Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) panel members are now eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program following recent amendments to federal Department of Education regulations, CPCS Chief Counsel Anthony J. Benedetti announced last week.
CPCS worked with the Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being for the past three years to expand eligibility under the PSLF program, which offers loan forgiveness for federal student loan borrowers who work full time for qualifying public service organizations. As a result, eligible lawyers who are employed by governmental or nonprofit organizations may be eligible for significant loan forgiveness benefits after fulfilling certain requirements. According to Benedetti, CPCS’ interpretation of the amended regulations is that the organization can certify employment for its private attorneys dating back to the Oct. 1, 2007, inception date of the PSLF program.
The PSLF program forgives the remaining balance on eligible direct loans after a borrower makes the equivalent of 120 qualifying monthly payments while working a minimum average of 30 hours per week for a public service employer. Borrowers must also meet additional requirements. For example, some people with older federal student loans will need to consolidate into a direct loan before Dec. 31, 2023.
CPCS will hold a Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 13, at 3:30 p.m. to provide information on the opportunity and explain the intricacies of the loan forgiveness program for private contractors. A second Town Hall meeting will take place on Thursday, Oct. 12, at 3:30 p.m. The meetings will be recorded so that those who are unable to make it will still have access to the same information.
CPCS has also added a “PSLF FAQS” page to its website under the “Attorney/Vendor Resources” tab. The organization is currently updating its E-Bill system so that attorneys can easily look back at previous years to determine their billing during the time frame in which public loan forgiveness qualifies. That system will be in place by the time the Town Hall Meeting occurs.