Consumer complaint received 2016-10-12
Company: AES/PHEAA
State: OH
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with my lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Trouble with how payments are handled

Complaint:
Good afternoon. My name is XXXX XXXX and I am a XXXX XXXX veteran. My wife and I have been married for 7 years and have XXXX children, XXXX and XXXX, ages XXXX and XXXX. XXXX has XXXX and, as result, we XXXX our children to protect her from the many XXXX she is prone to in public environments. My wife used to XXXX but is now a full-time XXXX mommy. As result, I am the sole income earner of our household. Following my XXXX from the United States XXXX, as a XXXX and XXXX, I went to school to earn my XXXX with my G.I. Bill and then continued onward to a XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX XXXX to establish an education more applicable to my chosen career field. I found myself immersed in learning and desired to push further and work towards my XXXX in XXXX. The college advised that I had enough remaining loan to complete this degree, however, about 60 % through the program they advised I had reached my student loan ceiling. As result, I was forced to exit my graduate education and make something of myself. I have now served 2 years in Public Service to the State of Ohio and 5 more years to the US Government. 

I would like to discuss a matter that would have great negative implications for my family and I as result of a simply checking a box without realizing it. As the sole income earner for my family, I have been working toward earning forgiveness of my Federal Student Loans via the Public Safety Loan Forgiveness ( PSLF ) program. In this program, if you make 10 years of continuous qualifying payments towards your Federal Loan balance, while employed in a qualifying public service, your loans are forgiven. I was 6 years into this program before this checked box erased all of these qualifying payments. 

On XXXX XXXX, 2016, my loan servicer, FedLoan Servicing, mailed me a notice that I was due for the annual re-certification of my Income-Based Repayment Plan. They advised, " We must receive your application by XXXX/XXXX/2016. If we do not receive your application within 10 days of this date, payment will increase to {$1800.00}, first due on XXXX/XXXX/2016. Re-certify electronically at StudentLoans.gov. '' On XXXX XXXX, 2016, I logged into StudentLoans.gov to re-certify electronically as directed. However, I noticed that a new repayment plan ( pay as you earn ) was now available that afforded even lower payments and applied for that one instead of the current one. I have done this before, as it satisfies the re-certification process, only changing the payment plan. 
On XXXX XXXX, 2016, I returned from a XXXX vacation and collected my mail from an overstuffed box. The following day, as I sorted through my mail, I opened a notice from Fed Loan Servicing advising that I had successfully consolidated my loans and the past 5-6 years of qualifying Public Service Loan Forgiveness ( PSLF ) payments have been erased as result. 

I did not knowingly request a loan consolidation ; I only completed my annual re-certification under a new repayment plan that offered lower payments. As I did not knowingly make this request, I feel it would be fair and right to reverse this consolidation and/or allow my 5-6 years of previously made PSLF qualifying payments to continue to count towards my Loan Forgiveness. 

I have detailed records of contacts I have made to my servicer, FedLoan Servicing, the Department of Education, and their Ombudsman. They have all advised that there is absolutely no cancelling, changing, or reversing a consolidation after 10 days. Furthermore, they advise that all of my qualifying PSLF payments are now forfeited and that this is also irreversible. The Department of Education initially advised I had 30 days to cancel, which I was within, but then their Ombudsman said this was not true. 

Please help. Thank

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation