Loan Forgiveness
Forney ISD works with employees to review documents that may be requested to allow for loan forgiveness, validate criteria for various programs and complete requested verification when validation of eligibility has been completed. There are various programs which potentially allow for loan forgivenss for qualified employees. Links to the most common programs are shown below.
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness
- TEACH Grant (Applied for while attending college.)
- Teacher Loan Forgiveness (Requires 5 years as a highly qualified teacher at a designated "low income" school and other criteria. Specifics apply.)
These programs can be accessed directly by qualifing employees through their own research.
The district is also making available a service through its third-party benefit administrator, Gentry Financial and GotZoom, a company that works with benefit providers to research student loan situations and evaluate individual characteristics in an effort to identify the best loan forgiveness programs on an individualized basis. The intial assessment provided by GotZoom is available at no charge. There is no financial commitment required to take advantage of the assessment. However, once an assessment report is received, there is a processing fee due of $407 in addition to monthly maintenance fees of approximately $33/month. Participation in this program is completely optional/voluntary. Employees should be able to evaluate the asseessment provided by GotZoom to determine whether it would be worthwhile to participate in the loan forgiveness program recommend. The potential advantage for employees is GotZoom's specialized knowledge in this area and the potential to identify forgiveness programs that could be missed by independent research done by employees with student loans.
Visit this website for more information and links:
https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/pslf-limited-waiver
STEP 1: Are you student loans consolidated with Direct Loans (if not consolidate) you can do
this on the Federal Student Aid website choose Fed Loan Servicing provider
STEP 2: Complete the PSLF Form and have it signed by S.Epperson for FISD and submit
STEP 3: Have you made 120 payments , Check Federal Student Aid to check your status
STEP 4: If you have worked in other districts you will need to complete a separate PSLF Form
for each district you have worked for previously and have that district sign off on the
form.
On Oct. 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced a change to Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program rules for a limited time as a result of the COVID-19 national emergency. Throughout the pandemic, ED has provided a variety of benefits to borrowers.
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For a limited time, you may receive credit for past periods of repayment on loans that would otherwise not qualify for PSLF.
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If you have FFEL, Perkins, or other federal student loans, you'll need to consolidate your loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan to qualify for PSLF both in general and under the waiver. Before consolidating, make sure to check to see if you work for a qualifying employer.
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Past periods of repayment will now count regardless of whether you made a payment, made that payment on time, for the full amount due, on a qualifying repayment plan.
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Periods of deferment or forbearance, and periods of default, continue to not qualify.
Qualifying Payments
Under the new, temporary rules, any prior period of repayment will count as a qualifying payment, regardless of loan program, repayment plan, or whether the payment was made in full or on time. You continue to need qualifying employment.
This change will apply to student loan borrowers with Direct Loans, those who have already consolidated into the Direct Loan Program, and those who consolidate into the Direct Loan Program by Oct. 31, 2022.
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Requirements to receive additional qualifying payments:
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Must have worked full time for a qualifying employer - school district does qualify.
If you haven’t already, you must file a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) & Temporary Expanded PSLF (TEPSLF) Certification & Application (PSLF form) for any period for which you may receive additional credit toward PSLF.