Consumer complaint received 2023-05-03
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Received bad information about your loan
Company: MOHELA (IL)

I am participating in Public Service the Loan Forgiveness ( PSLF ) student loan program and have been trying to get Mohela to update my payment count towards forgiveness for well over a year. I have submitted employment certifications for over 11 years of employment as a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, yet my eligible payment count remains at 12 months on the Mohela website. 

My periods of eligible employment with XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX as listed below have been fully and properly executed by the appropriate human resources contacts at each agency and should be counted toward my count of eligible payments without further delay. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  : Employed XXXX XXXX XXXX  ; XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX : Employed XXXX XXXX XXXX ; XXXX XXXX XXXX  : Employed XXXX XXXX XXXX 

I have submitted these certifications multiple times and have spoken to Mohela agents by phone on multiple occasion, most recently on XX/XX/XXXX. The Mohela agents explained that the employment certifications are in order and my payment count should be updated in 2 to 3 weeks, yet my payment count is never updated. 

It has been a month since my last call to Mohela on XXXX XXXX XXXX  and my payment count still remains at 12 months of payments. I have tried messaging Mohela using their website messaging service and they respond with a form letter telling me the only way to get assistance with PSLF issues is to call them. They refuse to document any responses to my inquiries. 

It seems Mohela has trained their PSLF Specialists to just say everything is fine with the forms you send in, but never actually make any account adjustments. They refuse to put anything in writing. When you submit a written response and request a written reply, they send you back a form letter that says you can only call them for information about your account. 

Below is my most recent attempt to contact them and their form letter response : XXXX XXXX XXXX  Body : Your Question : Good Morning, I have spoken with a Public Service Loan Forgiveness Specialist and they told me my employment certifications are valid and payment count would be updated. It never gets updated. I am approaching 13 years of service as an XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX and my payment count reflects only 1 year of service. 

Your PSLF specialists have told me there is nothing wrong with the documentation I initially submitted over 2 years ago and have resubmitted periodically since then. In addition, the employment certification form asks for contact data for the certifying official, presumably to permit Mohela to confirm the validity of the employment certification. As an applicant, all I can do is submit the same valid form over and over again. 

Your response tells me that Mohela is unwilling to correspond with PSLF applicants in a meaningful and documentable manner. You send out form letters that suggest there is some vague issue with submitted documentation. The applicant calls in to ask what the issue is. Mohela agents say there is no issue with the documentation and the count will be updated in 2 or 3 weeks. The count never gets updated and the only response from Mohela is to call back again. 

I am formally requesting a written response that reflects what your PSLF specialists have told me by phone. That there are no issues with my employment certifications for my employment with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Please include the date by which I can expect my payment count to be updated. 
Thank you, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX MOHELA 's Response : Thank you for contacting MOHELA, We apologize for any confusion and or any frustration this may have cost. questions and concerns accurately. Due to the nature of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness ( PSLF ) inquiry, we need you to speak with a Public Service Loan Forgiveness ( PSLF ) Specialist. Please call toll free at XXXX. Our hours are Monday XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX., Tuesday and Wednesday XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX., Thursday and Friday XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX CT. 

Thank you, MOHELA