Thread by @bdrhoads9

I've been dutifully submitting documents to the Public Student Loan Forgiveness Program #PSLF office since I began my career in #publicservice as an audiologist for #VA in 2009. My first🧵...

As an A+++ personality, I read ALL the instructions. I consolidated my loans and my payments as instructed. I submitted my Certification of Employment paperwork every year beginning 2010

Back then, there was no tracking system, so I made one. I was counting my payments, ticking off progress to #120. In 2012, I was told, for the first time, that I had not read the fine print carefully enough

My consolidated loan types were wrong, none of my payments thus-far had counted. The agent was sympathetic, helpful, and said she speaks to people every day who are in the same boat

I spent approximately three months consolidating my loans to the correct type, with multiple calls to verify I was following the rules. They verified I was. Much to my chagrin, I started my count to #120 over

I continued to make payments, to send in my annual Certification of Employment. I called again in 2017 to check in and was told that my payment plan type was now incorrect – my payments weren’t counting

I cried. Privately. I blamed myself for having done it wrong the whole time. Again, the agent was sympathetic and kind. She helped me with the application to change my payment plan to meet the requirements

Again, I started my #120 count over. My #studentloanservicing now had a tracker on their site. I looked once and cried again. They had my progress literally YEARS behind where I had calculated it

I called about every six months, to verify my LOAN TYPE and PAYMENT PLAN were “correct”. I wrote down the name of the agent and what they told me every time. Sometimes it was the same, sometimes it was different

Based on my calculations, 2022 was the year I would be done with my #120 payments. The new Temporary Public Student Loan Forgiveness #TPSLF program was rolled out. I applied. I was denied. I applied. I was denied. Repeat x 4

For example, I had payments that didn’t count because “a payment was not due at this time.” … HUH?! What does that even mean?

I begged for a review of my situation. I made spreadsheets. Then, in October 2021, I saw a post on #LinkedIn about changes to the #PSLF program. I didn’t allow myself to get hopeful about the changes

I’d been there before – hopeful, an end in sight… and been monumentally disappointed that a program created to do good could be so convoluted and difficult to navigate

But, this seemed potentially different. A #reform to the hard-to-navigate, with rules that seemed fluid and changing…

I submitted under the new #PSLF program on the first day you could: October 6, 2021. I have checked weekly to see if there was an update on my account. I continued to make #payments

For good measure, I sent in a new Employment Verification form, too. I was determined to see some progress. And then today…

“You have satisfied your obligation and no further payments are required on these loans.”

#Holyshit. This is for real. I read it 3x before calling my husband to shriek in joy. I shared it with co-workers who I know have labored under the same challenges.

I’d say all the heartache was worth it – but it wasn’t. It was unnecessary. Incentive programs should be clear and easy to navigate. Otherwise – what’s the point?

And believe it or not, I’m NOT a proponent of forgiving all student loans. We took out loans – we need to repay them. I knew that going in and I was going to complete my obligation to pay all of that back

I think incentive programs, like the #PSLF are great. You get good candidates into otherwise hard-to-fill #public-service jobs. You do that for 10 years

…(getting paid 50-75% less than you could be paid elsewhere!) and we’ll reward you by forgiving you loans. Reasonable.

Forgiving all student loans because people have been irresponsible and because the higher education system is in shambles? Not reasonable.

I’m grateful for a commonsense approach to the #PSLF program and the modifications that were made to RIGHTFULLY acknowledge that I completed the obligation I signed up for in #2010.

I’m relieved and elated to be in receipt of this news. I hope others who have also navigated this program for years and years have their diligence similarly acknowledged with #loanforgiveness

Cheers to #2022 ! #PSLF

@threadreaderapp please unroll