Consumer complaint received 2023-03-29
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Problem with customer service
Company: MOHELA (VA)

I have submitted previously approved by XXXX XXXX PSLF forms for my time at Department of Commerce. The form was already part of my counts from XXXX. Mohela is requiring that I recertify all of them again FOR ALL employers, which is not in line with DOE policy. I complied and submitted the forms. They have denied my Commerce Form. I didnt realize that despite clicking the box that says this is a government agency, the manager completed the form in entirety. I have since reached out multiple times to get someone to rectify it and Im waiting for a review from their complaints board since nobody responded. The form does say this is a government agency. They state its for profit since she filled the whole form out. I had provided XXXX XXXX the documentation to show that I worked there, including XXXX and XXXX and they approved it prior to sending my file to MOHEALA. The form actually says this is a government agency, the form says Department of Commerce, I have provided XXXX and XXXX to Mohela as well, and the manager said she was going to fix the form so the rest of it isnt considered since she filled the whole form out. The denial is a blatant disregard for what management told me they would resolve. 

I called back to Mohela and asked them to review. A manager took 1.5 hours to get on the phone and during both the 1st call to management and the follow up call the manager accepted my XXXX and my XXXX to prove that I worked there during that time, and has submitted it to be approved. Both calls the manager stated that this should have been approved. Both times the review process has denied it again despite allowance of alternative documentation. 

On the StudentAid.GOV site it says : What kind of documentation do I need to keep to show that I worked for a qualifying Public Service Loan Forgiveness ( PSLF ) employer while making the required 120 payments on my XXXXXXXX XXXX ( s )? | XXXX XXXX XXXX In some cases, the PSLF servicer may require additional documentation about your qualifying employment. Therefore, you should keep records that identify your employer, show your dates of employment with that employer, confirm that you were a full-time employee, and demonstrate that your employer meets the definition of a qualifying employer. For example, documents that would support your employment are IRS XXXX forms and pay stubs. You should retain as many documents supporting your qualifying employment as possible. In addition, you can reach out to your employer to request any additional supporting documents. Mohela accepted and approved my XXXX and my XXXX but then denied the form? 

I have spent countless hours during the work day to reach these managers who continue to provide false information and do not see through any follow up on these forms. The first manager told me it would be completed in 3-5 days, after 4 months i called back since it was not completed and thats how I got manager 2.

They also have said that they have already counted my periods of forbearance on my account and gave me XXXX, which is inaccurate. XXXX had already provided an estimate of counts to myself and to Mohela and they do not want to honor that. I have provided it multiple times and Mohela refuses to acknowledge. 

This is not what I thought was going to be the process after properly doing this for years. I have certified my employment annually as required and now Im being expected to follow some new process to recertify work I have already spent YEARS doing.