Consumer complaint received 2026-01-27 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: OH

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting this formal complaint regarding ongoing misinformation, inconsistent guidance, and improper exclusion of qualifying months related to my XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) eligibility. 

Communication with representatives has been unclear and, at times, misleading. I have repeatedly been told that I am ineligible to submit a PSLF Buyback request until I reach XXXX qualifying payments. However, this guidance fails to account for 16 months during which I was placed into a government-mandated forbearance and made {$0.00} payments because no payment was due. 

Those 16 months are currently being excluded from XXXX consideration with the stated reason : forbearance on due date. This explanation is insufficient and misleading. These were not borrower-requested forbearance periods. I did not elect, request, or benefit from being placed into forbearance. I was forced into forbearance by government action, and I maintained continuous qualifying public service employment throughout all of the months in question. 

If these 16 months were properly evaluatedeither credited or made eligible through the PSLF Buyback processI would be within XXXX payments of reaching the required XXXX qualifying payments for loan forgiveness. 

This creates a circular and contradictory situation : I am told I can not apply for Buyback until I reach XXXX qualifying payments. 

I can not reach XXXX qualifying payments because months that should be evaluated for Buyback eligibility are being categorically excluded. 

Representatives rely solely on a generic status label ( forbearance ) without evaluating whether the forbearance was mandatory or administrative, which is a critical distinction under PSLF guidance. 

Denying eligibility based solely on the phrase forbearance on due date ignores the nature of the forbearance and conflicts with published PSLF Buyback guidance, which allows certain non-qualifying months to be made eligible when a borrower had qualifying employment, maintains an outstanding balance, and XXXX would move the borrower closer to XXXX qualifying payments. 

I am requesting the following : A formal review of the 16 months currently excluded, with specific consideration given to whether they were mandatory or administrative forbearance, not borrower-requested. 

Written clarification regarding the eligibility of these months for PSLF Buyback consideration. 

Correction of the guidance being provided by representatives so that it aligns with XXXX regulations and published federal policy. 

A written response documenting the outcome of this review. 

I have made multiple good-faith efforts to resolve this issue directly and have received inconsistent and incorrect information. This matter has caused unnecessary delay, confusion, and emotional distress. I am requesting prompt, policy-based review so this issue can be resolved accurately and fairly. 

Thank you for your attention to this matter. 

XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Untimely response