Last week the U.S. Department of Education announced their latest move to assist some individuals with financially debilitating student loan debt. This part of the Obama Student Aid Bill of Rights, is directed at hundreds of thousands of borrowers who are permanently disabled and cannot work. The Department of Education started sending out letters this week to student loan borrowers that have been identified, with the help of the Social Security Administration, as receiving disability payments and are eligible to have their student loans discharged. This type of student loan relief is known as a "Total and Permanent Disability" loan discharge. There were 387,000 permanently disabled individuals identified, with nearly half of these currently in student loan default, as qualifying with an estimated $7.7 billion in student loans.In a statement, Education Under Secretary Ted Mitchell said, "Too many eligible borrowers were falling through the cracks, unaware they were eligible for relief." He added, "Americans with disabilities have a right to student loan relief. And we need to make it easier, not harder, for them to receive the benefits they are due." These statements are tantamount to an admission that many student loan borrowers, whom are eligible for student loan debt relief or forgiveness, never receive the assistance they are due under the law. Many times, borrowers who are legally due student loan forgiveness, spend years petitioning, but never achieve final discharge.If you need help understanding or applying for student loan debt relief, you're not alone. An attorney who specializes in student loan debt relief can be of enormous help and get you the relief you deserve. Try calling DJ Rausa, the San Diego Student Loan Lawyer, at (619) 295-3322 for a free initial consultation.
