmental districts (including entities such as public transportation, water, bridge district, or housing authorities). Government contractors aren’t considered government employers.
Visit the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Help Tool at www. studentaid.gov/pslf/, which helps determine if an employer is considered a qualifying employer under the PSLF Program.
There is no income requirement to qualify for PSLF. However, since required monthly payment amount under most of the qualifying PSLF repayment plans is based on income, income level over the course of your public service employment might be a factor in determining whether there’s a remaining loan balance to be forgiven after making 120 qualifying payments.
If you know that you have qualifying employment that you have not yet certified with the Department of Education, you can certify that employment with the PSLF Help Tool.
Applications are due Oct. 31, 2022.
You will need to submit a PSLF form so the Department of Education can review your loans under the simplified rules and determine whether your current or past employers qualify for PSLF. You can submit this form through the PSLF Help Tool at StudentAid.gov/PSLF.
Because the Department of Education expects an influx of applicants, you may see some delays in having applications processed.
… how to get help for veterans in crisis?
Find out how to get support anytime, day or night if you're concerned about a veteran in crisis, connect with caring, qualified Veterans Crisis Line responders for confidential help. Many of them are veterans themselves. This service is private, free and available 24/7.
To connect with a Veterans Crisis Line responder anytime:
• Call (800) 273-8255, then press 1. • Start a confidential chat. www. veteranscrisisline.net/gethelp/chat • Text 838255. • If you have hearing loss, call TTY: (800) 7994889.
If you're concerned about a veteran who's homeless or at risk of
becoming homeless, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838 for help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You or the veteran can talk privately with a trained VA counselor for free.
Need local help? See the “How can I get help?” section on Page 5.
… how to talk to people about PTSD?
Your friends and neighbors may notice changes in your loved one due to their PTSD. They may have questions. And, like you, they’ll want to know how they can help. Try these steps:
Talk with loved ones first: Before you share with friends, ask your loved one how they want you to handle those questions. They may not want you to share specific details about their trauma or they may have ideas for how their friends can support them.
Show what you’ve learned. Your friends may also be struggling to connect with your loved one.
Help by sharing tips about how to communicate — and how to be sensitive and patient as your loved one works through their symptoms.
For instance, 60% of men and 50% of women experience at least one trauma in their lives. About 10% of women develop PTSD at some point in their lives, compared to 4% of men.
As many as 7%-8% of the US population will have PTSD at some point in their lives and 5.2 million adults have PTSD during a given year.
Here are ways friends can support you and your loved one:
• Learning about PTSD and its symptoms • Inviting you and your loved one to do things • Listening, if you or your loved one want to talk • Helping with daily tasks, like babysitting or grocery shopping
Symptoms can include:
• Avoiding situations that remind the person of the traumatic event (memories may be triggered by sights, sounds, even smells), • Negative changes in beliefs and feelings, • Feeling jittery or always on alert and looking for danger, • Being startled by loud noises or surprises • Experiencing the need to have one’s back to the wall in public places.
Does this sound like someone you know? Learn more at
