I’ll be doing the following this week. As per Harvard’s page:
- I have a Direct Loan and I received a denial of my borrower defense application. What are my options?
You can submit a request for reconsideration if you want to challenge the denial. There is no deadline, and your loan will go into repayment or back into default (which could include the taking of your tax refund or wages) while the Department considers your request for reconsideration. (See Question 15 below for information to help you with repayment or getting out of default). Please note that the Department is saying that it will NOT put loans in forbearance while a reconsideration is pending.
If you decide to submit a request for reconsideration, you should ask for information about the reasons for the denial. You should also ask for the documents and evidence the Department used in deciding your borrower defense application. This is particularly important if the denial did not include a detailed explanation of the basis for the decision.
In addition, you should explain why the denial was wrong, including evidence supporting your application. This can be new evidence if you have any. The Department has said you cannot make new allegations without submitting a new borrower defense application, but you can provide new evidence to support the claims you made in the original application. You do not have to include new evidence. In these circumstances, you should explain why the evidence and information you previously submitted is grounds for an approval.
You should send the request for reconsideration by email or regular mail and keep a copy. The Department has not provided a specific form to fill out. You should be sure to write your name, contact information, and the borrower defense application number listed on the denial. You can call the borrower defense hotline at 855-279-6207 (open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday) if you have more than one borrower defense application to make sure you are listing the correct number.
You should send the reconsideration by email to: BorrowerDefense@ed.gov or by regular mail to U.S. Department of Education, P.O. Box 1854, Monticello, KY 42633.
Please save all communications (emails and letters) from the Department of Education, including any decision on your borrower defense application, for your records.