Consumer complaint received 2023-02-26
Company: MOHELA
State: TN
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Problem with customer service

Complaint:
I received the attached three notices from MOHELA stating I do not qualify for any PSLF payments or work credits. 
You will also find attached the fax that was sent to MOHELA after XXXX XXXX transferred my account to MOHELA, causing additional issues, with XXXX XXXX directing me to call MOHELA and MOHELA directing me back to XXXX XXXX regarding my initial and follow up PSLF applications. 
I have worked for non-profits since I graduated in XXXX. I have worked for my states XXXX XXXX, XXXX, for the past five years alone. I served as one of the first federal navigators under the Affordable Care Act. Every job I worked qualified on the PSLF Help Tool towards PSLF forgiveness. You will find in the attached fax all non-profit/government agency employers for which I worked completed and signed the proof of employment PSLF forms, which have been submitted to XXXX XXXX and MOHELA multiple times. Yet, MOHELA does not show any credits at all for me towards PSLF forgiveness? 
I consolidated to a DLSCNS Loan at the advisement of XXXX XXXX in XXXX. However, if MOHELA is documenting that I do not have student loan payments to consider because of a XXXX DLSCNS, this is incorrect according to the U.S. Department of Educations website that outlines the limited waiver policy. Policy : Payments prior to a Direct Loan consolidation are also covered by this waiver, so it will benefit those who consolidated their Direct Loans and lost progress toward PSLF as a result. Go to US Dept. of Education PSLF Fact Sheet Even if MOHELA begins counting payments on the XX/XX/XXXX DLSCNS disbursement date, why do I not have any work payment credits from that date to XX/XX/XXXX, when suspended payments began counting towards PSLF credits? Since suspended payments count towards PSLF, that alone should reflect 31 payments. Is MOHELA stating that public service employees who have not accumulated the 120 payments do not qualify for the 31 payment credits during the suspended payment period? Other public service employees received these suspended payment credits to help them accumulate the required 120 payment credits needed for PSLF approval. This suspended payment credit alone would reduce me to roughly five remaining years of student loan payments, rather than seven ( if you count payments starting with XXXX DLSCNS alone ). Policy : Paused payments count toward PSLF and TEPSLF as long as you meet all other qualifications. You will get credit as though you made monthly payments. To see these qualifying payments, show up in your account, you must submit a PSLF form certifying your employment for the payment pause time period. Your count of qualifying payments toward PSLF updates only when you certify your employment. I submitted EMPLOY

EE SIGNED PSLF forms certifying employme nt THREE TIMES NOW. MOHELA is never available by phone ( after they write for me to call MOHELA ). Pl ease note on the attached fax the screensh
ot documenting my wait time on the phone of over 1.5 hours for just one of multiple call attempts. No one ever answers. XXXX this. Complaint after complaint and multiple news articles regarding MOHELA never having a representative available to speak with student loan borrowers as well as other customer service issues regarding the PSLF program. How is this possible when you have a government contract for student loan servicing? Are they meeting contract measures? Now, I can not get out of MOHELAs automated options to even attempt another wait time to have my questions answered.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation