Public Service Loan Forgiveness Delay Leaves Indiana Prosecutor Paying More

Christine Archer, a first-generation college graduate serving as a prosecutor in Hendricks County, Indiana, has been unable to complete the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. After making the required 120 qualifying payments and fulfilling ten years of eligible public-service work, Archer’s remaining federal student-loan balance should have been canceled. Instead, in 2024 the federal government placed her loans in forbearance following a lawsuit challenging the legality of the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan, which had been offered to millions of borrowers. The forbearance has left Archer in “purgatory” for more than 600 days while she awaits clarification of the amount needed to finalize PSLF.

New York Times

PSLF is available to government and nonprofit employees—including schoolteachers, public defenders, and librarians—who enroll in an income-driven repayment plan, make 120 qualifying payments, and complete at least a decade of service in an eligible role. The SAVE plan, introduced a few years earlier, was intended to lower monthly payments for borrowers. A 2024 lawsuit questioning SAVE’s legality prompted the Department of Education to suspend processing of certain PSLF applications, resulting in forbearance for affected borrowers like Archer.

New York Times

During the forbearance period Archer was required to enroll in a new repayment plan, increasing her monthly outlay by roughly $1,000. The higher payment has strained her finances while she continues to submit documentation to the Student Loan Ombudsman, which she reports was returned as “undeliverable.” The prolonged uncertainty has extended her repayment timeline well beyond the original expectations of loan forgiveness.

New York Times

• “After nearly a year of hearing nothing, I sent all of my documentation to the Student Loan Ombudsman,” — Ms. Archer

New York Times