Divorced borrowers who have been on the hook for their ex's student debt are finally getting the fix they need. But the Education Department's radio silence makes the win bittersweet.
. In some cases, borrowers are being held responsible for debt that was linked with an abusive former spouse, forced to choose between paying a debt that isn't theirs or tanking their credit as they wait for a solution.
The new legislation will allow borrowers with joint consolidation loans to separate them proportionally based on their initial loan amount. Alldredge and his wife help run a Facebook group with over 700 members who have been sharing their joint loan consolidation stories with lawmakers. Their representative, Trey Hollingsworth, was one of the Republicans who reached across the aisle and signed the bill.Cynthia Malone is a licensed clinical social worker with the public defender's office in Columbia, Mo. She's married to a probation officer, and between them they've worked decades in public service.
She felt left behind because of one choice they made a long time ago at the urging of their loan servicer. At the time of publication, the Education Department did not have a response to NPR's repeated requests for clarification on whether this group of borrowers will be processed in time to apply for the PSLF waiver.