Consumer complaint received 2026-04-30 00:00:00
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Trouble with how payments are being handled
Company: Nelnet, Inc.
State: DC

Complaint narrative:
I am filing this complaint regarding Nelnets refusal to apply a retroactive unemployment forbearance during a period in which I was unemployed and experiencing a severe, documented medical condition that substantially impaired my ability to respond to servicer communications via email. Nelnet was mailing documents to the wrong address. Nelnets actions resulted in negative credit reporting that I believe could have been avoided with reasonable consideration of my circumstances. Background and Timeline : In XX/XX/XXXX, I submitted an unemployment forbearance request to Nelnet. This was the first period of unemployment in my adult life, and I was actively seeking work. Shortly after submitting the request, I was diagnosed with severe XXXX, which caused XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. My condition worsened throughout XXXX and XXXX and ultimately required XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX. That XXXX was significant and included XXXX my XXXX and XXXX from my XXXX XXXX, removing my XXXX, remXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. The recovery further XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and ability to focus on financial considerations. During this period, I was frequently bedridden and unable to manage daily tasks. The combination of uncontrolled pain, prolonged unemployment, and loss of functioning led to severe XXXX and a daily battle with suicidal thoughts which significantly impaired my ability to respond to Nelnets outreach. Nelnet states that it attempted to contact me via email and phone in XXXX regarding my forbearance status. I acknowledge that I did not respond ; however, my medical condition and mentalhealth impairment during this period made it extremely difficult to engage with these communications. Issue : After recovering from XXXX, I contacted Nelnet and requested a retroactive unemployment forbearance covering XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX, which is consistent with the maximum allowable duration under their policy. Nelnet denied this request solely on the basis that I did not respond to their outreach, without considering the documented medical and psychological circumstances that prevented me from doing so. As a result, Nelnet reported delinquent payments to the credit bureaus for the period in question. These negative marks occurred during a time when I was medically and psychologically unable to work, unable to manage administrative tasks, and had already submitted a forbearance request. Harm : Nelnets refusal to apply a retroactive forbearance has caused : Significant and ongoing credit damage, affecting my ability to secure housing, employment, and financial stability. Financial and administrative hardship, as I attempted to resolve an issue that arose during a period of documented medical incapacity and severe mentalhealth impairment.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation