Consumer complaint received 2022-07-02
Company: AES/PHEAA
State: NY
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 XXXX, I matriculated into a doctoral program, and I subsequently graduated in XXXX. The program provided a solid education, but they used many unethical administrative practices that continue to impact my career, my finances, and my health. I worked very hard to develop a meaningful career, and secured a position with the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX at XXXX XXXX, in New York XXXX. My salary has ranged from {$40000.00} per year to a high of {$60000.00} per year, now. My employer is an eligible employer under the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, and I applied to the program as soon as my loans entered repayment, 10 years ago. Based on this alone, I should be ending my payment period. My loan servicer, FedLoan, never completed the loan applications on their end. When I tried to follow up, I was run through phone calls, electronic portals, and circled through so many hoops that I paid at least three separate third party agencies to help me over the years. I received a refund check in the mail as a settlement when at least XXXX of the agencies was penalized for some type of fraud. Most recently, I used XXXX because my XXXX XXXX department endorsed them. Still, as of now, I am still not enrolled in the program and none of my service counts toward any forgiveness plan. Instead, I have been on continuous forbearances for the past 10 years. I am only now learning that it was illegal for FedLoan to have kept me on forbearance for the past 10 years. Meanwhile, interest is accruing. The biggest problem that I have with having been on forbearance for 10 years and not receiving any service credits is that I now have severe autoimmune disorders and am physically XXXX due to XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, and XXXX  XXXX ( none of these XXXX qualify for your loan forgiveness program despite their severe and obvious impact on my life and finances ). I will inevitably be forced out of the workplace soon due to these disorders. Currently, my direct supervisor is allowing me to work from home and at a reduced schedule so as not to force me onto social security XXXX, but he can not be there forever. If my PSLF forms were managed and I were part of the program as I deserved to be I would be able to retire now, and not be forced to worry about having entirely unpaid loans and their accrued interest. 
Most recently, FedLoan was compelled to revisit my claims and those of others in a legal action People of the State of New York XXXX Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, d/b/a Fedloan Servicing and American XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( ER ) ( S.D.N.Y ). In order to be included in the review, they say that I was supposed to return a claim form to them. They have just notified me that they never received my claim form. To be clear, I never received a claim form from them. My husband received a blank claim form from them, and I photo copied the blank form for my own submission. No form ever came in my name, but I submitted a completed form, anyway. Both my and my husbands forms were sent in together, in separate envelops, and his was received and processed. Mine was not. At the time that I mailed my form, I mailed it because I was unable to upload any documents into my electronic portal. I had called FedLoan to address the form and portal issues at that time, but was unable to reach anyone and my calls were dropped from hold. The electronic portal had been non-functional until I tried it today, XX/XX/XXXX. To date, no one has ever gotten back to me from FedLoan. 
After 12 years of employment, and {$250000.00} in loans, not a single payment made was counted toward forgiveness. When I had difficulty making payments, I was put into forbearances, and have remained in forbearance for almost all of the 10 years. When I asked about solutions or buy-backs, I was put through federal education department portals and told someone would help me. No one ever did. At this point, my hopes in writing to you is that you may be able to push for my review under People of the State of New York v. Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, d/b/a Fedloan Servicing and American Education Services , Case No XXXX XXXX ( ER ) ( S.D.N.Y ) and make sure that my claim is not lost or turned away. Perhaps you can have someone contact FedLoan or point me to an outside oversight agency that will work with me to resolve the issue with my loan forgiveness. My grandmother always said that speaking out is important. I feel as though I need to speak loudly now.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation