SAN DIEGO — Rep. Scott Peters, CA-50, on Monday announced legislation that would automatically forgive student loans for military service members.
The current process for service members and veterans is "complicated and burdensome," a press release from Peters noted. The new legislation would give service members automatic access to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which forgives student loans for people who work full-time for nonprofit organizations or federal, state, local or tribal governments.
"It should not be that hard," Peters said at a Monday morning press briefing.
The steps for qualifying for PSLF normally require service members and veterans to have their current or former superior officers confirm proof their time in service, according to the release. This can be challenging for veterans who do not keep in touch with their former officers, or whose former officers have left the service.
Under Peters' bill, the U.S. Defense and Education departments would be required to share data on military members' service and loans, enrolling them in student loan forgiveness through PSLF without action required by the veterans and service members themselves.
“Our bill simply requires that federal agencies share this data so that our servicemembers and veterans can automatically receive the student loan forgiveness they’ve earned,” Rep. Peters said. “It would be outrageous not to fix this issue when the answer is right in front of us.”
Peters presented the Ensuring Military Access to Higher Education Benefits Act of 2024 at the Veterans Memorial Garden in front of the Diego Veterans Museum in Balboa Park. He was joined by Vet Voice Foundation CEO and Marine Corps veteran Janessa Goldbeck, UC San Diego's Student Veterans Resource Center Program Manager and Navy veteran Nat Kapp, Navy veteran Nelson Goins and Navy veteran Becca Taylor.
“When I joined the Marine Corps in 2012 after earning my college degree, I still had student loan debt from my undergraduate education,” Goldbeck said in a news release. “While I was serving my country in uniform, a portion of my paycheck every month was going back to pay federal loans that allowed me to earn my degree.”
Kapp said she's heard many stories of challenges veterans and military-connected students face in accessing full benefits. Students often take on student loans when they run out of VA benefits, she said in the release.
"This bill promises to make a tangible, positive impact on their ability to full participate in federal education programs and to promote equity in higher education," Kapp said.
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