Contact the lender who is currently holding your loan. If you do not know who the current lender is, you can find out by calling Borrower Tracking, an office of the Federal Student Aid Information Center. Only the loan recipient can get this information. When you contact your lender, explain your situation and ask if there are any applications you can make to have your loan payments excused, deferred or lowered. Provisions vary from lender to lender.
Some lenders permit a loan to be discharged in the case of total, permanent disability.
Usually this status must be verified by a doctor, and the fact that a person receives disability benefits may not be enough to prove total, permanent disability for this purpose. Ask your lender for the proper form to complete if you cannot pay back a student loan because of total, permanent disability. In some cases student loan payments can be lowered and the payment schedule extended. The AmeriCorps program provides full-time educational awards in return for work in community service. A person can work before, during, or after postsecondary education, and the funds may either pay current educational expenses or repay federal student loans.