Jobs?

Well, yes, accessibility in some places. But there are other reasons...difficulty changing my diapers and frailty due to age. The accident gave me pancreatitis which flares up every few weeks. The pain is incapacitating. It comes on unexpectedly. And I have to go immediately to bed. I depend on a city van service that is very inflexible. I wouldn’t be able to go home until the scheduled time. Even if I work online, I would need to “show up” when scheduled. It’s a shame that I can’t work, because, after that paraprofessional job, I got my BA in Spanish and passed the test to teach Spanish in high schools. I decided to go on and get a Masters in Modern Languages. I was halfway into the Masters when I was hit by a car.

March 15, 2014. See profile. . But I was in hospitals and nursing homes for a year and a half, so being back living in my own home is wonderful by comparison. Also, due to “permanent and complete disability”, my student loan debt was forgiven. That’s not as good as being able to walk and work, but it is surely a relief.

In my case, my hospital gave me a letter (confirmed by my hospital doctors) saying that I am “permanently and completely disabled”. Then I had to send that letter to social security and get social security to send me a letter saying that I am “permanently and completely disabled”. I sent that letter from social security to Fafsa. Even though you are now able to work, joshm1007, it’s worth remembering this possibility. Sadly, just one dummy dumping us out of our chair onto a concrete sidewalk could be the difference between “gainfully employed” and “permanent and complete disability”.

I believe that a person “completely and permanently disabled”, who is too young to get social security can get a “disability” payment which is HIGHER than the amount received by people over 62. I read this “somewhere”, but would have to search again to be able to state it as a fact. At the time that I was given this designation, I couldn’t even transfer from my bed to my wheelchair unaided, so it was a no-brainer.

P.S. Change that terminology to “total and permanent disability“. I’ve seen variations on this.

And here is the link to all the pertenent information.
studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/disability-discharge

What I’m telling you now is super-important. After you have done everything right, you can still loose your loan forgiveness by making just one mistake...and that is Asking for another loan. (Shudder.)
“Nelnet will reinstate your obligation to repay your discharged loans or complete your discharged TEACH Grant service obligation if at any time during the three-year monitoring period you do not meet the requirements of the post-discharge monitoring period.”

So, go to
www.disabilitydischarge.com
...and read about “discharge”.

www.disabilitydischarge.com/TPD-101
Under the heading Approval, see this:
“After being notified that the Department has approved your discharge request, your loan holders will transfer your loans and/or TEACH Grant service obligation to us for discharge. You will then be subject to a 3-year post-discharge monitoring period that begins on the date the discharge is approved. There are requirements that you must meet during the post-discharge monitoring period. Click here for detailed information regarding the 3-year post-discharge monitoring period requirements.
We will reinstate your obligation to repay your discharged loans or complete your discharged TEACH Grant service obligation if at any time during the 3-year monitoring period you do not meet the requirements of the post-discharge monitoring period.”

www.disabilitydischarge.com/MonitoringPeriod
Almost at the bottom see this:
“In addition, if you request a new Direct Loan, Perkins Loan, or TEACH Grant during the 3-year post‑discharge monitoring period described earlier, you must resume repayment on the previously discharged loans or acknowledge that you are once again subject to the terms of your TEACH Grant service obligation before you can receive the new loan or TEACH Grant.”

This may look like a lot to read, but it’s peanuts compared to trying to swim your way through it on your own.

sam, on not working again,...would that be during the 3-year post discharge monitoring period? ....so as not to undo the social security status of “total and permanent disability”?

But you haven’t messed it up yet, have you? The “small amount” that you can work,....is there a rule about income being under the poverty level? Also, after three years, when the student loan is completely discharged, you will be taxed on that student loan money as “income”. It will hit you all in one year, as though you’d earned the amount of the student loan money that year. But there is some forn that you can file with the IRS —-because you are fully disabled—- that makes it go away. I don’t know the name or the number of the form, but a good “tax guy” should know.