Consumer complaint received 2019-11-25
Company: AES/PHEAA
State: OR
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Problem with customer service

Complaint:
Although I've sent this same information 2 weeks ago in the form of feedback to FedLoan 's response ( to my second CFPB complaint ), I've no reason to believe that I'll receive any type of a response from FedLoan as the only time I've EVER had any real information provided from Fedloan or any of their errors corrected ( in regards to the PSLF program ) it was only after filing complaints with the CFPB. 

-- XX/XX/XXXX2019 I finally received a resolution to my complaint filed with CFPB that ( for the second time ) FedLoan was not providing an accurate count of my qualified payments towards the PSLF program. Im very happy that Ive finally received a resolution from FedLoan however, as can be seen in the second complaint Id filed with CFPB # XXXX-XXXX, I had actually begun contacting FedLoan starting in early XXXX and theyve only just now corrected their error seven months later in XX/XX/XXXX. As of next week I'll have been paying FedLoan 5 months past the completion of my 120th PSLF payment. 

Instead of being able to celebrate the completion of my 120th payment towards PSLF and my approval which should have occurred in XXXX 2019, Ive been dealing with ongoing XXXX XXXX   around the fact that by the time FedLoan finally corrected their error seven months later ( and only after I had filed a second complaint with the CFPB ) I am now unable to have my PSLF application actually approved because unfortunately as of very recently I am now ( unexpectedly ) without employment. Its the first time in close to two decades that Ive been without full-time employment at a non-profit. 

I should not be feeling dread and panic at this time as I shouldve qualified in XX/XX/XXXX2019 for my PSLF application to be approved having completed my 120th qualified payment towards PSLF and working full-time in a non-profit, as required for my PSLF application to be approved but FedLoan refused to acknowledge that I had actually completed my 120th PSLF payment in XXXX 2019 despite the many calls/emails and documented evidence that I provided them. When I attempted to apply back in XX/XX/XXXX2019 after my final payment FedLoan wouldnt even allow me to try and put in an application for PSLF insisting that I didnt have enough payments made yet as of XXXX 2019. Without any explanation or reason for the change, FedLoan had given me a new estimated completion date of my 120 payments for many months later after the original XX/XX/XXXX2019 date, it was now in XXXX 2019. The XX/XX/XXXX2019 date I had was based on the detailed PSLF qualified payment tracker that had been provided by PHEAA directly in response to my first CFPB complaint. Shortly before filing my second complaint with CFPB, FedLoan had again moved my estimated date of 120th payments even further without explanation and it was now XXXX/XXXX. 

Ive been in compliance with all of the PSLF program requirements and Ive followed all of the recommendations for successful approval of my PSLF application including utilization of the PSLF payment tracker that PHEAA had provided to me ( in response to my first CFPB complaint in 2017 ) and I provided this document to FedLoan back in XX/XX/XXXX2019 but I was still denied the opportunity to apply for PSLF by FedLoan back in XX/XX/XXXX when I would have qualified. 
Intentional or unintentional, FedLoan has created an unjustified barrier to obtaining my PSLF application approval. FedLoan not only refused to address their error in qualified payment tracking when I notified them in XX/XX/XXXX2019 but they also refused to respond to my lawyer who had begun contacting them back in XXXX 2019. Despite the fact that I had already completed my 120th student loan payment towards PSLF in XX/XX/XXXX2019 I continued making payments to FedLoan after XX/XX/XXXX while I waited for FedLoan to either speak with my laywer and/or correct their error. FedLoan continued their refusal to speak to my lawyer and still would not correct their error or even provide information on why the payments were disqualified or even which payments had been disqualified. In XXXX now months past when FedLoan should have allowed me to apply for PSLF, it became clear to me that nothing was going to change with my FedLoan, so I gave up waiting for FedLoan to do the right thing and I filed my second complaint with CFPB. 

Ive never received a reason for why with just months to go before completion of more than 10 years of my payments made towards PSLF, FedLoan just suddenly decided to disqualify a handful of my payments which had already been reported and documented as qualified and I still have no idea which payments they had decided were suddenly disqualified even after having requested this information ( repeatedly ) from FedLoan customer service starting in XXXX 2019. 

Its really disconcerting that FedLoan has repeatedly been either unwilling or unable ( both equally concerning ) to provide any accurate information on the status of my PSLF qualified payments even with months and months of multiple requests for information and even speaking with supervisors who at times were even more unhelpful and disrespectful in their communication as well making multiple untrue statements. Being required to file complaints with the CFPB just to obtain any helpful information or resolution from FedLoan is really unacceptable. I cant even imagine how many people are being negatively impacted by similar problems with PSLF with many who will likely never get a resolution as they may not be as tenacious, detail-oriented or even have the time/money/energy to advocate and fight for their rights. 

At this time I should be sitting here relieved and grateful having already been successful in obtaining my hard earned PSLF ( application ) approval as I had met all the PSLF requirements back in XXXX 2019. Instead of experiencing happiness and relief, FedLoan has forced me to continue this multiple years, arduous, demoralizing and panic inducing process due to FedLoans arbitrary and unexplainable error and then their refusal to fix it for 7 months ( until a complaint was filed with CFPB ). 

I have no evidence or reason for me to believe that Im safe from FedLoan making another unwarranted and unexplainable error on their end putting my PSLF at risk yet again and I am requesting to have my PSLF application retroactively approved at the time it should have been in XX/XX/XXXX2019 as I had met all of the PSLF requirements at that time and was denied in error by FedLoan.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation