Consumer complaint received 2019-10-04
Company: AES/PHEAA
State: CA
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:
Earlier this year I learned of the Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness opportunity and have applied as I have made the correct amount of payments and met all other conditions. However, I have been locked in an endless dialogue with FedLoan Servicing about my payment count for months. My payment count has constantly changed and my eligibility for TEPSLF turned down multiple times. I have called regularly and kept very accurate records of the content of my conversations. Attached you will find a detailed timeline of the runaround I have been given by FedLoan Servicing and the Department of Education. 

For some time, I wanted to believe that it was just a misunderstanding, or at worst incompetency, that prevented my application from being approved, but I am now under the distinct impression that my payment count is being purposely manipulated to keep me from qualifying for loan forgiveness under the TEPSLF program. Whatever the case, it is clear that their directive is prevent me from accessing total information about my loans and helping me in any way. I believe that some representatives are trying to do what they can it just seems something over them has put a halt to any progress. I know that FedLoan Servicing is up for a new contract with the current administration and I fear they are being overly zealous in preventing people from being approved for loan forgiveness to help in their bid for that contract since that is clearly what the administration wants. 

Also, there is a constant confusion between PSLF and TEPSLF. Having to apply for PSLF and be turned down and then request to be considered for TEPSLF has caused considerable confusion as to the actual number of my payment count. 

Furthermore, no one at any loan servicing agency ( XXXX XXXX XXXX or XXXX ) ever told me about PSLF or that I was on the wrong payment planand that I could switch to an IDR, let alone told me that making reduced payments and/or a forbearance would impact my payment count.Nothing they told me absolutely nothing and advised me to make an adverse decision about my loans rather than a very positive one.I learned about the PSLF program from a colleague at school in the summer of 2014. That means the program was in existence for 7 years and no one at my loan servicing agencies ever mentioned it. I began dealing with FedLoan Servicing after having my loans transferred there in the fall of 2014 so I could participate in the PSLF program. 

Currently, I am still waiting for the most recent TEPSLF count as I am once again under a lengthy review. I have also asked my Congressional Representative, XXXX XXXX, and the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX to intercede in my case. Representative XXXX has opened an inquiry into the case and the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX is waiting on FedLoan to receive some mystery documents from XXXX before they do anything. I do not expect much from them as they are an arm of the agency causing the issues.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation