Consumer complaint received 2024-04-28 00:00:00
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Received bad information about your loan
Company: MOHELA
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
The following remains an issue which I have asked Mohela to assist with and they just send me around inc ricles - sending me to StudentAid saying to ask them for a Public Service Loan Forgiveness Reconsideration ( but StudentAid says the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Reconsideration is NOT for situations such as these. In addition, if I message Mohela, but then call since hearing back from them takes so long, they close out my written message and sent me a notification indicating that I have their records show that I have called and say they " assume it is resolved, '' but it is not resolved. 

Issue at Hand : The Public Service Loan Forgiveness ( PSLF ) program allows eligible borrowers to have the remainder of their federal student loan balance forgiven after making 120 qualifying monthly payments while working full-time for a qualifying employer. 
If a borrower has already made qualifying payments on a Direct Loan and then consolidates that loan with other federal loans, the payments made prior to consolidation still count toward the 120-payment requirement ( i.e., the " higher count '' rule ). 
However, I did not have the chance to consolidate my new loans ( from XXXX ) with my old loans before my older loans were forgiven ( XX/XX/XXXX ). 
I was very cautious and waiting for clear guidance ( something in writing on the StudentAid.gov site prior to consolidating ) because like many, I've been misled and lied to before. 
In fact, when the information surrounding the Limited PSLF Waiver Period came out, I did call FedLoan/MOHELA and was instead discouraged from consolidating during the Limited PSLF Waiver Period. They told me that if I consolidated, my payment counts would go back to XXXX  and that I'd be starting my 120 payment counts from then forward. 
Ive been told, by MOHELA representatives that shortly after my XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX loans were discharged, a one-time account adjustment and consolidating started in XXXX of XXXX. However, FedLoan/MOHELA representatives themselves had previously indicated that I should NOT consolidate this is terrible misinformation, lack of clear guidance, an overall, a failure to those of us who were relying on FedLoan and MOHELA to provide us with the information and guidance needed. 

As I had loans forgiven under the Limited PSLF waiver in XX/XX/XXXX, the payment counts from the loans disbursed in XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX should have counted towards the payments counts of the loan disbursed in XXXX. Nevertheless, I have now complied and submitted an application to consolidate my XXXX loans ( XXXX subsidized, XXXX unsubsidized ). Earlier this month, speaking to a Mohela representative, I was told that this WAS in fact what I needed to do, in order to get that " higher count '' rule applied to my XXXX loan. However, upon calling a different time, I was told that consolidating my XXXX subsidized and unsubsidized loan could not happen because they can't be consolidated? She said " There is nothing to consolidate. '' Please help. 

Also - I have worked for the same non-profit since XXXX - present. ALL my payment counts ARE eligible

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation