For Immediate Release:
October 8, 2021

NAPABA Applauds the Department of Education's Overhaul of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

WASHINGTON- NAPABA applauds the Department of Education’s announcement of a limited time waiver of certain requirements under its federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). The changes make it easier for borrowers in the nonprofit and government sectors, including public interest and government attorneys, to qualify for federal loan forgiveness or reduction under the PSLF. Established in 2007, the PSLF was created to incentivize individuals to enter and work long term in the public service sector by forgiving their federal loans. To be eligible, a borrower must be employed full time in the public sector and work for 10 years, and enrolled in a qualified federal student loan payment program. To date however, implementation of the PSLF program has been stymied by complex rules, poor communication, and uncertainty as to which loans were eligible for forgiveness.

“For years, NAPABA, through the leadership of its Public Sector Network, has championed reform and improvement to the PSLF,” said A.B. Cruz III, president of NAPABA. “The announcement by the Department of Education, in removing barriers to application, is a major step forward to realizing the full potential of the PSLF program and hopefully will encourage not only NAPABA members, but future law school graduates to consider careers in public service.” 

In 2018, NAPABA issued a policy resolution in support of the PSLF and has featured this matter as a policy priority in its prior Lobby Day advocacy before Congress.  This week’s announcement included authorizing “all prior payments” from student borrowers to count towards the PSLF, including loan types and payments that didn’t previously qualify. 

NAPABA’s advocacy efforts on improving the PSLF, complement its ongoing support to the NAPABA Law Foundation (NLF), which promotes the development of public interest lawyers through fellowships, scholarship, and education.

For more on the Department of Education’s announcement, please see visit here. 

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting APA communities. Through its national network, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of all backgrounds in the legal profession.