Publication Date: April 17, 2017
| DCL ID: | GEN-17-03 |
Subject: Revision of the Military Service and Post-Active Duty Student Deferment Request
Summary: This letter announces the approval of a revised version of the Military Service and Post-Active Duty Student Deferment Request form for the Direct Loan, FFEL, and Perkins Loan programs.
Dear Colleague:
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved a revised version of the Military Service and Post-Active Duty Student Deferment Request form under OMB Control Number 1845-0080. The revised version of the form has an expiration date of November 30, 2019. The revised version of the form is for use by borrowers who have received loans under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program, the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, and the Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins Loan) Program.
The revised form is attached to this letter.
Changes to the Military Service and Post-Active Duty Student Deferment Request
There are no substantive changes to the prior version of the form. However, we have made some minor formatting and language changes for greater clarity and simplicity. In particular, we have revised Item 4 in Section 4 (Authorized Official’s Certification) of the form. On the prior version of the form, Item 4 requires the authorized official to certify that the borrower’s service was in connection with a contingency operation, national emergency, or war by checking one of three boxes identifying a specific contingency operation (Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, or Operation Inherent Resolve), or by checking a fourth box labeled “Other” and then identifying the national emergency, war, or other contingency operation to which the borrower’s service is connected. A fifth check box (“None of the above”) indicates that the borrower does not qualify for a deferment and instructs the authorized official not to complete the form.
On the revised form, we have modified Item 4 by replacing the three check boxes associated with specific contingency operations with check boxes requiring the authorized official to indicate whether the borrower’s service was in connection with a contingency operation, a national emergency, or a war. After checking the applicable box, the official is then directed to a new Item 5 that instructs the official to enter the name of the specific contingency operation, national emergency, or war. The “Other” check box has been eliminated. The revised form, like the prior version, continues to include a “None of the above” check box indicating that the borrower does not qualify for a deferment.
If the borrower has an authorized official complete Section 4 of the form, loan holders and servicers are expected to carefully review Section 4 to ensure that all required information has been provided, including the name of the applicable contingency operation, national emergency, or war (or if the operation is classified, an indication of such) in new Item 5. Unless the loan holder or servicer has reasonable cause to question the validity of the information provided by the authorized official in Item 5, the loan holder or servicer may accept the official’s certification that the information in Item 5 is accurate and is not expected to independently verify that information.
Implementation and Transition to Revised Form
FFEL Program and Perkins Loan Program participants may begin distributing the attached OMB-approved form to borrowers immediately. Beginning July 1, 2017, only the revised version of the form that is attached to this letter may be provided to borrowers. However, the previous version of the form may continue to be accepted from borrowers and processed after that date.
Printing Instructions
To improve accessibility for visually impaired borrowers, we are providing the form only in PDF format. Loan holders, servicers, and guaranty agencies are responsible for ensuring that the form they use is identical to the attached OMB-approved form. No changes may be made to the form except as expressly provided below.
The loan holder, servicer, or guaranty agency must print the form on white paper with black ink. The typeface, point size, and general presentation of the form 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 form for bar coding or other loan holder- or servicer-specific information. Also, loan holders and servicers may pre-populate their contact information in Section 8 of the form.
Sincerely,
Jeff Baker, Director
Policy Liaison and Implementation
Federal Student Aid
U.S. Department of Education