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U.S. Department of Education

Higher Education Act

Student Loan Program Negotiating Committee

Meeting Summary

February 13-16, 2012

Review and Adopt Meeting Summary

The draft meeting summary from the January 2012 meeting was reviewed and accepted. 

Review Proposed Meeting Agenda 

The committee members approved the meeting agenda. 

Membership

The following Primary and Alternate negotiators were present:

Students Mr. Getachew Kassa

Legislative Director

United States Student Association

Mr. Abou Amara, Jr.

President

Graduate and Professional Student 

Association 

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Legal assistance 

to students

Deanne Loonin

National Consumer Law Center

Ms. Radhika Singh Miller

Program Manager 

Educational Debt Relief and Outreach, 

Equal Justice Works

Consumer 

advocacy 

organizations

Jennifer Mishory

Deputy Director

Young Invincibles

Maureen Thompson

The Hastings Group, LLC

Financial aid 

administrators

Margaret Rodriguez

Senior Associate Director of 

Financial Aid, University of 

Michigan

Chair, National Direct Student 

Loan Coalition

Elizabeth Hicks

Executive Director Student Financial 

Services Massachusetts Institute of 

Technology

Business 

officers and 

bursars

David Glezerman

Assistant Vice President and 

University Bursar 

Temple University

Maria Livolsi

Director

Student Loan Service Center

State University of New York

Institutional 

third-party 

servicers

Robert Perrin

President

Williams & Fudge, Inc.

State attorneys 

general

Todd Leatherman

Executive Director

Office of Consumer Protection

Michele Casey

Assistant Attorney General

Consumer Fraud Bureau Office of the 
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Office of the Kentucky Attorney 

General

Illinois Attorney General

Two-year public 

institutions

Ms. Cristi Millard

Director of Financial Aid

Salt Lake Community College

Mr. Chris Christensen

Director of Financial Aid

Johnson County Community College, 

Kansas

Four-year public 

institutions

Ms. Kris Wright

Director, Office of Student 

Finance, University of Minnesota

Executive Council Member and 

Secretary, National Direct Student 

Loan Coalition

Elaine Papas-Varas

University Director of Student 

Financial Aid and Director of the 

Primary Care Practitioner Loan 

Redemption Program of New Jersey

University of Medicine and Dentistry 

of New Jersey

Private 

nonprofit 

institutions

Yvonne Gutierrez-Sandoval

Senior Associate Director of 

Financial Aid

Pitzer College

Jeffrey A. Gall, Associate Dean, Office 

of Student Financial Services 

Georgetown University

Private forprofit 

institutions

Tom Sakos

Director of Student Lending and 

Regulatory Quality Assurance

DeVry Inc

Anthony Fragomeni

Director of Governmental Affairs, 

Empire Education Group; 

Chairman, American Association of 

Cosmetology Schools’ Government 

Relations Team

Guaranty 

agencies and 

guaranty agency 

servicers

Betsy Mayotte

Director, Regulatory Compliance 

and Privacy, American Student 

Assistance

Scott Giles

Vice President for Operations, Social 

Marketing and Strategy

Vermont Student Assistance 

Corporation

Lenders, 

secondary 

markets and 

loan servicers

Robert Sandlin

Director of Policy and Compliance

Higher Education Servicing 

Corporation

(Servicer for North Texas Higher 

Education Authority)

Vicki Shipley

Senior Advisor

National Council of Higher Education 

Loan Programs

Accrediting 

agencies

Albert Gray

Executive Director and CEO

Accrediting Council for 

Independent Colleges and Schools

Sharon Tanner

CEO

National League for Nursing 

Accrediting Commission
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US Department 

of Education

Pamela Moran and Gail McLarnon

Workshop-Style Review of Issues 

Committee members participated in discussions on each item of the Agenda of Issues listed below:

1. Changes to Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) Plan 

--Process for Receipt of Forgiveness

--Borrower Access to current ICR (ICR-B) After July 1, 2013

--Annual ICR Income Verification

--Borrower Repayment After Leaving new ICR (ICR-A)

2. Changes to Income-Based (IBR) Repayment Plan 

--New Borrower Notification for Annual IBR Evaluation 

--Annual IBR Income Verification 

--Borrower Repayment After Leaving IBR 

--Process for Receipt of Forgiveness 

3. FFEL Repayment Disclosures: Borrowers Who Are Having Difficulty Making Payments and 

Borrowers Who Are 60-Days Delinquent 

4. Forbearance Provisions for Borrowers Receiving Department of Defense Student Loan Repayment 

Benefits 

5. Borrowers Who Are Delinquent when Authorized Forbearance is Granted 

6. Forbearance for Post 270-Day Defaulted Loan Borrowers Prior to Lender Claim Payment or Transfer 

to ED Default Collections 

--Written and Oral Affirmation

7. Minimum Loan Period for Transfer Students in Non-Term and Certain Non-Standard Term Programs 

8. “Reasonable and Affordable” Payment Standard for Rehabilitation of Defaulted Direct Loans and 

FFEL Program Loans 

-- Use of Current Payment Standard, Use of IBR Formula Payment, or Combined Approach

9. Rehabilitation of Defaulted Direct Loan and FFEL Program Loans Treatment of Borrowers Subject to 

Administrative Wage Garnishment 

-- Number of Concurrent Voluntary and Involuntary Payments

-- Amount of Concurrent Payments

10. Participation Rate Index Appeal for Single Cohort Default Rate Loss of Eligibility to Participate in 

the Direct Loan Program 

11. Repeal of Unnecessary FFEL Program Regulations 

12. Modification of Direct Loan Program Regulations 
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13. Total and Permanent Disability Discharge – Single Application Process 

14. Total and Permanent Disability Discharge – Borrower Notification of Denial 

15. Total and Permanent Disability Discharge – Post-Discharge Monitoring of Employment Earnings 

16. Title IV Closed School Loan Discharge 

17. Satisfactory Repayment Arrangements on Defaulted Title IV Loans for Borrowers who also 

Rehabilitate the Loan 

18. School Enrollment Status Reporting Requirements 

19. Federal Perkins Loan Graduate Fellowship Deferment Eligibility 

20. Social Security Number Requirement for Assignment of Federal Perkins Loans to Department of 

Education 

21. Federal Perkins Loan Cancellation Rate Progression Across Cancellation Categories 

22. Federal Perkins Loan Economic Hardship deferment Debt-to-Income Ratio Provision 

23. Federal Perkins Loan Break in Cancellation Service Due to Condition Covered Under the Family and 

Medical Leave Act (20 U.S.C. 2601 et.seq.) 

24. Standard for On-Time Rehabilitation Payments in the Federal Perkins Loan Program 

25. FFEL Program Administrative Wage Garnishment (AWG) Hearings for Defaulted Borrrowers 

At the conclusion of the discussions, the Committee Members reached tentative agreement on Issues # 3, 

4, 5, 7, 10, 19, 20, 21, 22, and 24. 

Public Comment

Several opportunities were provided for the public to provide comment. No comments from the public 

were received.

Having concluded its agenda for the second session, the Committee adjourned the session at the close of 

the day, February 16, 2012.

Logistics

The third session of the Student Loan Program Negotiating Committee is scheduled for Monday through 

Friday, March 26-30, 2012, with the following schedule:

Monday: 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Tuesday to Thursday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Friday: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

The session will be held at the U.S. Department of Education in the 8

th Floor Conference Center located 

at 1990 K St. NW in Washington, D.C.

Next Steps
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Prior to the next meeting, the Department will provide to the committee the draft Agenda for the third 

meeting and revised draft regulatory text for the agenda of issues that reflects the workshop discussions 

of the second session. The facilitators will distribute the Draft Meeting Summary of the second meeting.