Nicole LeBlanc, a city employee serving as a paralegal in our Licensing Department, joined at Boston City Hall yesterday to speak at a Public Service Loan Forgiveness Clinic hosted by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell and Mayor Michelle Wu, along with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Senator Elizabeth Warren. The clinic was designed to help federal student loan borrowers access a time-limited opportunity to get closer to Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). This opportunity, called the Payment Count Adjustment, enables government and nonprofit workers to get credit toward forgiveness for past repayment periods that would not otherwise qualify. To benefit, some federal loan borrowers must consolidate their privately owned federal loans into the Direct Loan Program by Dec. 31, 2023.
Nicole LeBlanc, a City of Springfield employee, is a student loan borrower who was able to speak to the importance and benefit of these programs.
Ms. LeBlanc stated, “My biggest frustration with student loans was the lack of information, reliable resources, and guidance. I thought I would be paying my student loans for the next 20 to 30 years – until I contacted the Attorney General’s Office. The Office provided me with simple guidance and vital information through every step of the process, and because of the forgiveness they helped me get, I was finally able to achieve a life-long dream of buying my first own home.”
The AG’s Office has been offering regular student loan webinars to help borrowers access debt relief opportunities, including webinars for teachers, government, and nonprofit workers. To learn more about PSLF and the steps borrowers need to take to benefit from the Payment Count Adjustment, borrowers may sign up for a free upcoming webinar or view a recording of a past PSLF webinar here.
