Public Service Forgiveness for Student Loans

[Bohuntr]

I tried a search on this but came up short.

 

This program started in 2007 and allows the forgiveness of the remaining balance of certain student loans after 120 continual payments have been made. Healthcare is specifically listed, mainly nurses and nurse practitioners, but it also states that "advanced practice providers" in on section.

 

There is a small section I cut out at the bottom of this post. The first loans will not be forgiven until 2017, since it requires 120 payments and the first section was 2007. I work as an ER contract employee at a private hospital, but according to what I read, I would be eligible. Is this fuzzy logic since PA's are basically general practice, and the majority of what I see is fast-track? It's nothing really different than what you would see at a family practice and the load is going to increase ten-fold after Obamacare. Many of my friends who work at private practices here in Austin have already told their medicare patients that they will have to look for other providers, so these patients will be dumped on the ER's...

 

Here is what I cut: "Qualifying employment is any employment with a federal, state, or local government agency, entity, or organization or a non-profit organization that has been designated as tax-exempt by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) under Section 501©(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). The type or nature of employment with the organization does not matter for PSLF purposes. Additionally, the type of services that these public service organizations provide does not matter for PSLF purposes.

 

A private non-profit employer that is not a tax-exempt organization under Section 501©(3) of the IRC may be a qualifying public service organization if it provides certain specified public services. These services include emergency management, military service, public safety, or law enforcement services; public health services; public education or public library services; school library and other school-based services; public interest law services; early childhood education; public service for individuals with disabilities and the elderly. The organization must not be a labor union or a partisan political organization.

 

Generally, the type or nature of employment with the organization does not matter for PSLF purposes. However, when determining full-time public service employment at a not-for-profit organization you may not include time spent participating in religious instruction, worship services, or any form of proselytizing."

 

Here is the full section: http://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/charts/public-service#what-kinds-of-employment

 

If I document the payments, and time spent working in the ER, am I going to be covered? Not asking for an expert legal opinion, but are you other PA's seeing what I'm seeing?

 

Thanks,

 

John

 

Austin