A myriad of recent changes to the federal student loan system have made it difficult for some borrowers to get someone on the phone — whether from the Department of Education or their loan servicer — who can answer their questions accurately.
“You never get a straight answer,” said one student loan borrower, Josh Harner, 38.
Another borrower Dan Carrigg, 41, said: “I have been told all kinds of conflicting information.”
Both men are stuck in a more than 72,000-person backlog for a program that helps borrowers access Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and have been trying for months to get updates on their applications.
At times, some borrowers struggle to even get in touch with someone at their student loan servicer to discuss their account, said Anna Anderson, a staff attorney at the National Consumer Law Center.
