Consumer complaint received 2022-08-07
Company: MOHELA
State: WI
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Problem with customer service

Complaint:
I have been in Public Service my entire life. My student loans have been serviced by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, US ED. Recently I had looked into the PSLF waiver as being a potential option for obtaining loan forgiveness. I used the tool which led me to the consolidation application. I went through obtaining all the necessary signatures from XXXX different schools, cooperative services and public agency where I currently work. These are loans that I have been paying since XXXX. Granted I was in and out of forbearance, because my starting teaching salary was just under XXXX a year at a private school which bumped up to XXXX when I went public. 

I went to the studentaid.gov website and started to investigate the potential... It is NOT clear what applies to the waiver and what doesn't. You are not sure if the information had been updated. The waiver callouts make it difficult to know what is applicable and what isn't. I did a lot of searching as the fragmented bullets of what makes you eligible does not sufficiently explain how those pieces work together. 

The website tells you to consolidate your FFEL and direct student loans. It was not clear that they shouldn't be consolidated together. When using the application it lumped them both into the application. While it does say are you sure that these are the loans that need to be included, it doesn't provide an explanation that existing direct loans should not be included. I had two. The bulk of my loans were FFEL loans.

Additionally, The website says, " Time-limited changes to Public Service Loan Forgiveness ( PSLF ) Program rules allow borrowers to receive credit for past periods of repayment that would otherwise not qualify for PSLF. The changes end on XXXX XXXX, XXXX. '' What it does not say is... ON DIRECT LOANS ONLY. This led me to believe that any payment you had made prior on " any plan '' ( also NOT any plan under a direct loan '' ) that you had had could qualify you for loan forgiveness. but you have to consolidate into a direct loan to be eligible for the waiver. 

Ultimately I applied for the consolidation and took a significant amount of time in gather the employment verification to complete the process. After a couple of weeks I called MOHELA the serving company to call because I was already listed as denied that was dated ( XX/XX/XXXX ) before even sending in all the verification. There was no link, So I couldn't click to see any application or what had actually been denied. Which confused me because I had gotten an email confirmation that stated they had just received my " request '' ( XX/XX/XXXX ). On XX/XX/XXXX. I received an email about a process delay. 

Because of this confusion, I called MOHELA and got the automated voice... wound up then calling some other loan services, which had no record of my application. They suggested I call MOHELA back and talk to them, because these were different agencies. I then called MOHELA back and went through numerous automated messages that did not apply to me to get to a human being. She reviewed with me the emails that I had gotten and I felt satisfied to wait. However, still in being confused about previous payments that would not otherwise qualify, I had asked what people are denied for as specifically asked her about two remaining questions .... Did my previous payments need to be on a direct loan specifically? As well as the reimbursement on anything above 120 payments. Even though I did not get was a complete direct answer, to those questions. Nothing left me believing otherwise, I left that conversation positive and confident that I would qualify. Also left me back at the website trying to understand all the information and piece it together. I found an answer that FFEL was not eligible for reimbursement. 

Yesterday XX/XX/XXXX I received 5 identical letters saying that I was denied PSLF as not having 120 qualifying payments. Also that all the loans had been consolidated and direct loans that I had been paying for payments started over at 0 qualifying payments. 

Not only that, when I received the terms of my loan, they were consolidated into the highest interest rate, over the course of a new 180 payments. Also, not made clear anywhere " how '' how they would be consolidated. Which means that I will STILL be paying this into retirement, if I don't make additional payments to try and get it paid off early. I am an uncoupled individual, I pay all of my own expenses. I was paying nearly XXXX a month already on students loans prior to this consolidation. 

Not knowing how all the information comes together can lead people to understand differently given background knowledge, life experience and matching that up with information presented. Even the application says, " I believe '' that I qualify now. 

I didn't qualify for teacher forgiveness even though that has been my soul professional all my life and in a low income school. I don't qualify for public service loan forgiveness either. I had considered consolidating into XXXXXXXX XXXX in XXXX, but it would have been a 10 year plan so qualifying payments would not really mattered as compared to the life of the loan. I couldn't afford the payment switch to that consolidated loan with my salary at the time.

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