SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A new bill is introduced to simplify the process of loan forgiveness for service members by addressing a critical hurdle, officials said.
The Ensuring Military Access to Higher Education Benefits Act of 2024 is designed to provide automatic access to student loan forgiveness through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. This initiative comes in response to the challenges faced by veterans and active service members in accessing their earned PSLF benefits, said Rep. Scott Peters (CA-50) in a press release.
The PSLF Program currently extends eligibility for loan forgiveness to borrowers with consolidated loans.
"They can't get the information to show that they serve 10 years because they have to call their supervisor in the military, often has already been discharged and they can't find," said Peters.
Due to the substantial veteran population in San Diego, Peters said this issue needs to be resolved.
"All we want to do is get the Department of Education to get the information for the Department of Defense verify that they had the service, that they qualify for the loan repayment," Peters said.
Under this proposed legislation, a data-sharing agreement between the two departments will be finalized, with a one-year deadline imposed for the completion of this critical step.
