"The Department of Education held its first negotiated rule-making session of the Biden administration last week, during which stakeholders discussed their views on potential changes to several federal student aid programs, including closed-college discharges, total and permanent disability discharges, and Public Service Loan Forgiveness," Inside Higher Ed reports.

... "The biggest change for this negotiated rule making is that all the meetings are being held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That makes it more challenging for negotiators to talk among themselves throughout the negotiation and with members of the public who attend in person, said Karen McCarthy, vice president of public policy and federal relations at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

The department has also added more student voices to the negotiating committee than there have been in previous sessions, said McCarthy. There are three student constituency groups represented in the makeup of the committee -- dependent students, independent students and student loan borrowers, as well as negotiators representing individuals with disabilities and military service members."

NASFAA's "Notable Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Articles included under the notable headlines section are not written by NASFAA, but rather by external sources. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.

Publication Date: 10/12/2021