| Publication Date: June 11, 2007 DCL ID: GEN-07-04 Subject: Approved Military Deferment Request Form Summary: This letter announces the approval of a new Military Deferment Request form for use in the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL), William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan), and Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins Loan) programs. Posted on 06-11-2007 Dear Colleague: The Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 (the HERA) included a provision establishing a new military deferment for borrowers with loans made under the FFEL, Direct Loan, and Perkins Loan programs. Under the new provision, a borrower may defer repayment on eligible loans for up to three years while he or she is serving on active duty during a war or other military operation or national emergency, or performing qualifying National Guard duty during a war or other military operation or national emergency. The new military deferment created by the HERA is available only for FFEL, Direct Loan, and Perkins Loan program loans that were first disbursed on or after July 1, 2001. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved a deferment request form under OMB No. 1845-0080 to be used by borrowers in all three Title IV loan programs to apply for the new military deferment. The new OMB-approved Military Deferment Request form is attached to this letter. Implementation of the New Military Deferment Request The attached Military Deferment Request may be made available to borrowers for immediate use. FFEL Program participants and Perkins Loan schools must make the new Military Deferment Request available to borrowers no later than October 1, 2007. Requests for the military deferment made by borrowers using other means that were in place before October 1, 2007 may continue to be processed after that date. Printing Instructions and Imaging Technology The attached form must be printed with black ink on white paper. The typeface, point size, and general presentation of the form may not be changed from the OMB-approved form. No changes to, deletions from, or additions to the approved language on the form are allowed, except that the order of the program names that appear throughout the form (Federal Family Education Loan Program/William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program/Federal Perkins Loan Program) may be changed depending on the program for which the form is being used. The space at the top, bottom, or sides of the form may be used for bar coding. To accommodate imaging technology, the instructions tell the borrower to complete and sign the form in ink. However, a pencil signature does not invalidate the form. Obtaining Copies for Reproduction The Military Deferment Request form is available in PDF and Microsoft Word format as attachments to this letter. In addition, the form is also available on the National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs (NCHELP) web site at www.nchelp.org. Sincerely, Jeff Baker, Director |