Publication Date
November 26, 2019
Posted Date
November 26, 2019
Subject
Total and Permanent Disability Discharge of Loans Under Title IV
of the Higher Education Act
of the Higher Education Act
FR Type
Notice
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 26, 2019)] [Rules and Regulations] [Pages 65000-65007] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2019-25813] ============================================ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 34 CFR Parts 674, 682, and 685 RIN 1840-AD48 [Docket ID ED-2019-FSA-0115] Total and Permanent Disability Discharge of Loans Under Title IV of the Higher Education Act AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education. ACTION: Interim final regulations. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Department of Education (Department) issues these interim final regulations to amend and update the regulations for total and permanent disability student loan discharge for veterans by removing administrative burdens that may have prevented at least 20,000 totally and permanently disabled veterans from obtaining discharges of their student loans, as the law provides. These barriers create significant and unnecessary hardship for these veterans. Removing these barriers is a matter of pressing national concern. Although the Department construes its interim final rulemaking power narrowly, under these circumstances the Department finds good cause to implement the rule immediately. DATES: These regulations are effective July 1, 2020. Implementation date: For the implementation date of these regulatory changes, see the Implementation Date of These Regulations section of this document. We must receive your comments on or before January 27, 2020. ADDRESSES: Submit your comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. We will not accept comments submitted by fax or by email or those submitted after the comment period. To ensure that we do not receive duplicate copies, please submit your comments only once. In addition, please include the Docket ID at the top of your comments. If you are submitting comments electronically, we strongly encourage you to submit any comments or attachments in Microsoft Word format. If you must submit a comment in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), we strongly encourage you to convert the PDF to print-to-PDF format or to use some other commonly used searchable text format. Please do not submit the PDF in a scanned format. Using a print-to-PDF format allows the Department to electronically search and copy certain portions of your submissions. Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov to submit your comments electronically. Information on using regulations.gov, including instructions for accessing agency documents, submitting comments, and viewing the docket, is available on the site under "Help."Postal Mail, Commercial Delivery, or Hand Delivery: The Department strongly encourages commenters to submit their comments electronically. However, if you mail or deliver your comments, address them to Robert King, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20202. Privacy Note: The Department's policy is to make comments received from members of the public available for public viewing on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov. Therefore, commenters should include in their comments only information that they wish to make publicly available. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert King, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202-2241. Telephone: (202) 453-6914. Email: Rober.King@ed.gov. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1-800- 877-8339. Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the contact person listed in this section.