U.S. Department Of Education Announced Changes To Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

WASHINGTON (KDKA) - Relief is on the way for more than half a million people with student loan debt.

It comes following an announcement from the U.S. Department of Education that they were making changes to the embattled public service loan forgiveness program.

The program will affect people working in government non-profit sectors with federal student loans. That includes first responders, nurses, and teachers.

People working in those sectors will be eligible to have their student debt wiped out after they've made monthly payments for 10 years.

"This program has been broken. More than nine out of every 10 borrowers have been rejected and this has been going on for years," said Seth Frotman, the Executive Director of the Student Borrower Protection Center.

The program was created by Congress in 2007 has been criticized for being difficult to navigate and riddled with problems including confusion about eligibility requirements.

For a full list of changes to the program and to check your availability, head to the Student Aid website at this link.