Betsy DeVos is set to change the borrower defense rules on July 1 making it much more difficult to win a discharge.
So if you have been thinking about filling a borrower defense to repayment but have never gotten around to it, now is the time to act! The difference between filing before July 1 and after July 1 will make a big difference.
You can file here:
hey, is this still happening or is it a waste of time? Is this REAL. Seems so like a tiny little box to fit in to. How does it work? Does it apply to the vast majority of us that took out Federal Loans to go to Public colleges? Anybody want to start Borrower’s Defense Pod?
Hi @laurel_sharp, a lot has changed since this post was made.
Long story short, we don’t know what exactly the new administration will do regarding borrower defense to repayment, but the general expectation is that they will do a complete reset, hopefully reexamining and making different decisions than DeVos did, and issuing mass cancellations for anyone who attended these schools that everyone knows, including the Department of Education, were committing fraud.
So for the time being we are in a wait-and-see mode. As things develop and we know more about what the new administration’s approach is, their may be some additional steps people will want to take. But for now we don’t know what those will be.
Please share if any part of my situation is helpful
My Illinois DeVry BDR request was received in 2017 and still processing. My suspicions that Betsy DeVos is an actual Calvinist witch is still processing as well, but I digress.
Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) program just introduced by Dept. of Ed. Debt Forgiveness will be for those who qualify as disabled through:
-SSDI (State Health Departments)
-Veteran Rated (VA)
After TPD recently went live I immediately visited my nearest VA advocates office considering now my forgiveness qualifies under both…BUT I only qualify to receive the $18k I paid into fraudulent loans refunded under my BDR app because my last payment was when I sent in my BDR application.
My IL-16th VA advocate already helped me win a disability appeal so I figured they could now officially make inquires as POA thru an unsigned TPD request. I’m not rolling the dice and dropping my BDR which definitely qualifies me for a full reimbursement, but there might be an opening with advocate assisstance through TPD.
My ‘COVID-safe’ meeting was a week ago to propose my specific case. They are now making contacts w/ my Congressman and state reps regarding the matter so I’ll be sure to update Debt Collective on the results as routes to payouts for anyone in my similar situations may come to fruition.
However I’m tempering any positive outcome considering my Congressman is a giant knob and I’ve been calling him as such (as well as advocating for student debt relief) through emailed policy criticisms the past three years. Tactfully, of course.
Thank god they probably get routed to a trash bin upon receipt.
Take care.
Yes. Great!
I filed my borrow defense application in 2019, and have yet to hear a decision. I followed up yesterday to check the status and was told that my application is next in the queue. No tentative date for review could be shared.
Any feedback or guidance, please let me know.