Public Service Loan Forgiveness: DOD and Its Personnel Could Benefit from Additional Program Information

Abstract

Personnel in the Department of Defense (DOD) - including service members and civilian employees - may be eligible for federal student loan forgiveness through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program if they remain in public service employment for 10 years while making 120 qualifying loan payments, among other requirements. As of January 2020, Department of Education (Education) data show that 287 DOD borrowers received loan forgiveness, while 5,180 DOD borrowers (about 94 percent) were denied (see figure). The most common reasons for the denials were not enough qualifying payments and missing information on the form. GAO previously reported in September 2019 an overall denial rate of 99 percent for all PSLF applications submitted by borrowers. More information from DOD could help potential applicants be aware of all eligibility requirements.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 22, 2021
Accession Number
AD1157522

Entities

People

  • Melissa Emrey-arras
  • Tina W. Sherman

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Air Force
  • Civilian Personnel
  • Congress
  • Data Sets
  • Department Of Defense
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • Health Care
  • Human Resources
  • Military Personnel
  • National Governments
  • Personnel Management
  • Social Media
  • Training
  • United States Government

Readers

  • Government Contracting/Procurement.
  • Naval Personnel Management
  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Cognitive Aging in the Guam and Border Populations Affected by Alzheimer's Disease and Tau-Associated Dementias.