The American Bar Association applauds the announced changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program to help more than a half-million deserving public service workers receive credit for previously excluded months of service and to simplify the PSLF application process.
PSLF encourages new professionals to dedicate themselves to public service careers, which generally pay less than the private sector. Thousands of people – lawyers, teachers, firefighters, engineers, doctors and more – have made major career and life decisions based on the government’s promise of student loan forgiveness after 10 years of qualifying payments on their loans and hard work in service to the public.
The proposed changes are a welcome step to improve the PSLF program and address the problem of staggering student loan debts. The ABA urges Congress and the administration to consider additional actions, including moves that would forgive some student debt, offer borrowers the ability to refinance loans at lower interest rates and improve the ability of struggling borrowers to seek a bankruptcy discharge for federal student loans.
The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on Twitter @ABANews.