Brian Cohen
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Teacher loan forgiveness should not be that difficult

1/13/2015

3 Comments

 
I received a call today from my new student loan provider (It was Citibank, then Sallie Mae, and now Navient) with more information for why my teacher loan forgiveness package was denied. For those unaware, one of the perks of working in low-income schools is that after five years in a row you get a certain amount of your student loans forgiven. Since I am a math teacher the number is $17,500 - a hefty sum that I will be glad to see disappear. 

I sent the application in on September 24, 2014 - I know this because the principal of my current school was the last one I needed. I finally heard back in late December that it had been denied. The reason was sent in a letter with the following text:
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This seemed strange to me because all my paperwork was in line. The strangest aspect was that due to recent budget cuts and political turmoil in the School District of Philadelphia, there IS no Chief Academic Officer, so the current superintendent wrote a letter and signed it explaining that fact.
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When I spoke to an individual named Michael who works at Navient, he explained that they had, indeed, made a mistake when they sent the loan forgiveness package out to their guarantors. He apologized profusely and sent out my package again for expedited analysis. It was only then that I was told of one key thing I missed in my application: to check a box marked "at an eligible secondary school"
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While I understand the need to verify employment accurately and honestly, it seems like a waste of time and money to deny my loan because of less than one square centimeter of space on a piece of paper. It will take time away from me, my principal, the post office, and the loan officer in order to re-process this instead of allowing me to verify over the phone or in a simple email.

I am truly disappointed that our society has come to this. Shouldn't it be easier for teachers who work in the hardest-to-staff areas to receive what they deserve?
3 Comments
JB
4/6/2015 06:13:45 am

I am dealing with the same crap from them. I got "The guarantor of your loans is requesting a new application be signed by the Superintendent or a Representative of the Human Resources Deptartment" They can't even spell Department correctly. WTF. Everything I had was in line. It was my second attempt since the first times also had a box missing. It took them well over 30 days to deny and THEN bother to tell me. Unprofessional. There needs to be a class action suit.

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Zach
4/21/2016 07:57:04 am

Same thing as me, they've sent it back twice with invalid CAO and dates not in the appropriate date format xx/xx/xxxx..... and they were the second time! Then they sent me a long list of reasons that were all bogus - my favorite was that I already received benefits as a member of the AmeriCorps - I WAS NEVER INVOLVED WITH THE GROUP! Class action lawsuit sounds right - where do I go? I'm consulting with others and the web right now, then my representatives....

contact me; let's get organized:
zachenos@hotmail.com

Reply
Dave
6/20/2016 04:59:13 pm

I submitted my application with supporting credentials and letter from CAO and I was denied by the guarantor for not submitting credentials and letter to the CAO. The servicer assures me they were sent, and the guarantor refuses to speak with me.

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    I am a math teacher in the New York Department of Education. I infuse technology and real-world problems into my curriculum in order to prepare my students for the future. I would love for people across the country to recognize we teachers can't do it alone. If you don't believe me, come visit my classroom!

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