# Presentation: 888600

## Update:  Office of the Ombudsman

**Update:  Office of the Ombudsman**
**Debra Wiley, Ombudsman**

**We Help Put America Through School**

## What is an Ombudsman?
What is the Office of the Ombudsman?
What is the Ombudsman case management process?
What have we learned?
What is in the future?
What do you think?

**What is the Office of the Ombudsman?**
**What is the Ombudsman case management process?**
**What have we learned?**
**What is in the future?**
**What do you think?**

-           **Agenda**

**We Help Put America Through School**

**What is an Ombudsman?**

**We Help Put America Through School**

## Depends on who you ask
Told by Congress
Asked students, partners, and SFA staff what they expected
Asked ombudsman offices in public and private sectors

**Told by Congress**
**Asked students, partners, and SFA staff what they expected**
**Asked ombudsman offices in public and private sectors**

-  **An Ombudsman?**

**We Help Put America Through School**

**What is the Office of the Ombudsman?**

**We Help Put America Through School**

## Established by 1998 Amendments
Is an impartial, confidential resource after other avenues exhausted to resolve borrower concerns
Reports directly to Greg Woods, Chief Operating Officer, SFA

**Is an impartial, confidential resource after other avenues exhausted to resolve borrower concerns**
**Reports directly to Greg Woods, Chief Operating Officer, SFA**

-  **Office of the Ombudsman**

**We Help Put America Through School**

## Seeks to work cooperatively with partners to reach informal resolution of complaints
Does not force solutions, reverse decisions, or mandate actions
Analyzes complaints and makes recommendations for improvements
Reports annually to Chief Operating Officer on activities and effectiveness

**Does not force solutions, reverse decisions, or mandate actions**
**Analyzes complaints and makes recommendations for improvements**
**Reports annually to Chief Operating Officer on activities and effectiveness**

**Office of the Ombudsman**

**We Help Put America Through School**

**What is the ombudsman case management process?**

**We Help Put America Through School**

## Ombudsman Case Management

**Ombudsman Case Management**

**What have we learned?**

**We Help Put America Through School**

## 
Resolve discrepancies in loan balances and payments 
Understand interest and collection charges
Understand financial aid requirements
Find loan holders
Rehabilitate loans by establishing satisfactory repayment plans
Reestablish eligibility for Federal aid
Find promissory notes
Defer or discharge loans
Resolve issues related to income tax refund offsets, default status, consolidations, bankruptcies, service quality and any other customer concern

**Resolve discrepancies in loan balances and payments **
**Understand interest and collection charges**
**Understand financial aid requirements**
**Find loan holders**
**Rehabilitate loans by establishing satisfactory repayment plans**
**Reestablish eligibility for Federal aid**
**Find promissory notes**
**Defer or discharge loans**
**Resolve issues related to income tax refund offsets, default status, consolidations, bankruptcies, service quality and any other customer concern**

**Customers Ask the Ombudsman to Help Them...**

**We Help Put America Through School**

## 
Information from the Ombudsman Case Tracking System
For period of September 30, 1999, through February 2000
Over 1700 cases 

**Information from the Ombudsman Case Tracking System**
**For period of September 30, 1999, through February 2000**
**Over 1700 cases **

**Case Characteristics**

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## Case Type Distribution

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## We Help Put America Through School

**We Help Put America Through School**

## Problem Assistance

**Activities include phone calls, letters, faxes, and e-mails with customers and relevant third parties. **

**Problem Assistance**

**General Assistance**

## We Help Put America Through School

## We Help Put America Through School

## Two major information concerns: 
Accuracy (especially problem assistance cases)
Need for information
Defaults - only one-third of problem and general assistance cases  
Service quality
Tax refund offset issues - sharp increase in March 2000

**Accuracy (especially problem assistance cases)**
**Need for information**
**Defaults - only one-third of problem and general assistance cases  **
**Service quality**
**Tax refund offset issues - sharp increase in March 2000**

**Customer-Reported Issues**

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## 
Match of the same 1700+ cases with the data in NSLDS
Match conducted early in March 2000

**Match of the same 1700+ cases with the data in NSLDS**
**Match conducted early in March 2000**

**Case Characteristics**

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## Confirms customer-report data that only one-third of customers are concerned with defaults

**Confirms customer-report data that only one-third of customers are concerned with defaults**

## We Help Put America Through School

## We Help Put America Through School

## Average age 37
Majority 25-50 years of age
Average time in repayment 6 years

**Majority 25-50 years of age**
**Average time in repayment 6 years**

**Customer Characteristics**

**We Help Put America Through School**

**What is in the future?**

**We Help Put America Through School**

## Increase in inquiries
Learning to anticipate issues
Installation of new case tracking system
First annual report in October/November 2000

**Learning to anticipate issues**
**Installation of new case tracking system**
**First annual report in October/November 2000**

**Our Expectations**

**We Help Put America Through School**

**What do you think?**

**We Help Put America Through School**

## Tell Us

**Information that you want to see in our annual report**

**Your experiences with us**

**Additional opportunities to work together**

**Anything else that you think we need to hear**

## Thank you!

**Debra Wiley**
**debra_wiley@ed.gov**
**1-202-401-4498**

**Thank you!**

**We Help Put America Through School**

**Appendix:  Requirements for Notifying Borrowers**

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## Apply to schools, lenders, and guaranty agencies under three Title IV student loan programs (Perkins, DL, FFEL)
Required to provide borrowers with information on the availability of the Office of the Ombudsman
Are effective July 1, 2000, for any applicable activity occurring on or after July 1, 2000
See “Dear Partner” letter, GEN-00-4(MAR)

**Required to provide borrowers with information on the availability of the Office of the Ombudsman**
**Are effective July 1, 2000, for any applicable activity occurring on or after July 1, 2000**
**See “Dear Partner” letter, GEN-00-4(MAR)**

**Regulatory Requirements**

**We Help Put America Through School**

## Internet:  http://ombudsman.ed.gov
              or   http://sfahelp.ed.gov
Toll Free Telephone: 1-877-557-2575
Mail: Office of the Ombudsman
Student Financial Assistance
U.S. Department of Education
Rm. 3012, ROB #3
7th and D Streets, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5144

**              ****or   ****http://sfahelp.ed.gov**
**Toll Free Telephone: ****1-877-557-2575**
**Mail:** **Office of the Ombudsman**
**Student Financial Assistance**
**U.S. Department of Education**
**Rm. 3012, ROB #3**
**7th and D Streets, SW**
**Washington, DC 20202-5144**

**Information Required to Provide Borrowers**

**We Help Put America Through School**