Only after a CNBC reporter contacted American Education Services was Roberts granted the deferment. Despite the good news, Roberts was left with a question: “What would have happened had I not reached out to [a] CNBC reporter?’”
Her ordeal raises questions about how other student loan servicers are handling the new program. “This is the poster child for who this provision is supposed to help,” said Barmak Nassirian, the director of federal relations at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
Between 400,000 and 1 million borrowers could be eligible for the deferment, according to estimations by Mark Kantrowitz, an expert on student debt.
After multiple rounds of chemotherapy, Roberts had to abandon her private practice as a pediatric speech- language pathologist. “On some days I can’t walk from my bed to the bathroom,” she said.
And her medical expenses have squeezed her financially.
“It’s stressful enough having to go through the treatment,” she said, “and then on top of it you’re constantly worried: Am I going to be able to pay this student loan bill?” (She is currently enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan with monthly payments of $0, but interest is piling up on her debt).
Be the first to comment