Date Received: 2022-11-21
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: My loan is currently being serviced by MOHELA for PSLF purposes, prior to that it was serviced by XXXX. On XX/XX/22 I called MOHELA to request a refund to payments made during the COVID 19 Pandemic as I am entitled by the Cares Act. The refund would be roughly equivalent to {$1600.00}. At this time I was quoted a wait time of 4-6 weeks. 6 weeks passed and I called again, this time I was given a wait time of 60-90 days. When 90 days passed I called again and was told it was 60 business days from my first call. That would bring me to today where I have still yet to see movement on my account as it relates to the refund Im entitled to.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: VA
Zip: 20120
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-21
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-20
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: I currently have 100 payments counted toward PSLF forgiveness of my Federal Student Loans per my servicer MOHELA as a result of submitting a TEPSLF form to my former servicer XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. I have submitted an additional employment verification form to MOHELA on XX/XX/XXXX for this year hat would add 11 additional payments toward PSLF loan forgiveness. It has not been processed as of yet. Additionally, the US Department of Education also announced that Forbearance periods now count toward PSLF forgiveness as well & that a one time recalculation of past payment history is to be done by the Department of Education that will include forbearance periods as qualifying payments toward PSLF forgiveness. I have tried calling MOHELA to get them to process my most current XXXX employer verification form 3 times last week and to explain that my loans were effectively paid up because of the forbearance change and demand that my loans be forgiven, but the wait times exceeded 5 hours - effectively not taking the call. I also submitted a complaint to the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman asking for them to intervene and get the US Department of Education to update my payment history with qualifying payments during forbearance periods and get MOHELA to process my XXXX employee verification form and forgive my loans as I have more than 120 payments. They responded by sending me an email stating that PSLF is eligible to direct loan borrowers only - which did address my complaint at and offered no resolution. I am entitled to forgiveness of my student loans as I have 100 payments counted already, 11 to be counted as part of my XXXX employer verification form and an additional 24+ payments that should be counted as I was in an administrative forbearance since XXXX as I have a Borrower defense to repayment claim pending at the XXXX Department of Education that has still not been resolved.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: NY
Zip: 11793
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-20
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-20
Issue: Improper use of your report
Subissue: Reporting company used your report improperly
Consumer Complaint: In accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting act. The List of accounts below has violated my federally protected consumer rights to privacy and confidentiality under 15 USC 1681. Account name : XXXX XXXX # XXXX, Account name : XXXX XXXX # XXXX, has violated my rights. 15 U.S.C 1681 section 602 A. States I have the right to privacy. 15 U.S.C 1681 Section 604 A Section 2 : It also states a consumer reporting agency can not furnish a account without my written instructions 15 U.S.C 1681c. ( a ) ( 5 ) Section States : no consumer reporting agency may make any consumer report containing any of the following items of information Any other adverse item of information, other than records of convictions of crimes which antedates the report by more than seven years. 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( A ) ( 1 ) A person shall not furnish any information relating to a consumer to any consumer reporting agency if the person knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the information is inaccurate.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: DE
Zip: 19805
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-20
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-20
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Problem with customer service
Consumer Complaint: Hello, I am submitting an Education Debt Reduction Program ( EDRP ) form through my employer the XXXX One of the requirements is that the loan servicer signs off my loan verification form to confirm my loans. I have submitted my form to MOHELA but they have yet to sign the form and they keep saying it is approved but there is still not signature. I have tried contacting them multiple times without success. I need them to sign this so I can start the process for loan forgiveness through my employer.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: NY
Zip: 10128
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-20
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-20
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: My Public Service Loan Application was transferred to Mohela. Finally after making a complaint my employment was finally verified. Now Mohela can only find 32 payments. I have made payments since XXXX to XXXX XXXX XXXX. I am in the process of gathering all of my loan payments so far XXXX XXXX XXXX has provided payments from XXXX. I also made payment by electronic check to XXXX XXXX XXXX which I requested XX/XX/XXXX. Mohela hasn't even counted the payments from XXXX. I have attached the payments that XXXX XXXX XXXX has provided so far. I really need help with Mohela. When I first received the letter from Mohela that is attached to this complaint dated XXXX XXXX, XXXX telling me that had not made the required payments, I called Mohela and the customer service representative hung up on me. I called back and was told that Mohela was still in the process of finding payments. Then I got a letter from Mohela telling me to make payments. Mohela is not counting all of the payments that I have made towards my loan.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: MO
Zip: 63031
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-12-01
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-20
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: Good day MOHELA, This is in response to your response to the complaint # XXXX originally submitted on XX/XX/XXXX. Your response was noted on XX/XX/XXXX and it was found to be unsatisfactory. Please see additional information below, as this was submitted as feedback to the original complaint response, but that complaint is now closed. I am resubmitting this issue and my additional views on the matter. Thank you Thank you for your response, however I find the ruling on my employment verification from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX to be unacceptable at this time. First, when my employment verification form was rejected by XXXX XXXX XXXX the first time, all that was requested was a XXXX from the employer to prove my employment. I supplied the XXXX, but it was never processed by them. It was not until my loans were transferred to your company that a paystub was requested. I would be happy to forward the letter I received from XXXX XXXX XXXX to you, so you can see that all that was asked for was a XXXX. Also, several customer service representatives noted that all that was required was a XXXX as well, as this was verbal Confirmation that this was all that was needed. However, when I spoke to a MOHELA representative on XXXX, I, again, was assured that all that was needed was a XXXX and that required pay stubs were generic wording sent to clients. Based on your response to my complaint, this is not the case. How do you plan to educate your representatives to give accurate information to clients and clear up these discrepancies? Now, attached to my verification form is a copy of my employment offer letter that was issued to me by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, stating that the position is a full - time position ( first line of letter ), XXXX XXXX shifts ( XXXX ), and indicating my start date. I take this to mean that the job that was offered to me met the minimum federally required hours to be considered a full time position.l, otherwise it would be illegal for them to state this fact. The letter is written on company letter head, and signed with hand written signature by the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. After researching how long pay stubs should be kept but both business and individuals, The XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX only requires companies/businesses to hold on to pay information/employment records for approx. XXXX XXXX. Their guidelines are as follows : How Long Should Records Be Retained : Each employer shall preserve for at least XXXX XXXX payroll records, collective bargaining agreements, sales and purchase records. Records on which wage computations are based should be retained for XXXXXXXX XXXX i.e., time cards and piece work tickets, wage rate tables, work and time schedules, and records of additions to or deductions from wages. These records must be open for inspection by the XXXX 's representatives, who may ask the employer to make extensions, computations, or transcriptions. The records may be kept at the place of employment or in a central records office. I would be happy to forward you their guidelines. The XXXX requires individuals to keep documents related to tax filings submitted without issue for XXXX XXXX, and employment records to be kept for XXXX. Their recommendations are as follows : Period of Limitations that apply to income tax returns XXXX. Keep records for XXXX XXXX if situations ( XXXX ), ( XXXX ), and ( XXXX ) below do not apply to you. XXXX. Keep records for XXXX XXXX from the date you filed your original return or XXXX XXXX from the date you paid the tax, whichever is later, if you file a claim for credit or refund after you file your return. XXXX. Keep records for XXXX XXXX if you file a claim for a loss from worthless securities or bad debt deduction. XXXX. Keep records for XXXX XXXX if you do not report income that you should report, and it is more than XXXX XXXX of the gross income shown on your return. XXXX. Keep records indefinitely if you do not file a return. XXXX. Keep records indefinitely if you file a fraudulent return. XXXX. Keep employment tax records for at least XXXX XXXX after the date that the tax becomes due or is paid, whichever is later. This job is XXXX XXXX XXXX! A general Recommendation made by financial professionals is to Keep paystubs for XXXX XXXX, not XXXX XXXX. I happened to keep my original XXXX, though it is not recommended by the government to do so. XXXX time listed on the XXXX website is XXXX XXXX. My XXXX transcript that was also attached was not sufficient for XXXX XXXX XXXX the first time, even though it was taken directly off the XXXX website. Luckily, I kept my original XXXX and was able to submit them. My offer letter submitted to my verification form states I was a full time employee, my XXXX are there showing I did work at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and was paid. Does anyone in your office hold their paystubs for XXXX XXXX? Does MOHELA have employment records from XXXX XXXX XXXX still available for review for their employees? I would be surprised if they did. Asking me to procure an XXXX XXXX XXXX pay stub is far reaching. What I also dont understand, is that if XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX represented XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX when they were managing direct loans for clients, why should their criteria of proof of employment be different from Mohelas ? if you both represent the same entity, why did they not request pay stubs and you do? Should the burden of proof requirements have been the same for both servicers since you both represent the XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX? Is this another barrier to prevent people from getting their payments recognized, and therefore closer to forgiveness, by asking them to procure information neither an employer or individual is required to keep after a lengthy period of time? Again, I would be happy to send you the letters I have from XXXX stating its a full time position ( though you already have it and have not acknowledged it. ) The XXXX FAQ on XXXX XXXX mentions XXXX as proof of employment. Paystubs are not noted on there at all. I have submitted a copy of the link for your review. XXXX XXXX XXXX Please also See this FAQ sheet from XXXX XXXX regarding the definition of full time employment, where is states Most often, it is your employers definition of full time that counts. The link is below for your review. Paystubs on this form is an option, but not a requirement. Form states [ you may be ] asked to provide additional information or documentation to help establish your employment with a qualifying public service organization. This documentation may include an XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, [ OR ] other documents from your employer that substantiate your employment at the organization or documentation supporting your employers eligibility as a public service organization. XXXX XXXX XXXX My offer letter from the employer clearly states Full time position on it, which, again, was supplied to you. As far as the payment count, thank you for acknowledging that the tracker is missing this time period of XXXX. I also submitted to my employment verification form, as well as to this complaint, a transcript of the transactions I made to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX during the time in question that I procured from XXXX, my previous servicer. It shows that I made payments during an active repayment period shortly after my first direct loan consolidation in XXXX. My XXXX XXXX XXXX verification form form covers part of those dates ( XXXX ). You note in your response that you are working on updating the tracker and my file has not yet been looked at. Do you have a time period as to when this may occur? I can see my resubmitted form from XXXX XXXX has been processed, but no tracker updates have been made. Is there an estimated time that you will be addressing this issue so that I may look for progress? Will you look at the transaction transcript that I have supplied? Or is this something else that will be overlooked, as I was told by XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX, no one there would look at it. I have been trying to rectify this since XX/XX/XXXX and it has now been XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX since I was transferred to MOHELA. I would like a resolution to this issue, XXXX where my missing payments are restored. Thank you
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: NJ
Zip: 074XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-20
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-18
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: I received a letter from Mohela dated XX/XX/2022 indicating that my student loan was not forgiven based on three factors. Those factors were false. I worked for over 11 years in a public school system and Im currently working there. My employer completed the PSLF form indicating that I still work there. Yet the letter from Mohela said that it had an end date which was incorrect. The letter said I didnt indicate I worked full time nor did I show I work at least XXXX hours. The letter from my employer showed that I worked XXXX hours and that Im full time.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: FL
Zip: 33993
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-18
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-18
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: Applied for XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX. My loan was then transferred from XXXX to XXXX XXXX and then to MOHELA ( since XX/XX/XXXX ). I received a letter from MOHELA that I did not qualify for XXXX in XXXX ( with no reason given ), so I phoned MOHELA and the rep indicated that my form was invalid because my employer name/signature was cut off. I had a copy of the original I sent with signature intact, so they put me through to a manager who said that all forms came that way from XXXX because they were reviewed and were preapproved. Since then I have had to call MOHELA repeatedly because they were not posting my payments. For about 2 months only 12 payments posted. I asked that they request my records- they did, then 120 payments posted in XXXX with XXXX of these ineligible. All payments between XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX were missing/not posted, but the deferment periods from this time frame were posted. My servicer was XXXX XXXX ( now defunct ) from XXXX so I reached out to all of my past loan servicers to get the XXXX records and complained to XXXX. of XXXX that they were missing. I just received these records from XXXX ( who previously insisted they did not have them and did not provide them in a previous mailing ) via postal mail on Monday, XX/XX/XXXX. Today, I took off work to call MOHELA and have now spent 7.5 hours on hold. After a lengthy wait, I speak to the rep ( always in training ) and they hear my request and refer me to a supervisor and I am on hold indefinitely. I am in the second round of this and about to hang up and redial since I have been on hold waiting for a supervisor with no contact from MOHELA for 3.5 hours. I have roughly 160 eligible payments for XXXX and can not seem to get MOHELA to acknowledge and count these payments. I am due a return on the overage of payments and am in a holding pattern until they actually count all of my eligible payments. Thank you.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: VA
Zip: 201XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-18
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-17
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Don't agree with the fees charged
Consumer Complaint: During the Covid forbearance, my loans went from {$16000.00} up to {$18000.00} at the end of XX/XX/2022. The loans increased again from {$18000.00} to {$19000.00} in XXXX of 2022. At that time my loans were with Fed XXXX. After multiple calls to XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX, hours on the phone and submitting formal complaints over the last year, I have received no clear answer as to why this money was added to my account while it was in forbearance. My loans recently got transferred to Mohela. I still can't get answers. One person from Federal Student Aid told me that she thought it was because I was on some specific loan program over 10 years ago and when I switched my loan plan to qualify for PSLF it disqualified me so they just decided to address it 10 years later and add interest. This is absolutely not ok. I need answers. I also have 10 years and 120 months of PSLF, but 2 months are not counting so I can't get forgiveness. I am beyond frustrated with the student loan system and feel like this is a scam.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: WI
Zip: 53213
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-17
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-17
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: Last XXXX I consolidated and filed for XXXX because under the waiver I have over XXXX qualifying payments. The history of all the nonsense with XXXX XXXX is laid out in my previous complaint. I was transferred to MOHELA in XXXX - XXXX XX/XX/XXXX the ombudsman named XXXX told me they can request that my forgiveness be escalated because I met all the criteria and had been waiting so long. XXXX, with the Department of Education, advised me to file a new form with MOHELA instead of relying on the transferred form, as sometimes there were issues with those, AND it would get XXXX more payments certified by my employer ( even though I don't need them, as I am well over the XXXX - started with the federal govt in XXXX and still working the same qualifying job ). On XX/XX/XXXX I followed this advice and submitted the new XXXX form to MOHELA. Not seeing it, the next day I panicked and submitted a duplicate form. I called Mohela and the rep told me it was fine, that the second one would be deleted as a duplicate and not to worry. On XX/XX/XXXX I called Mohela because BOTH the non-duplicate and the duplicate forms were marked as duplicate and not processed! XXXX at Mohela changed the first one to processing again instead of duplicate, but told me there was no way to expedite and that I would have to wait all over again for XXXX business days for it to process even though I had already waited and this was their error! It isn't right to put me at the back of the line, again. I have been waiting almost a year now for forgiveness. I have tried to get a supervisor on the phone and have had to give up waiting on XX/XX/XXXX for over XXXX hours, XX/XX/XXXX for over XXXX hours, and XX/XX/XXXX I was on hold for a supervisor for over XXXX hours ( I have screenshots ). The trainee at MOHELA told me I could email to speak with a supervisor, but I pulled up what she suggested and there was NOWHERE on the site where you could email to request a supervisor call you, in spite of what their actual rep told me. So my complaints are that my forgiveness should be expedited bc this was their error in marking it a duplicate AND that their reps are dishonest ( probably unknowingly ) in telling you to email a supervisor because you literally can't - you can not get XXXX on the phone nor by email.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: TN
Zip: 38305
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-17
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A