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How to Qualify For Student Loan Forgiveness If You Have A Disability

Since 1965, severely disabled individuals have been able to get their student loans forgiven. Service-related disabilities that Veterans develop allows them to have their student loans discharged. This proof must come from a doctor, The Social Security Administration (SSA) or Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and then the student loan debt is cleared if their mental or physical impairments prevent them from working. Some examples would be bipolar disorder, major depression, chronic fibromyalgia, degenerative disc disease (sever back pain) or stage IV cancer, or severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). You can find a full list of adult impairments that qualify you for disability discharge through the SSA.

 

How to apply for student loan forgiveness with a disability

The government is continuously trying to make improvements to this process, which includes eliminating administrative obstacles so that student loan borrowers can access student loan forgiveness more easily. (Biden dropped student loan cancellation from his annual budget). The newest student loan payment pause allowed Covid-19 forbearance to be extended with repayment starting May 2, 2022. With this being moved, the student loan recertification deadline has been extended to August 31, 2022.

These changes helped the result in the release of $7.8 billion remaining student loan debt to 400,000 borrowers with total and permanent disabilities.

How to Apply

In order to qualify for student loan forgiveness due to total and permanent disability discharge, you must first prove your eligibility one of three ways:

  1. Veterans: If you have a service-connected disability that has 100% disabled you and left you unemployable, or you have become totally disabled based on an individual unemployability rating, then you will receive a letter of Veteran Affairs Determination.
  2. Social Security Disability: If you receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits or received a notice of award letter from the SSA, it must state that your next scheduled disability review will be within five to seven years from the date of your most recent SSA disability determination.
  3. Physician’s Certification: If your doctor can certify you are no longer able to work due to medical conditions that is expected to last not less that 60 months due to mental or physical impairment.

Once you can obtain one of these three forms of disability “proof,” you must then submit the Total and Permanent Disability Discharge Application and any other supporting documentation of your total and permanent disability.

What’s Next?

If your application and your disability is approved through the SSA or VA, then your loan will follow policy changes via government. However, the Education Department will be checking your earnings during a three-year post-discharge review period if your application was approved by a physician. This means you will need to submit paperwork to verify your income for the past tax year. Once the three years are up, your loans will officially be discharged and therefore, no longer require to be reported.

Contact Lowery Law Group at info@lowerylegal.com or call (843) 991-0733. There is no fee for a free consultation regarding your claim. Lowery Law Group is experienced in handling cases in South Carolina as well as Georgia.