Publication Date: October 8, 2014
| DCL ID: | GEN-14-19 |
Subject: Revised Teacher Loan Forgiveness Application and Teacher Loan Forgiveness Forbearance Request forms
Summary: The letter announces the availability of a revised Teacher Loan Forgiveness Application and Teacher Loan Forgiveness Forbearance Request for use by borrowers with loans made under the Direct Loan and Federal Family Education Loan programs.
Note: On March 10, 2015 and again on June 30, 2015 we updated this Dear Colleague Letter by replacing the attached forms with forms that are formatted to be more accessible. Only formatting changes were made. The content on the forms and in the Dear Colleague Letter has not changed.
Dear Colleague:
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the attached revised Teacher Loan Forgiveness Application and Teacher Loan Forgiveness Forbearance Request under OMB Control Number 1845-0059 with an expiration date of 07/31/2017. These revised forms replace the prior versions that have an expiration date of 05/31/2014.
Loan holders and servicers are encouraged to begin using the attached revised forms immediately. The previous version of the forms may no longer be distributed after January 31, 2015, but may continue to be accepted after that date.
Substantive Changes to the Forms
Although, as noted below, we have made significant changes to the formatting of the Teacher Loan Forgiveness forms, there are no substantive changes to the text of the forms.
Reformatting of the Forms
As we announced in DCL GEN-13-23 and DCL GEN 14-02, we are reformatting the forms that are used by borrowers during the repayment of their loans (loan servicing forms) to be more accessible to those with visual impairments. This reformatting includes:
Increasing the font size for most of the form to 11 point;
Eliminating the use of tables to format text and fields in the form;
Reformatting long sections of text into columns; and
Tagging the form so that it adheres to ED accessibility standards.
Printing Instructions
To improve accessibility for visually impaired borrowers, we are providing the forms only in PDF format. Loan holders, servicers, and guaranty agencies are responsible for ensuring that the forms they use are identical to the attached forms, as approved by OMB. No changes may be made to the forms except as expressly provided below.
The loan holder, servicer, or guaranty agency must print the forms on white paper with black ink. The typeface, point size, and general presentation of the forms may not be changed from the attached version. Loan holders and servicers may use any blank spaces at the top, bottom, or sides of the forms for bar coding or other lender-or servicer-specific information. Also, loan holders and servicers may pre-populate their contact and submission information in the section of the forms designed for that purpose.
Sincerely,
Jeff Baker, Director
Policy Liaison and Implementation
Federal Student Aid