On the recordJune 28, 2019
veterans who have become disabled during their service to our Nation should have their student loans forgiven without delay, without cumbersome red tape. Unfortunately, that is not the case today, which is why I am introducing legislation with my colleague from Georgia, Senator Isakson, to require the Department of Education to automatically discharge student loans for veterans who are totally and permanently disabled. In the fall of 2018, the Department of Education and the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a data-matching program under which the Department of Veterans Affairs would disclose data to the Department of Education concerning veterans who are determined to be 100 percent disabled or individually unemployable. The Department of Education would then alert eligible veterans with Federal student loans of the opportunity to apply for debt relief. This initiative was an important step forward in improving the process for disabled veterans, but it did not go far enough. Too many eligible veterans are still saddled with student loans that they cannot repay. This spring, in response to hearing questions, the Department of Education reported that of the over 40,000 veterans who were identified as eligible for loan forgiveness through the matching program, fewer than half submitted the required paperwork and, as a result, have not had their loans forgiven.…





