Consumer complaint received 2021-01-27
Company: AES/PHEAA
State: NC
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Received bad information about your loan

Complaint:
In XX/XX/XXXX, I contact my servicer XXXX to find out how many qualifying payments I had made towards Public Service Loan Forgiveness. XXXX told me that my loan would have to be transferred to FedLoan Servicing because that is the only servicer which handles PSLF. They instructed me to complete an employment certification form and return it to them, which I did. They tried to send my loans to FedLoan Servicing. In XX/XX/XXXX, my loans were sent back to XXXX in XXXX. I called FedLoan Servicing in XXXX, and they said XXXX never sent the loans to them. I asked them to re-request my loans. It was not until XXXX that FedLoan Servicing accepted my loans. As of today, XX/XX/XXXX, I still do not have an accurate count on the number of qualifying payments I have made since reconsolidating and beginning repayment in XX/XX/XXXX. 

According to my calculations, I was finished with my 120 payments in XX/XX/XXXX. I applied for PSLF on XX/XX/XXXX. My application was denied on XX/XX/XXXX due to not making enough payments. I am only being credited with 8 payments even though my income based payments are automatically drafted two weeks before the payment due date, and have been since the very first payment. 

I provided FedLoan Servicing with proof of when my payments were to begin as well as my complete transaction history from XXXX that shows the payments that are not showing up in their system. 

FedLoan Servicing only took two weeks to deny my application. It has been nearly a month since I provided them with my supporting documentation, and they have not adjusted anything on my account. 

Below are the notes from some of my phone calls and attempts to get a payment count and loan forgiveness. 

XX/XX/XXXX - FedLoan Servicing XXXX - My loans had not been transferred to them yet. Asked him to re-request my loans since XXXX tried to transfer them in XXXX and they were sent back to XXXX in XXXX. 

XX/XX/XXXX - FedLoan Servicing XXXX - Asked how long the payment review would take, and he said there was no set time. Said they loans arrived there yesterday. I told him there was only one payment showing instead of 120. I asked if he could see the notes in his files from when I spoke to operators XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX. He said it would be closer to a month. 

XX/XX/XXXX - Spoke to a FedLoan Servicing operator who said that I needed to go ahead and apply for forgiveness if I felt that I had made the correct number of payments. My application would be moved to a pile to be processed more quickly. PSLF application submitted. 

XX/XX/XXXX - Received a letter from FedLoan Servicing saying my application was denied because I did not make the correct number of qualifying payments. 

XX/XX/XXXX - FedLoan Servicing XXXX & XXXX - Flagging for review. Operator said he submitted another review and it is showing pending status. 

XX/XX/XXXX - FedLoan Servicing XXXX - Said that I needed to contact XXXX because XXXX didnt send my payments. I asked to speak to a supervisor. FedLoan Servicing XXXX - Said he added me to the expedited list to have my payment history review. Said it could take a couple of weeks or several months. Said that my payment history did not parse correctly and that someone would probably have to manually review it. He said that they have everything they need and for me to call back in a week if I do not see any progress and then to call back when my account hits 120 pays. 

XX/XX/XXXX - FedLoan Servicing XXXX and XXXX - Payments are still being reviewed XX/XX/XXXX - FedLoan Servicing Spoke to an operator who said that my payments were supposed to begin on XX/XX/XXXX and because of that, all of my payments were outside of the payment window. I told her that I still had a copy of the administrative forbearance letter I received in XX/XX/XXXX that clearly states that my first payment would be on XX/XX/XXXX. She verified my first payment was received on XX/XX/XXXX, two weeks earlier than the actual due date. My account has been on direct draft ever since. I uploaded the copy of the administrative forbearance letter. 

XX/XX/XXXX - I uploaded my XXXX payment history that shows all of the missing payments. 

XX/XX/XXXX - FedLoan Servicing XXXX - I requested that my administrative forbearance document and XXXX payment history be emailed to a supervisor who works with reviewing payment. Operator said that she emailed a PSLF supervisor to request that my documents be reviewed. She said that usually people get a response within 7 days. 

XX/XX/XXXX - Called the Ombudsman. Talked to XXXX. Case number XXXXXXXX. Gave me the escalation phone number XXXX at MyFedLoan Servicing. 

XX/XX/XXXX - XXXX with Ombudsman transferred me to the MyFedLoan escalation number. 

FedLoan Servicing XXXX - Will send in request to have my payment review expedited. A case worker will contact me. A caseworker will reach out to me via email in 24-48 hours. 

XX/XX/XXXX - Received an email from FedLoan Servicing - XXXX with Escalation. Said that my payments were under review. He said the XXXX payment that I was questioning was covered under the Cares Act. I responded and clarified that the payment that I am questioning was the XX/XX/XXXX, not XX/XX/XXXX, payment that was covered under an administrative forbearance and told him that I uploaded verification of that on XX/XX/XXXX. I also told him I uploaded my complete XXXX financial activity statement that covers all of the months that are not being reflected on my FedLoan Servicing account dashboard. 

XX/XX/XXXX - FedLoan Servicing XXXX - Said that my account was still under review. Offered no time frame for completion. He said that it could take up to a year. Said that I would be notified when the review was completed. He said that it was an all or nothing situation. 

XXXX @ Ombudsman said that she would escalate my case so that I could have a specific agent assigned to me that is familiar with PSLF. Will be assigned a caseworker who is an ombudsman at FedLoan Servicing. Will contact me within 15 days to let me know what they need. Goal for resolution is 60 days.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief