Consumer complaint received 2024-02-11
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan — Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan
Company: MOHELA (OR)

As soon as I realized that I was going to have to resume student loan payments I reached out to Mohela and the Federal Student loan companies. 
I explained my situation and they said I was not eligible for any of the programs, including forbearance, deferment or loan forgiveness. Mohela stated I had exhausted all. I explained that even though i had applied before and was granted in years past, we were on a 3 year forbearance due to covid given to us by our government. I also told them I was XXXX, but I needed to continue to work for as long as possible. I can not afford to quit. I have a lot of financial responsibilities. 

Thank you for taking the time to listen to my story. I was born in XXXX, XXXX. I came to the United States of America in XXXX with my wife, XXXX XXXX ( now XXXX ), and my brother-in-law, and mother-in-law. When I arrived, I didnt speak any English but was committed to learn. I worked during the day and took English classes at night at the local college. 

I found my first and only job at XXXX in XXXX where I have been for the last 34 years. Throughout my time in working, I learned the value of a college education firsthand. Unfortunately, in the years XXXX and XXXX, after years of hard work and dedication, I was passed up for a promotion I was well qualified for ( by my work experience ) because my competitor had a college degree. In one instance it was a degree in something completely unrelated to the job, but I saw how my employer favored those who were able to earn a degree from those who could not. From there on out I was determined to keep my children from reaching a similar fate. I could never afford college for myself. I had to work to keep my family afloat as their main breadwinner. My employer never has participated in any programs to help send employees to college either. 

XXXX is expensive. There are no two ways about it, and only those who are afforded the financial means to go are most likely to even apply. We recognized this as a country when we enacted The Higher Education Act of 1965, which widen the doors of equality so that anyone wanting to go to college could. Though we saw its last official update in XXXX today we read about several committees that have since been formed, as a part of this act, to address the many disparities that come along with affording a basic college education. 

Although there is great promise amongst some of the current committees forming to see through acts such as College Cost Reduction Act, and other related topics, we are still seeing many people struggle to pay back loan after loan. Consider how our very own current Presidential Biden-Harris administration student debt relief plan was blocked from forgiving up to a mere {$20000.00} in student debt. I know I am not alone out here on this limb. In theory when we take pen to paper we see a lot of awesome ideas, and great promise, but when it comes to getting these programs approved, we admittedly fall short. 

In XXXX is when I received the first disbursement for the parent PLUS loan. I was grateful for the option, because my XXXX freshly XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX were not able to get enough financial aid on their own to attend college, and my spouse and I could never put enough money away for their higher education. I co-supported myself, my wife, my children, my mother-in-law, and my brother-in-law. I thought that a parent PLUS loan, in combination with their concerted efforts to apply for aid, could serve its purpose in seeing to it that they got the education they would need to make it financially life. They would have the chance I never had, and who knew that they would grow up to be hard-working, law abiding, society contributing citizens. 

As it stands today, I owe a total of XXXX dollars with XXXX of that total coming from interest. This loan has grown erroneously over a span of 21 years. The original balance was XXXX, which is noted on my most recent statement from MOHELA dated XX/XX/XXXX. 

It is no secret that the cost of living has only grown substantially throughout the years, and I myself have been met with many medical-related issues since then, which are noted below. My last payment is dated in XXXX, which is when I was diagnosed with XXXX XXXX XXXX. I had a routine visit with my XXXX XXXX XXXX who had an XXXX performed and then sent me to the XXXX XXXX XXXX 

Before that in XXXX I suddenly went completely XXXX  in my right ear. I was at work and suddenly couldnt hear a thing out of the right side. It was scary to say the least, and turned into doctor visit after doctor visit, and XXXX after XXXX to finally put in a XXXX XXXX, which is the only way I could have continued working. In XXXX I became XXXX XXXX in my left ear, which again spurred doctor visit after doctor visit, and XXXX after XXXX. 

Today in XXXX I only have a chance at hearing if I have my XXXX XXXX activated. Without this device I am XXXX XXXX When I wear this device there are still several times where I have to ask people to repeat themselves, because I still dont hear like a person with normal working ears does. I can only hear XXXX voice at a time, and if there is any other noise interference going on I cant hear anyone, or anything. 

I have to keep the device charged, or it wont work. The charge does not even last an entire day so when it goes out it is like I am completely shut off from the entire world, and have to leave to recharge it. One thing I have to do is make sure it is charged every night so that it will be ready for work so there are many hours I am left without the ability to hear. 

I have had many bouts of crying. I fight XXXX and stress every day, which only exacerbates and complicates the diagnosis of XXXX XXXX XXXX. I have thoroughly considered filing for XXXX with the Social Security Administration, but I have to work.

I have not only always been a strong, hardworking man, but I also can not afford not to work. My doctor says he would like me to continue to work for my overall well-being, but now I am met with being asked by MOHELA to pay {$1800.00} a month with an income-driven repayment plan. I simply can not afford this and would lose my home. The current market for selling a home is not in my favor, because nobody is wanting to buy with such high interest rates. Renting would be likely be even more expensive than what I pay now for my monthly mortgage. Not to mention I love my home. 

I am a financially responsible person. I make payments on time and have good credit. I am a XXXX person ( a protected class ) who is advocating for myself in this situation. My wife and I have had several conversations with our current loan servicer to ask for lower payments, or to have this XXXX debt forgiven, and have been met with roadblock after roadblock. I have been told I am no longer eligible for forbearance and must be totally unable to make a living to qualify for loan forgiveness as a XXXX person. The Social Security Administration defines this as not being able to maintain a job with substantial gainful activity. 

I see many programs like the Public Service Loan forgiveness program, and teacher loan forgiveness program, but nothing for my line of work. I have been at this company for XXXX XXXX, and my dedication seems to account for nothing when being considered for student loan forgiveness. My job matters, too. I work at a fruit processing plant that contributes to many products our economy benefits greatly from, and is therefore its own form of public service to people who both buy and consume our products. 

I have contributed many years to volunteer work in my church as an usher, and group leader, and volunteered with the XXXX ( local youth soccer league ) from XXXX. ( By the way, yes, going deaf is what caused me to have to stop volunteering for the XXXX as you can imagine there are many noises that go on during soccer games, and this was a league where there were several soccer games going on at once, and therefore I could not hear ). 

There are currently no programs that recognize my work and volunteer history for loan forgiveness, so I am humbly asking for that opportunity in this letter, or a reasonable solution to this financial hardship I am experiencing with this XXXX loan. 

Those that came before us once said Divided we fall, united we stand. Please join me in being an advocate for those who are the working XXXX. Join me as an advocate for those parents who are left with college loan debt who have watched others before, and after be forgiven large amounts of student loan debt based on work classification, or from other backgrounds I dont fit in. There is no reason I can not be afforded the same opportunity I have watched my fellow-Americans reach in the forgiveness of their debts. 

I sincerely thank you for your time and look forward to hearing from you.